Hello Jay,

I just found you website http://www.first210.org/ - really very good – full of useful info for us pocket racer fans!

We have started a similar site http://www.first211.de for the owners in Germany, mainly on Lake Constance. I have just added a link to your site, any chance of a reciprocal link?

I attach 2 photos of my boat (211 Hull no. 389 – Guillemot) on the way to winning the Lake Constance Beneteau Cup 2004.

Very interested in the discussion on sails on your site. I bought a set of Quantum sails when I bought the boat – main with 2 full length battens in Dacron and a genoa in pentex. I have since replaced the genoa with a UK tape drive (millennium) made by the UK loft in Italy. That really is a wonderful sail, very light but stable enough to carry in 25 knots wind. With these sails (the main is quite full) I found the rig is very sensitive to backstay tension, even in light to moderate wind I now apply quite a bit of tension for that last 0.2 knot of boatspeed and pointing! Of course I replaced that cheap and nasty backstay tensioner with some real harken stuff. Do you have any experience on that?

Our club have just taken delivery of 2 new 21.7 so the Lake Constance fleet is growing and I am sure they will find the info on your website useful.

Regards
John Gilliam

PS. In case its of interest, here are some photos of my autohelm installation:
http://www.first211.de/st1000/index.htm

Here are some photos of the backstay and masttop batten from my 211.

The backstay has the same purchase as the orginal but with the Harken
cleat and blocks, you can actually adjust, and play it easily according
to the wind strength.

Before the winter I can't give you any photos of how the batten is fixed
at the top of the mast, but it's only a question of making a couple of
screw threads in the mast top to screw the inboard end of the batten.

BTW you will notice the Tacktick micronet wind instrument also attached
at the masthead, this is a great (soloar powered) system using a
wireless connection to the instruments on deck. http:/www.tacktick.com