We received the following from the new owners of a Solo 14™ they had shipped all the way from us here in western Canada to their lakeside location in the tiny country of Montenegro. What a beautiful place!
Hi all at Whitehall,
All the best to you all for a healthy, happy and prosperous 2010.
We are enjoying our Solo 14™ every day. On the few days we don’t row, we just enjoy looking at her bobbing on the water right in front of our window.
We paid through the nose to Montenegro customs and they did charge us for transport and the crate. However, we knew this was going to be an expensive project. In the end it is worth it as we are really enjoying the boat and rowing as exercise.
Janko went out today and came back with three eels that a fisherman friend he met on the lake gave him and the other day we tandem rowed our bag of garbage to the local village where there are containers (remember we have no road to our house). On the way back we collected water at the spring. So the boat is taking on a truly local character (smells of fish!) and is definitely used as a working boat as well as a great way to exercise.
We spent the first few weeks rowing with the oars to get our bodies used to the new exercise and just a couple of days ago started with the sculls. The locals are fascinated by how fast we go as they paddle along elegantly but more slowly in their canoes. Probably a good idea that we got those heavy cables and locks!
All the best,
Caroline and Janko Jovicevic
Sailing: The standing lug rig is very easy and quick to setup once you get used to it. I also have the jib with mine. It is not a high performance rig for upwind work but is a very good in light air off the wind and also tracks very well on a run in strong winds under full sail. It is a great boat for inland waters (I live near Puget Sound) and very seaworthy for it’s size. The low aspect rig keeps the center of effort low which reduces the heeling moment and risk of capsize; I have swamped it but never capsized.