A stable and reassuring boat
When one thinks of a small flying boat, the first image is that of a foil moth. The Birdyfish that we were able to test is far from these large-scale dinghies, whose stability only exists when sailing and whose control seems to be reserved for trained sailors. As soon as we arrived in the Glénan archipelago, we found the manufacturer's crew, busy taking pictures for its communication. The boat is put under sail for our exchanges and we can immediately appreciate the stability of the Birdyfish's hull when stopped. The 2 crew members take advantage of the boat's shape and its wide waterline, with a beam of 1.95 m. The transfer of crew with the semi-rigid is done easily by the back, without being disturbed by the appendages.
We begin with a small briefing with Pierre Rhimbault, my teammate of the day, at the origin of the creation of the boat. Things are simple and quick, with little adjustment: a mainsheet, two jib sheets and a tiller stick, as for any dinghy. The appendages, both foils and rudder blade, are fixed when sailing. To start, I just take the jib sheet and follow the instructions. With a reef in the mainsail, the boat takes off quickly in the day's wind conditions, which oscillate between 15 and 18 knots. According to the builder, the boat can go up on its foils from 8/10 knots. The feeling of stability and security is impressive. If by reflex, I tend to put myself on the rappel, the L-shaped foils, self-regulated, are enough to keep the boat flat without effort.
Different navigation modes
The feeling of flight quickly grasped, Pierre explains the different modes of operation of the boat. By adjusting the mainsail, which has a very accessible sheet on the boom, the crew can easily switch from comfortable sailing to higher speeds. "We can fly in calm mode without going for top speed, which allows us to discover the sensation of flying a boat with inexperienced crew members. By tacking a little more, you can also go for more speed. However, it is important not to overboard the jib or the mainsail to make good progress" explains Pierre Rhimbault.
The Birdyfish was not designed to fly upwind. On the other hand, its large foils give it a good anti-drift plan and allow it to go upwind in archimedean mode, without skidding. If the wind was sufficient on the day of our test to fly as soon as desired, the designers indicate that the current appendages allow to sail at all points of sail in archimedean mode in light winds. They have thus abandoned the straight daggerboard option initially planned.
Birdyfish flashed at 21 knots
It's time to taste the pleasure of steering. We exchange positions and I am immediately surprised by how easy the boat is to maneuver. No complex steering. The boat takes off quickly by luffing slightly. Only the pebbles of the Glénan limit our long tacks over the water. Avoiding too much helm movement, I maintain averages above 15 knots, almost the wind speed. During a nice gust, we passed 21 knots, record of the day. Nice performance for a 4.70 meters long fiberglass boat. Pierre took over the helm and we managed to do 2 "foiling gybes" without getting off our foils.
As the wind drops slightly, we unroll the Code 0 for the needs of the image bank. At the reached speed, it is quickly bordered and allows us to maintain the speeds.
While my previous flying experiences left me a bit anxious at the helm, the Birdyfish proves to be extremely reassuring. We can definitely say that the designers have achieved their goal of combining safety and sensation for this flying dinghy with a little air of fireball!
