April 29, 2006
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Puddle Duck Racers
So, the end of my medical residency is fast approaching, and just as I was looking for a place to live 3 years ago, I am again in search of that perfect place. A place with water. A place with lots of water.
I went into my current job knowing full well that the largest lake near me is only 440 acres. However, more important to me was that I liked the people and the area in which I wanted to work. So although I interviewed in Corpus Christi, Houston, Galveston, and even Austin, simply because all these places afforded me easy access to either coastline or a large body of water, in the end, I chose the place that was landlocked.
The most important thing I learned from my sailing club is that, if one really wants to sail, one will find a way. Honestly, trailering a sailboat 45 miles seems ludicrous to me now, but it was something we did frequently. Because we wanted to!
One nice thing about sailboats, is that there’s a size for any body of water you can find. Even a swimming pool. Shorty Pen is a big proponent of Puddle Duck Racers. They’re so cute! Like fuzzy little ducklings. . . . If ever I could clean out my garage, I’d like to make one with a Chinese junk rig. Made from a single sheet of plywood, they’re soapbox sailboats. A prime example of customizing one’s Puddle Duck Racer (PDR) is Jason Nabors’ Sea Flea shown below.
The Sea Flea #33The Sea Flea is a race legal PDR.The only diffrences [sic] are that it has a small cuddy cabin for over night camping and has lines above the ten inch mark that are based on the West Wright [sic] Potter Sailboat.
In order to race a PD it must meet a simple set of specifications. The bottom must be a rocker shape with a flat bow and transom. The rocker shape only has to be maintained for 10″. After the 10″ mark you can design it any way you like . You may also rig it any way you like. You cannot have any such items as outriggers or motors. The only power you are allowed to use is the wind. The basic PDR takes about a weekend to build although I spent the entire winter working on mine. . . .
Excerpt from http://pdsa.20fr.com/
He even made one with a roller-furling jib! I’m so inspired!
from http://www.pdracer.com/fleets/71.jpgAlthough PDRs might look clumsy and awkward, with experienced handling they look as if they handle very nicely. (Videos)
