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£4.30 Issue #1693 January 2016 yachtsandyachting.co.uk

MEET KNUT FROSTAD – LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT WINNER SPECIAL FEATURE

EXCLUSIVE

IRC insight

Sails

Trimming tips PLUS North Sails reveals latest tech

New ratings chief looks to the future RACING CLASSES REVIEW

Sportsboats INTERVIEW

Youth squads Inside the system

STEP BY STEP

Win the pin Perfect port end starts – every time

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BEACH CLUBS

BOAT TEST: J/11S

DREAM CAREERS

STAYING IN TOUCH

Dinghy escapes – find your ideal summer break

The doublehander that’s meeting new demands

Turn your passion into your profession

From Wi-Fi to VHFs – the best kit to have on board

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THIS MONTH JANUARY 2016

TOM GRUITT

How to win: Pin end starts

OPINION

IRC INSIGHT

MEASURE OF THE MAN

6 News Hot topics from the racing scene

owards the end of 2015, Mike Urwin announced his intention to step down as director of the RORC rating office, leaving long-term technical director, James Dadd to fill his impressive shoes. Dadd has been with the rating office for 17 years and has a background first as a boatbuilder and latterly as a highly experienced measurer, a job he continues to perform on behalf of the rating office. The 44-year old was the man responsible for the development of the class rule for the Volvo 70 and, more recently, the Volvo Ocean 65 – for which he remains the class measurer. He has been heavily involved in the America’s Cup too, as a measurer and advisor. But his main area of focus within the office – indeed the main focus of the office itself – has been and remains work around the IRC rating rule.

James Dadd, newly appointed director of RORC, is a man with a vision for IRC and a finger in many pies, as TOBY HEPPELL finds

spotlight 10 News Transatlantic battle begins

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

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14 Womens’ sailing is back in the spotlight Andi Robertson

Rice 16 Andy What happened to weight equalisation?

02/12/2015 10:57

18 COVER STORY: We speak to new

director of the RORC office, James Dadd

24 COVER STORY: Georgie Corlett-Pitt

Youth squads uncovered 32 COVER STORY: Andy Rice gets the

news 72 Boat The new J/112E, RS Venture sailability

Dream careers 38 How to land your ideal job in sailing

Beach club low-down 74 Travel: Helen Fretter busts popular

Behind the lens

speaks to Knut Frostad, Y&Y’s winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award

photography supremo, Eileen Ramsay

DINGHY BEACH CLUBS

48 COVER STORY: Go behind the scenes Design insight: Sail tech

at North Sails’ mammoth new loft

54 British Paralympian, Hannah Stodel

Road to Rio: Logistics puzzle

offers her advice on travel logistics

YY1693_056-060_TRAVEL.indd 74-75

IMAGE: C/O NEILSON

If you’ve ever thought a sailing centre holiday isn’t for you, it’s time to think again. HELEN FRETTER dispells some common preconceptions

YTH #1 – THEY’RE MOSTLY FOR NOVICE SAILORS It’s true that beach clubs are a brilliant place to learn to sail, or build your skills, but they are definitely not just holidays for newbies. There were some seriously experienced sailors out on the water when we headed to Greece to visit Neilson’s biggest beach club as a family, for a late summer break in September. Amongst them were several who work in the sport enjoying a relaxing week after a busy domestic season, and a multiple European and world champion who pretty much demolished the competition every time he went sailing.

At the Neilson Messini base we found the timetabled activities included plenty of RYA courses for those just starting out, but daily Laser races were split by ability, giving experienced club racers decent competition throughout the week. There was also the chance to try catamaran sailing, and racing from the wire on a cat proved a fairly steep learning curve for even well practiced dinghy sailors. As with many Mediterranean beach centres, while conditions in the mornings were generally very light, the afternoon breeze built steadily, peaking at a Force 4-5 on some days, with a nice rolling swell to add to the fun. And if the dinghy sailing didn’t

present enough of a challenge, there was always the option to pop back ashore and swap to a windsurfer – many of the most experienced racers joined the beach team for some high speed blasting around on a board at the end of the windiest days. Elsewhere, there are several independent sailing centres that place a big emphasis on instruction catered towards experienced helms and crews. Minorca Sailing offers advanced sailors instruction in trapeze techniques, boat tuning clinics, and competitive racing in many classes, with special coaching weeks held in classes such as the Musto Skiff and RS fleets. Wildwind Sailing is based at the big

02/12/2015 10:59

latest gear through its paces

test: J/11S 68 Boat The latest doublehander to take

44 David Henshall speaks to sailing

Y&Y Awards

bag: Tried & tested 65 Kit The Y&Y team puts the pick of the

Sail trim for dinghies 28 COVER STORY: Mike McNamara gives

inside line on youth squad developments

IRC insight

the low-down on efficient trimming

INSIGHT & ANALYSIS

BEACH CLUB MYTHS BUSTED

on board communication devices, from Wi-Fi to VHF

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

YY1693_018-022_James_DADD.indd 18-19

TRAVEL

guide: Comms 60 Buyer’s Rupert Holmes reviews essential

IMAGE: PAUL WYETH

Fisher 13 Bob Opinion on the biggest sailing stories

EQUIPMENT AND TRAVEL

FEATURE

How to win: The pin end

COVER STORY: Tips and tricks for starting at the port end

on the mighty French yards

kit and a foiling Nacra 17

beach club myths

listings: Sportsboats 80 Class COVER STORY: Y&Y’s unique

annual review of sportsboat classes

ESSENTIALS Clubs & Classes 88 Th is month’s event round-ups Gold Star Awards 92 Inspirational winners announced

98 Position The one step too far January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

C/O SPINDRIFT RACING

EDITORIAL Editor Georgie Corlett-Pitt Deputy Editor Toby Heppell Art Editor Claire Wood Senior Sub Editor Henry Giles Clubs & Classes Editor Paula Irish club@yachtsandyachting.co.uk Contributors Bob Fisher, Helen Fretter, David Henshall, Rupert Holmes, Mike McNamara, Rob Melotti, Sue Pelling, Andy Rice, Andi Robertson, Mark Rushall, Hannah Stodel

See us on Facebook.com/sailingmagazine

RACING CLASSES REVIEW

Sportsboats INTERVIEW

Inside the system

STEP BY STEP

Win the pin Perfect port end starts – every time

YACHTS YACHTING

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9 770044 000205

BEACH CLUBS

BOAT TEST: J/11S

DREAM CAREERS

STAYING IN TOUCH

Dinghy escapes – find your ideal summer break

The doublehander that’s meeting new demands

Turn your passion into your profession

From Wi-Fi to VHFs – the best kit to have on board

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YACHTS YACHTING CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES

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01/12/2015 18:10

Cover Image: Sportography.tv/Alex Irwin

reveals his personal vision for progressing sailing across the board, which includes increasing the emphasis on shared learning among different areas of the sport so, where mistakes are made, the benefits from lessons learned can be felt overall; an ideal we could all work towards. Elsewhere in the world of offshore sailing, we’re glued to the progress of the two giant trimarans currently on track to set a new Jules Verne trophy for sailing around the globe. Keep your eye on yachtsandyachting.co.uk for updates. The race is on to return by 6 January to break the record. Well that’s certainly one way to spend the festive season... Yes, it’s that time of year to adorn your rigging with tinsel, don your Santa hat and head out for some festive frostbite racing (photos please!) Wishing you all a very merry Christmas.

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Georgie Corlett-Pitt, Editor

WRITERS THIS MONTH INCLUDE… Mark Rushall coaches at the highest levels of the sport, covering all types of racing from dinghies to round the world events

EXCLUSIVE

Sails

Trimming tips PLUS North Sails reveals latest tech

New ratings chief looks to the future

Youth squads

Risk versus reward

ats off to French America’s Cup skipper, Franck Cammas this month, who set a rather unusual and exciting new record for being the first to foil around Cape Horn on a Nacra F20 Carbon FCS, and with a novice crew on board. It was worrying to then hear just days later that Cammas had been hospitalised in a training accident on his return to Brittany as he fell from a GC32 (p6). Certainly it’s a reminder of the risks that sailing can pose. It goes without saying that taking risks is a big part of our sport, as recent experiences amongst the IMOCA 60 fleet in the Transat Jacques Vabre go to show. There will be more than one future Vendée Globe hopeful smiling at their decision hold fire on ordering a new boat whilst the rather major design flaws are scrutinised and learnt from. Although someone has to push the limits to push the sport forwards, it’s just that the question of when and how is equally part of the game. We all know there are no shortcuts in sailing! A man who knows this from many years of experience is Knut Frostad, the winner of Y&Y’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his dedication to the Volvo Ocean Race some 23 years, having helped steer it through calm seas and turbulent times alike. In an interview this month (p24), Frostad

£4.30 Issue #1693 January 2016 yachtsandyachting.co.uk

MEET KNUT FROSTAD – LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT WINNER SPECIAL FEATURE

IRC insight

Hannah Stodel has represented Team GBR at the Paralympics on three occasions since 2004

No part of this magazine may be reproduced without permission in writing. Every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information in Yachts & Yachting, but no responsibility can be accepted for the consequences of actions based on the advice portrayed herein. The Chelsea Magazine Company Ltd makes every effort to ensure that the advertising contained in this magazine is derived from responsible sources. We cannot, however, accept responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers. Yachts & Yachting welcomes letters. Also part of the Chelsea Marine Magazines family:

Musto Skiff sailor Andy Rice has an unparalled knowledge of the dinghy scene, from grass roots to Olympic level

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NEWS

PHOTO: ELOI STICHELBAUT / SPINDRIFT 2

Dinghy adventure

Broadcaster, adventurer and explorer Monty Halls will compère the 2016 RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show, in association with Yachts & Yachting. Former Royal Marines Officer Monty has spent over two decades leading teams in some of the most remote environments on earth. He has presented wildlife and adventure documentaries and worked with companies both in the UK and overseas. Monty said: “I’m very excited to be involved with the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show. Sailing is a sport for everyone, and it’s the accessibility right across the spectrum that really attracts me. It’s a great way for young children to introduce themselves to the marine environment, becoming little explorers.”

It might well qualify as one of the most exciting races of the year and it is not even an official race, as two giant trimarans, Spindrift 2 and Idec Sport have set off on their attempts at the Jules Verne Trophy (round the world record) within two hours of each other. The two teams have been awaiting a suitable weather window in France for well over a month now so their leaving at similar times is hardly a surprise.

Nevertheless, that they left so close to one another will make for an exciting almost head-to-head. Adding even more interest to the contest are the starkly different approaches taken by the teams, Idec (under the leadership of Francis Joyon) has rigged the 30m tri with the shorter mast usually used for shorthanded sailing and has taken just five crew in total, theoretically meaning a lighter boat with a rig better

optimised to very windy weather. The 40m Spindrift 2 meanwhile (ex-Banque Populaire V, current holder of the record) is being led by Yann Guichard and is made up of a crew of 15, and remains in its fully crewed set-up. To beat the current record, Idec must complete its circumnavigation by 15:44:15 GMT on 6 January and Spindrift by 17:43:51. Both boats are currently ahead of Banque Populaire’s record.

C/O RYA

Globe-girdlers seek record Test your skills The ‘Mediterranean Bay’ is a new innovation at the London Boat Show, set to test sailors’ skills. The 500,000lt pool will host water seminars on boat handling, sail reefing and more.

C/O JULBO

CAMMAS CAT-ASTROPHE AND CAPE CAPER

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

It has been a month of ups and downs for France’s Franck Cammas, who achieved a world first, rounding Cape Horn in a foiling catamaran as part of a ‘Julbo Sail Session’ but was later hospitalised after being hit by a GC32 rudder foil. Cammas rounded the Horn

in a Nacra F20 Carbon FCS accompanied by novice German sailor, Johannes Wiebel in good weather conditions, with 15 knots of wind and 2.5-metre waves. Following the Frenchman’s return to training with Groupama Team France America’s Cup team, Cammas was accidently

hit by the rudder of one of their GC32 foiling catamarans, while two-boat training. He was immediatly taken ashore and air-lifted to hospital. Details are sketchy as we go to press but we wish the Frenchman a speedy recovery and swift return.

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

THEY SAID…

250

IN NUMBERS

“We have an aspirational goal to win more medals in Rio than any other country has done in the Games after they have hosted one.” ROD CARR explains Britain’s medal goal for the 2016 Olympics.

PHOTO: MATTIAS CAPIZZANO

“We don’t really know why everyone is getting sick, but at least a third of the fleet has come down with stomach pains, diarrhoea and vomiting.’

(who won gold in 2012) are starting to show their Kiwibeating form once again, taking second at the Worlds. Their result is particularly impressive as they were one of several teams to suffer serious illness during the event – being put down to water pollution in many circles. Jensen picked up a bug early in the regatta and could not eat for the first couple of days, needing to be bought to the boat for racing and taken immediately home thereafter. The Australian pair had the best of the final days of the event leading observers to wonder what might have been.

Continental first for IRC The first ever Continental IRC Championship will take place during Volvo Cork Week, in the form of the IRC European Championship. The new event will be hosted by the Royal Cork Yacht Club, in the sailing grounds of Cork Harbour and during the well-established Volvo Cork Week. “The IRC European Championship will be an event in itself, based on the platform of Volvo Cork Week, which is a long established and well organised IRC regatta,”

commented Michael Boyd, Commodore of the Royal Ocean Racing Club. “The timing of the IRC European Championship, in the middle of July, works well in relation to the RORC IRC National Championship in the Solent in June and as a precursor to the Brewin Dolphin Commodore’s Cup between 23-30 July.” The intention going forward is for the IRC European Championship to be held at a different European location annually.

Hours – the total travel time for each member of Emirates Team New Zealand for the America’s Cup World Series so far

9 The number of races in the America’s Cup World Series so far

4 21 29 2 DAYS

HOURS

MINUTES

SECONDS

Spindrift 2’s new record to the equator

The amount of money (£) ACWS Portsmouth brought to the UK

“We struggled a little bit earlier in the week, we came down with a bit of illness we think due to the water, but since then it got a lot better and we’ve worked back up the leaderboard.” One of Team GBR’s 49er sailors, JOHN PINK discusses the Worlds. Can anyone spot a theme?

“It is crucial to have a good relationship with your tactician. It is important to spend time together because you need to understand what they mean, not what they say.”

C/O ARTEMIS RACING

Peter Burling and Blair Tuke have won the 49er World Championship in emphatic style, securing the top step of the podium ahead of the medal race in San Isidro, Argentina. Much has been written of the Kiwi duo’s total dominance of the Olympic skiff since they picked up a silver medal at the London Olympics in 2012. They have yet to drop any of the 23 regattas within which they have competed since that silver and are far-andaway favourites to pick up the gold in Rio 2016. However, Aussies Nathan Outteridge and Ian Jensen

Kiwis march on

NATHAN OUTTERIDGE comments on the illness that struck down crew, Ian Jensen at the recent 49er Worlds, Argentina.

VLADIMIR PROSHKIN discusses the difficulties of switching his tactician from Dean Barker to Ed Baird for the final event of the RC44 Series.

“To everyone who has been so supportive, I am forever grateful. To anyone adversely affected by Gunboat’s situation, I am deeply sorry.” PETER JOHNSTONE, owner of Gunboat announces that his company will file for bankruptcy.

“What made the difference today was getting ahead and staying there.” The then world number one ranked Laser Radial sailor, Belgium’s EVI VAN ACKER explains how she won race four at the Radial Worlds.

“It is really hard here, you have 20-30 sailors you are battling with for the top positions – apart from Giles...” Slovenian Finn sailor, VASILIJ ZBOGAR seemed to be sailing for second half way through the Gold Cup in New Zealand. – he finished the event in third.

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

Ô IN BRIEF PHOTO RICK TOMLINSON

Volvo has been announced as new title sponsor of the Round Ireland Race Recognised Britain’s Sarah Ayton has been announced as ISAF’s Rolex Yachtswoman of the year, while Peter Burling and Blair Tuke were awarded the Yachtsman’s award

Gun-broke cats

PHOTO: QILAI SHENI

Manufacturer of high performance luxury catamarans, Gunboat has filed for bankruptcy after a series of incidents saw the builder under pressure. The company made numerous headlines earlier this year after launching the G4 – the world’s first foiling cruising cat. However, while out demonstrating the boat at Le Voiles de St Barth

Signed Groupama Team France has signed up New Zealander, Adam Minoprio, who became the youngest ever winner of the Match Racing World Championship in 2009

she capsized and has been undergoing work since. The bankruptcy does not mean we have seen the last of the company, however as it has applied for the USA’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which is, in effect, a last chance saloon allowing them breathing room from creditors in the hopes of bringing the company back from the brink.

Awards Spinlock and Humphree have been declared joint winners of the prestigious METS Dame Awards for their ‘Lume On’ light and ‘Interceptor Fin’ respectively

A new initiative by clothing brand Musto looks set to help the future stars of the sport. The global contest will look to find the next young face of Musto sailing. The winner will receive support on their own campaign and kit, as well as coaching from a world class sailor in the form of one of Musto’s ambassadors like Ian Walker, Armel le Cleac’h, Charlie Enright or Mark Towill. Entry details and further information will be available in the new year.

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

C/O ORIGIN EVENTS

Plans for ACWS Portsmouth - Part 2 Tickets for the America’s Cup World Series, Portsmouth 2016 have gone on sale with a raft of changes following fan feedback in 2015. There will be a new-look ‘race village’ in a compact area located around the Southsea Castle area. The main Southsea Common area is no longer part of the Race Village and becomes a non-ticketed access area with no restrictions. Racing will be held directly in front of the race village making it the place

to be to enjoy views of the exhilarating action. For 2016 the courses will be shorter, keeping the boats nearer to the shore at all times and the moorings for the AC45Fs will be located in front of the spectating area, giving the public unique access, with the live dock-out and dock-in shows bringing the sailing teams to the fans. Y&Y will once again be an official partner for the event and will be bringing you all the action. Stay up to date at yachtsandyachting.co.uk

Turning to our sister magazines this month, Classic Boat features the full story of 119-year-old Fife, Tern, brings you the year’s 30 best classic boats and discovers the Uffa Fox design that redefined cruising. Meanwhile, Sailing Today treats you to their guide to the world’s 11 best winter charter grounds, discovers the cat redefining upwind cruising performance, the Nautitech’s Open 40, and puts five Wi-Fi boosters to the test.

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119-year-old Tern 12 latest nautical books

The year’s 30 best classic boats

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UK bound The RC44 World Series will be coming to the UK for the first time in 2016 - the venue is TBC

If Pete Burling and Blair Tuke look to be a shoe-in for Olympic gold in the 49er, the same must be said of Brit, Giles Scott in the Finn where he has, once again, won the Gold Cup (the class’s world championship). Scott took victory at the championship held in Takapuna, New Zealand in stunning style, a hugely impressive 45 points ahead of second placed Jonathon Lobert (FRA). This is the third time Scott has won the prestigious trophy, with previous wins in 2011 and 2014.

Close one After thousands of miles at sea the Clipper 70s Mission Team and IchorCoal arrived first in Sydney where, at the leg finish line, they were separated by a mere two minutes

Golden performance

23/11/2015 11:39

24/11/2015 14:01

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GRENADA BOUND The second edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race is under way. Toby Heppell takes a look at the developing battle for victory

he second edition of the RORC Transatlantic Race got away as scheduled from Marina Lanzarote Saturday 28 November with the fleet enjoying a reaching start in Atlantic swell and a solid 15 knots of breeze – perfect conditions to kick off the 3,000-mile race. The race was formed after interest in the racing division of the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) grew year on year, showing a clear desire by many to race across the Atlantic in time for the Caribbean season. That RORC should run the new race makes sense following significant growth in their Caribbean regattas in recent years, not least the Caribbean 600, due to set off on 22 February. Most observers have been looking

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

towards the multihulls Phaedo 3 and Concise 10 to provide the closest battle during the course of the race. The two MOD 70s have battled it out throughout the season at a number of events. But the multis would have to wait before battle could commence as first away were the monohulls, with Maurice Benzaquen’s Pogo 1250, Aloha getting a great start at the pin end, leading the fleet away. Gonzalo Botin’s Class 40, Tales II was fully launched at the start, setting every square metre of downwind sail to rocket through the line in front of the three competing Maxis – Southern Wind 94, Windfall; French Finot Conq 100, Nomad IV; Swan 78, Valkyrie. Two hours into the race, Fastnet class winner Tales II had already opened up

Above The gloves were off at the start with the two MOD70s fighting hard

a three-mile lead from Mike Gascoyne’s British Class 40, Silvi Belle 2. The Spanish Class 40 was still going toeto-toe with the Maxis through the gap between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, surfing through the waves at 15 knots. Next away were the multihulls, with Phaedo 3 and Concise 10 showing the gloves were definitely off at the start with Concise 10 getting underneath Phaedo 3 just metres before the line. With a few raised voices echoing across the starting area, momentarily, Phaedo 3 was put about. However, a flawless foresail set by Phaedo 3 saw her power away from Concise 10. By the turning mark at Puerto Calero, Phaedo 3 had pulled out a decent lead and was looking to be in control.

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PHOTOS : RORC/JAMES MITCHELL

NEWS SPOTLIGHT

With a few raised voices echoing across the starting area, Phaedo 3 was put about HIGH OR LOW? Early weather models were predicting a route far to the north of the usual routing – down the western coast of Africa to the Cape Verde Islands before heading west towards the finish in Grenada. But this information was changing almost hourly as the start approached: “The high pressure ridge is going to be a big factor in the early part of the race,” commented Concise 10’s navigator Wouter Verbraak ahead of the start. “After the reaching start, the game will be how close Concise

10 gets to the high-pressure ridge. The closer we get, the better the wind angle, but also the better chance of running out of wind. Staying away from the high pressure may result in more wind but it will mean sailing closer to the wind.” In the end, the majority of the fleet look to be taking the more usual southerly route. In fact the only boat to be taking the more northerly option is Gerald Bibot’s Belgian 42ft catamaran, Zed 6. As we go to press, however, the move isn’t looking strong

Above Phaedo 3 performed a flawless foresail set off the start and took the lead

08 NEXT MONTH More from the MOD70s On sale 8 January

with Phaedo 3 leading the multihull division, a little under a mile ahead of Consise 10, both around 200 miles ahead of the prototype Belgium multi. SHORT-HANDED Elsewhere it looks as though shorthanded sailing is continuing to come to the fore in the offshore scene. A win in the 2013 Fastnet race by French doublehanded team, Alexis and Pascal Loison was a surprise for many but a number of high profile wins and podiums for short-handed teams has followed. It’s interesting to note that in the early stages of this race, IRC overall and IRC 2 was being led by doublehanded J/120, sailed by Elin Haf Davies and Chris Frost, once again proving short-handed crews are ones to watch out for.

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

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Bob Fisher OPINION

From paddleboards to IMOCA 60s, everyone is jumping on the foiling bandwagon – some with more success than others. Meanwhile, the Cup raises more questions

C/O EMIRATES TEAM NEW ZEALAND

acht designers are expanding their horizons these days and while foiling multihulls (even foiling monohulls) are now an accepted part of their portfolio, Farr Yacht Design has gone a step further. It has designed the F14, a 14ft racing paddleboard for flat water and estuary racing. The office that long ago produced exciting 18-footers, plus several level rating winners and glassfibre 12 Metres in its earlier days, and progressed to many large offshore racers that won spectacularly, has returned to its roots. Its culture is retained with this paddleboard that features a wave-piercing bow with a peak along the centreline of the deck, which allows it to shed water quickly so that the board returns rapidly to the surface. This shape was analysed and optimised using proprietary computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modelling technology. Certainly stops ’em from twiddling their thumbs while they wait for another commission. Speaking of which, what are the chances for VPLP after four of the five new foil-assist IMOCA 60s in the Transat Jacques Vabre were out of the race within days of the start with structural problems that endangered at least one of the two-man crews. The problem that has arisen is in the ultra-thin skin and rib construction as well as around the foil cases. Early days in any innovation always unveils problems, but is a Transatlantic race the place to debut such new and previously untried boats? I think not. The Volvo Ocean Race still remains without a CEO following the retirement of Knut Frostad, but that hasn’t stopped progress in the organisation of the next race. Tom Touber, Volvo Ocean Race chief operating officer, said: “The route is already shaping up very nicely, although we have several more key port announcements to come, probably early in the New Year.” One move has been to confirm Newport, RI, as a stopover port following its

Is a Transatlantic race the place to debut such new and previously untried boats? I think not… huge success in the last race – it drew 130,000 fans in the nine-day race stop and re-start. Other confirmed ports for the 2017-18 race are: Alicante, for the start; Cape Town; the UK stopover in Cardiff; Auckland: Gothenburg and Lisbon. Not, of course, in that order! Meanwhile the America’s Cup continues in uncertainty with its circuit for the World Series – a series of events already found wanting because of its irrational construction around television requirements for the USA. Considering the published viewing figures in the USA for the Bermuda event totalled just 63,000 – it is little wonder that NBC saw fit to charge for showing the 2013 final in San Francisco if that is the American viewing reaction. ACEA must think again. The event in Bermuda lacked the lustre of the world’s premier sailing event. Bermuda gave of its best but ACEA’s event was not up to it. Now there is talk of an ACWS in the Middle East (perhaps Oman) in February while only two of the events in 2016 have to date been confirmed: those in Chicago and Portsmouth. Even the one proposed for New York, prior to the Chicago event, has not been confirmed,

Above Emirates Team New Zealand at the recent ACWS event in Bermuda – but does it have a question mark over funding?

One of the biggest names in yachting journalism, Bob Fisher has a passion and depth of knowledge that’s second to none

nor for that matter has the one for Gothenburg. Perhaps the sponsors are starting to question value for money. The question of money arose when I spoke with Grant Dalton in Bermuda and asked him outright if Emirates Team New Zealand was undergoing financial difficulty. Was money short? He replied: “Yes, it is tight, for sure, it is really tight and it will never be any other way. The unilateral decision to pull Auckland from an ACWS and the qualifier cost us the government [financial support]. That story is not over yet, in any shape or form. We have yet to play [it] out in arbitration. That won’t reinstate at this stage, but it has made us incredibly tight.” I put it to him that it was noticeable that the only place they are not holding (or at least discussing holding) an ACWS was in Auckland: “Yes, but you have to split the two issues, in that the qualifier is one issue, which is in our view a signed contract, and that is going to play itself out in time. The other is the World Series and we talked together and there was no animosity or anything. There was a discussion between ourselves and ACEA and they told us what they wanted out of the deal, and when we added on the operational costs there was no way in the world… It would have been the most expensive two days in the country’s history for a sporting event, so we agreed to disagree that it could not happen in New Zealand. They could have done it independently, of course, but with our involvement it was a bridge too far.”

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

Andi Robertson YACHTS

With plans afoot to continue the work of Team SCA – albeit under a different name – the future of female offshore sailing is once again in the spotlight

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

RICK TOMLINSON/TEAM SCA

he Magenta Project has me intrigued and I desperately want to see it go somewhere. It is an initiative seeking to carry forward the momentum that Team SCA has built over the duration of their Volvo Ocean Race campaign. Prime movers, as I understand it, are Dee Caffari, Abbe Ehler, Libby Greenhalgh and Sally Barkow. Among the likely key objectives is continuing forwards to a second Volvo Ocean Race and, during the interim period and beyond, seeking to progress the level of women in offshore and ocean racing to the point where more and more are recruited to top-level grand prix programmes in their own right. Is that a realistic goal? For example, might team line-ups in the 52 Super Series ever be five or even 10 per cent female? Historically in TP52 there have been many women playing key roles and so personally I can’t see a major resistance. Tacticians, navigators, pit… Greece’s Sofia Bekatorou and Spain’s Alicia Agena both used to be regular crew, and American Jaime Haines raced on Interlodge until the boat was sold earlier this year. So, there is proven scope at that level. It will, however, take commitment from owners and hopefully some supporters with the means and the enthusiasm to make the Magenta Project work in a positive and global way. I know there have been enquiries about a women’s TP52. There is, predictably, a big appetite for it from the circuit stakeholders and management but no one so far has come up with a funding package. That is a view from the perspective of appealing to private owners and project owners, but there is of course a massive commercial opportunity. SCA themselves have chosen not to go forwards because of the turmoil and fallout after widely reported scandals at senior boardroom level. The feedback to the team – commercial and sailing – was never less than positive and I

The feedback to the team commercial and sailing - was never less than positive and I think most expected something to be ongoing think most expected something to be ongoing. That said, there is a global awareness in the sport that is ready to be tapped into by a new major sponsor; the commercial infrastructure and knowledge base is still in place as well as a hungry, talented sailing team. Just as it is a shame that Ian Walker did not win the ISAF Rolex Sailor of the year, and it is logical and understandable why ISAF vote the way they do, it would have been a much bigger step to choose Sam Davies as female sailor of the year. But, hey, when she was fourth in the Vendée Globe in 2008-9 it was Anna Tunnicliffe who won. And Ellen only won it once. Sam will support the Magenta Project but in the meantime it was great to see her back in the IMOCA fleet racing with Tanguy de Lamotte in the Transat Jacques Vabre. She really was back in her element, huge megawatt smile beaming

Above Team SCA will be reborn as the Magenta Project

08 NEXT MONTH Team SCA’s Libby Greenhalgh’s nav tips On sale 8 January

Few people can match Andi Robertson’s insight into the big boat world, both in the UK and globally

out during a brutal first week and sailing fast and smart. Loving it and enjoying the freedom of racing short-handed, for Sam the contrast in Le Havre to a Volvo pre-start could not be more different, even if she and Tanguy were among the biggest draws in the race, in person and virtually: the social media reach of Initiatives Coeur, which raises funds and provides life saving heart surgery is massive – 328,000 likes on Facebook compared with 13,000 average for golden boy François Gabart and Macif. Sam told me in Le Havre: “This is so different to a Volvo leg start. It is so much more relaxed. When you start a Volvo leg you are exhausted after six days’ sailing and being over-demanded. You start the leg and you are completely knackered. Here we sit down and have lunch. On the Volvo you are grabbing a sandwich for the final days. You are throwing something down at three o’clock in the afternoon between two pro-am races. And here, yes, the people are different. It is France, they know sailing is amazing and is followed by the wider public. People here are fans. Short-handed sailing is my first love. Yes, I enjoyed the Volvo and what it is, but I am more comfortable here, I imagine because I have done this so much more.” Unfortunately, Sam and Dee’s respective participation in the Volvo precludes an entry into the next Vendée Globe for either of them. Which, in turn, brings us to another worrying stat for women’s sailing. A full entry for the 2016-17 Vendée Globe is already assured, probably 26 or 27 boats I reckon, but, for the first time since 1992 there is to be no female skipper on the startline when the gun finally fires. Come on!

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Andy Rice DINGHIES

Finding a secondhand 4000 dinghy for sale is not easy these days – but the rationale behind the class’s renaissance throws up a few surprises

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

DAVID IGNACIO

hen Laser lost interest in the boat and it ceased to be a ‘Laser 4000’, co-designers Phil Morrison and Derek Clark found a new champion to help rejuvenate interest in this modern classic – Steve Cockerill of Rooster Sailing. Steve has been actively racing a 4000 with his wife Sarah for the past few years. One of the things they enjoy about the boat is the weight equalisation knowing that, provided they sail well, they’ll be on the pace. “We had a lot of fun racing other classes, such as the Merlin and Scorpion,” says Steve. “But generally we were too light together. In the 4000 we don’t need to worry about that, because the weight equalisation works so well.” It’s a pity that weight equalisation seems to have gone out of fashion. It’s easy to pick holes in the concept, pointing out the obvious downside that lighter teams have to carry around extra lead in the bottom of the boat. But from my own experience of racing the Laser 5000 in the 1990s, it produced incredibly even boatspeed across a very wide range of crew weights. In most single-trapeze boats, there’s very little choice about who gets to sit at the back and who stands on the side. Not if you want to be competitive, anyway! Small at the back, big at the front. The weight equalisation of the 4000, on the other hand, gives you many more options – appealing to husband/wife combinations such as Steve and Sarah. The 4000 gives you a lot of performance, going around the track only slightly slower than a 505. Bang for buck, there’s no comparison; secondhand, ready-to-race 4000s change hands for as little as £1,000, often less. Steve says that the boat in which he won this year’s European Championship cost him £625, although you might struggle to find one at that price now. New sails from Rooster are pretty good value too. There is no argument that the 4000 offers an affordable way into high performance sailing. Most boats that go

It’s not an easy boat to handle in fast tacks and gybes, so we’re investigating a light carbon rig up for sale disappear within weeks! So, if you have one rotting away in a boat park, perhaps it’s time to give it a jetwash and go sailing again – or, put it on the market and let someone else take it on. As well as an active UK circuit, France has about 25 boats racing regularly in Brittany, Italy has about 40, and Belgium has a small fleet that is beginning to gain momentum. The 4000 fleet alternates annual events in Lake Garda and Quiberon. “If anything, I prefer Quiberon to Garda,” says Steve. “There’s free camping in the venue, the sea breeze kicks in almost every day, and the French have a great sense of humour!” Steve makes no bones about the fact that the 4000 is overbuilt. “It was called a ‘4-Tonner’ for a reason, but the good thing is that the hulls are still very competitive and they take a real beating.” However, one thing he is wondering about changing is the mast which, fully rigged, weighs a bit over 12kg. “That’s pretty heavy, and the 4000 is quite good at capsizing once you let it lean past more than 15 degrees,” he says. “It’s not an easy boat to handle in fast tacks and gybes, so we’re investigating the possibility of a lighter carbon rig.” A carbon rig might also make the boat go faster, you’d think, although

Above The Laser 4000 has taken on the mantle of a modern classic

Musto Skiff sailor Andy Rice has unparalleled knowledge of the dinghy sailing scene, from grassroots to Olympic level

Steve doesn’t entirely agree. “The 4000 doesn’t pitch much through waves, so I’m not sure it would make a big difference. And the intention would be for the carbon rig to make the boat easier to handle, not to make it faster.” However, the big challenge is not to upset existing owners with an expensive upgrade. “I don’t want to pour too much fuel on the little flame of enthusiasm that we’ve already started. The idea of introducing a carbon rig has got to be handled delicately, and I’m not sure if I want to go through with it.” If he did, he would consider offering existing owners a mast at cost price. Knowing how Steve tends to operate, you could expect that to be a pretty good deal. The obvious compromise is to add corrector weights to the carbon rig at spreader height, to give the new mast similar weight and centre of gravity characteristics to the existing rig. Then to remove the lead in, say, five years, allowing the carbon rig to be adopted gradually. Steve doesn’t seem too keen, however. “It would defeat the purpose of having the carbon rig in the first place,” he argues, saying that he would prefer corrector weights be situated in the boat and for the sailors to immediately enjoy the better handling characteristics of the lighter mast, rather than wait five years. Whatever the outcome, it’s not a bad problem for a 20-year old design to have. The 4000 has a small but enthusiastic following who are enjoying fast, close racing for a ridiculously small investment. It’s a great position to be in!

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MAKING SAILS THE WAY YOU WANT

st. 965 1

MEASURE OF THE MAN

IMAGE: PAUL WYETH

James Dadd, newly appointed director of RORC, is a man with a vision for IRC and a finger in many pies, as TOBY HEPPELL finds

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

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IRC INSIGHT

FEATURE

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

FEATURE

Although Urwin’s announcement of his intention to step down only came in the latter half of 2015, the move has been a long time coming. “Mike and I had discussed the move for a number of years,” Dadd explains. “So for me, in terms of the day-to-day stuff there is not a great deal of change stepping into the director role as I’ve been slowly transitioning for a while now. The main difference is that I now have to deal with budgets a lot more.” In truth, it seems, the move is more of a slow transition and Urwin is not yet stepping away from the office entirely. “Mike had been wanting to move on for a while but he will still stay involved. There are a few technical projects for IRC that have been on-going for a couple of years that he wants to focus on and there are a couple that need someone to take charge of them, so he will be working on those – free from all the budgets that I now have to do!” These technical projects are one of the key elements to the development of the IRC rule, ranging from materials, to

Above Almost all major races worldwide are sailed to IRC Below Work with the Volvo Ocean 65 class took four days a week

concepts and on. “The whole approach of IRC is that we do not want to cause someone to do something they would not naturally do in design terms. For example, what building material would you choose if there wasn’t a rating rule involved? Right now I’d say that at 35foot, carbon is very nearly in the mix. “I’ve been looking at this particular one for a few years now, trying to balance development but not exposing people to incurring unnecessary costs. If you are building a new boat at 50ft it’s costeffective to build it in carbon. But it used not to be cost effective at 40ft. However… if you look at the current cost of carbon, use it at 40ft and you’re going to use less material, less resin. Against that you can’t use decent gel-coat and there are also other drawbacks. But the gap is closing.” But the process is not just one of looking at the technical development and then changing the rule accordingly, consideration must be made for the ramifications across the current IRC fleet. For one thing, IRC remains a joint venture. A lot of the research takes place in the UK but many of the new ideas come from UNCL (in France). And when changes are being considered each year there is a great deal of ‘back and forth’ across the Channel before anything is finalised. And when you consider the number of boats involved it is easy to see why a considered touch is needed. In 2015, some 7,000 certificates were awarded across 38 countries. “We are very proud of the fact that there are really only two major offshore races in the world that are not run under IRC,” says Dadd.

IAN ROMAN

TIM WRIGHT

IRC INSIGHT

PATRICK ANDERSON

An IRC Worlds would be the ideal opportunity to bring back the Admiral’s Cup trophy

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

“But obviously that means the rule has a huge impact on the world of racing.” Since its inception, the IRC rule has always been about getting cruiserracers out on the water – and this focus remains. In this regard the aforementioned technical projects need to strongly consider the knock-on effects on the market as Dadd explains: “I have a friend who has a Beneteau, which he uses pretty exclusively for cruising, but occasionally takes it racing in the Round the Island. He recently needed to have his standing rigging changed and went for composite [fibre] rigging. He went for it because of the ease of use and the price. If decisions like this are being made by a number of cruisers, I would argue that the rule should not punish those decisions with a rating hit. It is, at

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heart, a rule for the occasional racer.” It is during conversations like the above where Dadd displays his focus going forward. “Mike and I were always very much on the same page so my taking over as director likely won’t see many significant changes. But there are a few areas that I feel need to be prioritised,” he explains. “In particular we need to make obtaining an IRC certificate much easer. At the moment the process is fairly simple and it takes about 45 minutes to fill out a measurement form, but in a perfect world, you should be able to do it online in around 15 minutes.” One area we might see change in the coming year is the long-anticipated IRC World Championships. For the event to use the title World Championship it must

fulfil a set of criteria by ISAF, which has proven difficult. “We are making steps towards it. I was hoping we would be able to announce plans after the ISAF annual meeting in November, but there are still a couple of minor paperwork issues to sort out,” Dadd surmises. But the first intercontinental IRC event is due to take place in 2016, the IRC Europeans (as part of Cork Week, 10-15 July). This, it is hoped will be followed by the Worlds in either 2017 or (more likely) 2018. “There is still quite a bit to sort out with the Worlds plans. I think it must be an individual’s event and not be about teams from competing nations. It is hard enough to get crews together regularly these days, let alone teams across three different boats. I would also love to see the winner

Above The first Volvo Ocean 65, for which Dadd remains manager

awarded the Admiral’s Cup. We have this great trophy with so much history and it is not being awarded for anything at the moment. I think it would be the ideal moment to bring it back.” AMERICA’S CUP LINKS Though the Admiral’s Cup has a significant amount of history behind it, nothing has more history in sport than the America’s Cup, an event within which Dadd has had significant involvement in the past, but not most recently: “The 2013 America’s Cup was the first time I had not been involved with the event since 1992, but I have no plans to step back into that world at the moment.” It is interesting to note, however, that Dadd did nearly have some involvement in the AC for the last cycle. When Oracle

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

IRC INSIGHT

FEATURE

THIERRY MARTINEZ

won the Cup in the 2010 Deed of Gift match between themselves and Alinghi, there was a great deal of discussion about what type of boat might be used going forward. Many assumed a multihull was a ‘no-brainer’ for Oracle, having won the Deed of Gift match in a trimaran. However, the team did consider the possibility of a monohull and asked Dadd and Nick Nicholson to draw up the preliminary rules. Even with this information in the public sphere it has long been assumed by some that this class was mooted only in order to appease those traditionalists who felt the Cup should not be sailed in a multihull. “I honestly, hand on heart, thought that boat had a good chance. I would not have wasted any time on something I thought had no chance,” says Dadd. “But, when Nick and I started looking at the options within the desired constraints it started to become clear the multihull was going to be the more suitable option.” Dadd further explains that the depth restrictions placed on the boats – which were to be designed to sail closer to the shore than ever before in an AC – were such that the righting moment needed to balance out the sail plan would require such a large amount of lead at the bottom of the canting keel that the boat would be too heavy to attain the hoped-for performance characteristics.

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

We managed to get all boats to within 29kg of each other – even the rebuilt Vestas It is hardly a surprise, then, that the multihull was selected as being far better suited for the self-imposed criteria than the monohull. But it is probably a good job for Dadd, as he was soon to have his hands full with another project. SECOND VOLVO “I can safely say that I view the [Volvo Ocean] 65 as my biggest achievement to date,” says Dadd of the class for which he is the manager. His work with the class in the build up to this Volvo Ocean Race was always going to be time consuming, given the decision to create the class – the first ever one-design Volvo Ocean Race boat. “From the start of the project we were incredibly thorough. We were overseeing seven builds concurrently and each needed to be exactly the same. In the end we managed to get all the boats to within 29kg of each other – even the rebuilt Vestas.” But Dadd’s work did not end with the launching of the boats; he needed to be present at all the stopovers and continue his work managing the class throughout

Above The Round the Island Race is perhaps the perfect example of IRC’s popularity

the nine-month race. “In the end I was essentially doing four out of five days a week with Volvo,” he explains. “But that worked out fairly well. It meant that because I was out the office for most of the time it freed up a little funding so we could bring Andrew Yates in two days a week, learning IRC, the software and its development. Now Andrew will do more of that work. As Mike steps back, so Andrew will gradually step up.” Although Dadd does intend to remain class manager of the VO65, the build-up to the next Volvo Ocean Race and the race itself should require much less intensive involvement from him personally. “There are seven boats already out on the water so there are fewer new boats to build. Of course any development that is decided on [still very much under discussion with the Volvo team] will need to be implemented and I will need to be on the ground for that. “But I am not going to be spending anything like the time on the class this time around.” And this can only be good news. After all, with changes to IRC continuing, an IRC World Championship in the offing, the new European championship agreed and wholesale change to the IRC certificate system still to come, it seems likely James Dadd will remain a very busy man for the foreseeable future.

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LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

KNUT FROSTAD

WINNE Y&Y AW R

ARDS Lifetim Achiev e em SPON SORED ent BY

OR AWALL A R DS 201 NOTHING 6

Touchi ng we’ve s on every as pect of hortlist e the per d of the p the ver formanalmost half of his From sailor to CEO, Frostad has y ast yKnut best acdedicated ear. No sailinghis story hievem cetraces it’s time CORLETT-PITT life to the Volvo Ocean Race.wGEORGIE sc e to vote nts, kit and ene, boats for you r winneyour n eight years as CEO of the Volvo A UNIQUE APPEAL It is similar to doing everything Ocean Race, Knut Frostad has been For a man whose experience had to would do in your club back home, s!

CARLO BORL

ENGHI

FACING IMAGE: VOLVO OCEAN RACE/AINHOA SANCHEZ

credited with turning the global event around, leading it away from potential crisis, and implementing a solid legacy for the future. These awe-inspiring achievements top off the 48-year-old Norwegian’s intimate association with the race, which incredibly stretches all the way back to the early 1990s and the days when it was known as the Whitbread. Between 1993 and 2006, he participated four times; twice as crew, and twice more as skipper and project manager. Whether on shore or afloat, Frostad is not known as one for doing things by halves, and his all or nothing approach has shaped his career on several occasions. When he first determined to make the leap into offshore sailing, after achieving seventh in the Flying Dutchman class at the 1992 Olympics, it was sheer perseverance that saw him secure a place on the crew of Intrum Justitia, the Swedish campaign run by Roger 4 Nilson for the 1993-94 Whitbread. Frostad recalls Nilson initially pointing out his complete lack of ocean experience as an obvious barrier to him joining the crew, on hearing which Frostad headed immediately to the USA to clock up as many miles as possible on the west coast, before returning and successfully proving himself in Nilson’s crew trials.

VOTE NOW

ts & Ya chting Decem ber 2

AT YAC HTSAN DY

that point been solely focused on but magnified one hundred times.” the pioneering windsurf and dinghy Since then, he’s dedicated almost scenes of the 1980s, it was a bold step half of his life to the world’s most high away from Olympic campaigning profile and gruelling offshore race, 1. COMonly now choosing to step down to and International 14 racing that ANCHE : D TA A few dspend had become familiar territory. time N with family. It ays intomore IS CE his REC a ORD decent lo th e T ranmakes Whilst Frostad’s career has seen towlearn that satlantiyou smile pressur he only c Race s d e sy–steasm e s ig n a edgot him take on a wide range of offshore by w sheer the 10chance to binto during e thsailing 0ft Com e fastest her first treatment antoche, campaigns, from ORMA 60 trimarans for hayfever prescribed monohu record, coverin ll in the in 24 ho g an imby his w(also to the Rolex Sydney Hobart race – urhim orld, s as a 10-year-old pressivfather 596.6nm . This betters th e 618.01 take a variety that he says is all part of to “get out on the water”; e saetdoctor), nm previou by To VO70 c rew dur rben Grael and s record of ing the th e Eric 2008-9 Volvo O sson 4 2. GUO cean Ra CHUAN ce. : Guo Ch uan and NORTHEAST h P is team ASSAG trimara o n, Qing dao Chin n the 97ft Max E speed re i rou a (e cord for traversin x- IDEC) succe nd the world end of 2 ssfully s g the No 015. At et a new times, th rtheast knots an P e a ssaowned tr d im , in onfortunately, the appeal of sailing – it has been family friends who g e a a r a t n thae tail e reached 24-hour stag speonly perioyacht the Volvo he has found uniquely e, the team sclassic been eds otoo d, covhad f ailed towooden 47 ered 466 ithinan compelling since that first race. happy towhave onmboard! iles. At o 700extra milehand 3. PHA n s of the ED He explains: “I found my thing. North P e Breakin O 3: RECORD ole. g BREAK ju It was the fact of being together ING TR you nom st oneJUMPING record is ASHORE IO inated foIt was uscompleting with a group and experiencing not aft er third race ually en his r this ca records ough to tegorDragons) se that only the racing but actuallyLmovingmore or le(with Djuice in 2002 y , s o b s loyd Th s back-to reaking e ornburg Frostad thrwas -back sthat around the world together.cYou have decided the time ee eems ex and his ompleti cessivofe.his life. crprioritise ng the F right e w to make such a big commitment to to other areas k ic ked of th astnet R immedia eir kept acup tely set e coaunew stre his feet do it, and to be with so many company rse in off sSetting La Rothers outh to record ti ak by ochelle ta record. firmly on dry ke oland who make the same commitment, for a while, thena n it again the Plym me,until Just ve daAlan uth lending it’s a very special atmosphere. ; this time takcall fifrom Adler saw ohim ys late to r, the tea ing the Crossmanagement was at to “I really enjoy that intensity, his business Channe mexpertise 4. LASday and lfor E recthe R : o IO r night, and feeling that you have given the Brasil 1 campaign d.2005W SOLO Highcli C ffe SYou IRCAnd a U il everything you can possibly give. 06 race. inevitably, he quickly in M g N has only C m AVIGA embhis TIONon the been sa lubfound er K always feel you have achieved skills en Foinwdemand iling for singlehasomething. ler, who fo nded sa u r y e ars, tack il aroun The ard le d the Is uous sa le of Wig d an epic il was c with Fo omplete ht in his wler rais d in Laser. 2016 Yachts & Yachting January ing mor Researc e than £ the name of ch h and th arity, 4,000 fo e Oak h

ACHIEV OF THE EMENT YEAR

I really enjoy that intensity, day and night, and feeling that you have given everything possible

VOLVO OCEAN RACE/AINHOA SANCHEZ

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

The first race I did we had a couple of containers in each port and a couple of flags and that was it says there are many things that have remained the same - not least of all the sailors’ experience. But major changes have occurred not only in scale of the logistics, but also in the scope of the race’s reach, as he explains: “The first race I did there were a couple of containers in each port and a couple of flags and that was it. There wasn’t much of a public event really. But compared to what we have now, when we think a good day is where we have up to 50,000 people in the race village, it’s completely different.”

Above The 2014-15 VOR was widely regarded as a huge success Below Knut having fun, with sailors from the Dongfeng and Mapfre teams in Sanya, China, on an Extreme 40

C/O VOLVO OCEAN RACE

water too, resulting in skipper Torben Grael, asking him to join the Brasil 1 crew for several legs. But splitting his priorities in this way was a challenge he found went against his nature. So it’s little surprise that, when the offer came from Volvo to head the management team as CEO for the 2008-09 race onwards, it was an opportunity Frostad took up with relish. “It was a dream job because I was very passionate about the race, I still felt a lot about it. To have a business career and work on something that you care so much about is a fantastic opportunity. I was very fortunate.” It was a switch that Frostad took in his stride. “It’s also an all or nothing job running the race,” he says. “It’s a very consuming event. You try to do a lot in a very short time frame. That’s what is attractive, but it also makes it tough to do it for many years in a row.” If anything, he found the intensity levels increased. Whilst the sailors’ focus by comparison is much more straightforward – racing fast with only the elements to worry about – the financial, governmental, security, cultural and logistical hurdles that the organisers of this nine-month long global sporting event face are unrivalled. Not to mention juggling the often-diverse objectives of various stakeholders. The intensity for 2017-18’s race is already building. “Currently we are closing agreements on all the ports for the race, planning events, confirming new teams and sponsorship... It is intense, but that’s what is fun and that’s what is challenging about it,” he says. As a first hand witness to many changes over the race’s history, Frostad describes it a “huge journey”, but

The race’s constant evolution has not only been fun to direct, says Frostad, but also it has been critical to the race’s survival. “Every race there is going to be something new: whether that’s new features, new boats, a new way of racing or a new route. The world is changing. Stopping on all five continents brings huge challenges – you really work with the whole world, and you feel that strongly when you are organising.” Taking the event to new stopovers – as well as old favourites and existing hotbeds of sailing like Cape Town and Auckland – has been a very deliberate strategy. The importance of this to Frostad also reaches a personal level. He views sailing not just as a sport, but as a skill, and one that should be shared as widely as possible, despite the many perceived barriers. For him, one of the joys is that sailing teaches you to “slow down and stop the clock, and just let the wind decide”. ONE-DESIGN REVOLUTION One of the biggest changes in the race’s history, and undoubtedly one that defined the 2014-15 edition, was the jump from using open to onedesign boats. The move was credited to Frostad’s visionary thinking, and was one that took two cycles to implement, finally being agreed in 2012. The introduction of the one-design Volvo Ocean 65 was the product of a new direction that was very deliberately agreed for the race – contrary to the common assumption that the idea of using a one-design fleet was an initial goal in itself. It was, says Frostad, an important step in enabling the organisers to take control and ensure the long term sustainability of the race – something he had identified as crucial to address almost as soon as he’d landed the job. With designers and sailors pushing the boundaries to the limits, frequent boat breakages had begun to deter sponsors. Costs had spiralled; the race was becoming prohibitive to new teams. “It was just evolving without anyone asking the question, is this the right thing to do? Is this a sustainable way of developing sailing? You will always have some breakage when the sailors are pushing the limits and you can argue that’s part of the event, but we had it to such an extent that it wasn’t good, the sponsors weren’t interested. The boats needed to be stronger and there had to be less incentive to push the limits.” It was also imperative to reduce the cost of competing. Following many

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C/O VOLVO OCEAN RACE

Photos and video footage from the boats are in themselves nothing new – in fact, the concept of on board reporters dates back to the first ever race in 1973. Back then, capturing the adventure was an integral part of the experience for the teams, and they voluntarily took to the task with enthusiasm and surprising skill. But in an ever-more professional and intense race environment, without a dedicated on board media professional, today’s sailors would simply be too wrapped up in the minutiae of racing to output media – particularly at the sort of level that brings real value for fans and sponsors alike, a way that is unique in the wider sporting arena.

discussions, the ‘Boat Yard’ concept of shared services was hatched, dividing the maintenance and logistics costs amongst the teams. But making this a reality would only be feasible if everyone had the same boat. “We wanted to enable new potential teams to come in much more quickly, and to at least have the same platform – they will never have the experience out on the water, but at least they shouldn’t be beaten because they don’t have the budget,” says Frostad. “Our conclusion was not one that came from looking at one-design versus open and weighing up positives and negatives. We decided on the parameters we wanted to achieve with the race and then decided how to achieve them.” MEDIA IMPACT Almost equally influential in the decision to introduce a one-design

was Frostad’s ambition to provide the best possible media coverage of the race. By standardising boat design, media equipment could also be standardised and specific requirements taken into consideration in the initial boat design stage. For Frostad, having experienced this race from both a competitor and a management vantage point, having the ability to share the full-blown experience of the race with a global audience has been hugely gratifying. Of all the implementations he has been involved with, he feels “the on board reporter is almost as important as the onedesign – if not even more important.” The stats are impressive: 4,874 minutes of video were streamed live from the boats during from the last race, together with some 7,760 photos. In all, media from the 2014-15 race reached a global cumulative TV audience of 1.7 billion.

Above At the helm, with Djuice Dragons in 2002

08 NEXT MONTH Y&Y Awards: Winners revealed On sale 08 January

LEGACY OF EVOLUTION Frostad’s legacy as he steps down from his role in February 2016 will be one of continuing evolution. “We are still pushing a lot of changes for the next race,” he says, “not for the sake of changing, but for example, on the media side of things, where the digital landscape is changing fast, we will take some big steps.” Creating a strong management team and cementing the event as an example of best practice have been his other aims. He hopes this best practice can be shared with other regattas, teams, sponsors, and go some way towards breaking down the reputation that some areas of the sport still retain as being exclusive; greater sharing – both of expertise and resource – is crucial to help the sport as a whole move forwards. Additional benefits he feels would be stability and security for the performance marine industry; already, more than 50 companies have shown interest in becoming suppliers to next edition of the race. Meanwhile, for Frostad himself, he is looking forward to spending time with his family. In his characteristic all or nothing style, the plan is to spend the next year or so sailing from the Med up the Atlantic coast and on to Scandinavia, before committing to his next move. It will give him another taste of the variety of sailing that he loves so much, and sits perfectly with the “try everything” approach to the sport that he endorses. Will their itinerary happen to coincide with any future Volvo Ocean Race stopovers? He smiles. “You never know. I guess I will have a hard time staying completely away from it.”

The Y&Y Awards celebrate the very best performances, kit and boats of the last 12 months, voted for by our readers. Join us for a special Awards presentation evening at the London Boat Show on 14 January 2016.

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

MAX POWER Maximising the efficiency of your rig enables you to hit your full power potential â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and achieving this can be simpler than you may think. MIKE MCNAMARA shares his sail trimming tips

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

DINGHY SHOW

IMAGE: TOM GRUITT

aking a simple, reactive approach to sail setting and rig tuning will reap dividends for sailors at any level. When it comes to utilising the power from the rig the same principles can successfully be applied to any class of boat in any conditions. The rig is, of course, vitally important because it creates movement which you can then use to get round the race course. As you do so you need to be reactive and responsive to changes in the environment. This is done by adjusting rig controls to ensure that the boat is going as fast as possible irrespective of what

those conditions are. We all know that the things that make a boat go fast in light conditions are not the same as those that work in a breeze. So in changeable conditions, those who can adjust quickest are the ones most likely to be at the front of the fleet. When sailing, many sailors are proactive rather than reactive in tuning their rig. They will tighten up the kicker, or pull the jib in tight, and thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it for the race. Although initial set-up for a particular wind condition is important, the trick is to react instantly when those conditions change. I therefore advocate a more reactive approach that relies on being aware of the effect of those conditions

TECHNIQUE

on the sails. In my experience, the best way to start is to under-sheet and under-tension as that creates the earliest possible response from them. Here are my eight top tips to tryâ&#x20AC;Ś

Although sailing can be complicated, organising the rig is a straightforward process. It is all about understanding your boat and looking at what the sails are telling you, and being able to react correctly to this information. The danger is that we over-complicate things and start to dictate rather than react to what we see and feel. So itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vital to keep it as simple as possible, and do this by using the information

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

HANDCRAFTED HANDCRAFTED HANDCRAFTED USING USING TRADITIONAL USING TRADITIONAL TRADITIONAL SMALL SMALL BATCH SMALL BATCH BATCH DISTILLATION; DISTILLATION; DISTILLATION; OUROUR GLORIOUSLY OUR GLORIOUSLY GLORIOUSLY ENGLISH ENGLISH ENGLISH SPIRITS SPIRITS SPIRITS MARRY MARRY CRYSTAL-CLEAR MARRY CRYSTAL-CLEAR CRYSTAL-CLEAR NATURAL NATURAL NATURAL MINERAL MINERAL MINERAL WATER WATER WATER WITH WITH A NEUTRAL WITH A NEUTRAL A NEUTRAL SPIRIT SPIRIT DISTILLED SPIRIT DISTILLED DISTILLED FROM FROM GRAPES. FROM GRAPES. GRAPES. IT ISITTHIS IS IT THIS UNUSUAL IS THIS UNUSUAL UNUSUAL RELATIONSHIP RELATIONSHIP RELATIONSHIP WHICH WHICH GIVES WHICH GIVES OUR GIVES OUROUR AWARD-WINNING AWARD-WINNING AWARD-WINNING SPIRITS SPIRITS SPIRITS THEIR THEIR UNIQUE THEIR UNIQUE UNIQUE SILKY-SMOOTH SILKY-SMOOTH SILKY-SMOOTH & ELEGANT & ELEGANT & ELEGANT CHARACTER. CHARACTER. CHARACTER.

coming from the sails to make adjustments. You should adjust only when necessary and only just enough, taking care not to over-compensate.

Identify the areas on the sails that react first to changes in the environment. These will give the information necessary to make adjustments to the rig. As a general rule, you should be looking especially carefully at the upper sections as that is where we lose control first. The rule is simple: if the sail is back-winding at the top before doing so at the bottom then the leech is too loose. On the other hand, if it is back-winding at bottom first, then the leech is too tight. All of this can be worked out in a pre-race session. You should aim to have enough tension to ensure that the sail back-winds at the same time throughout its height.

TOM GRUITT

The most common mistake I see is people sailing with the boat heeled over. Not only does this slow the boat, it creates an asymmetric wash and it also looks wrong. The best sailors remain perfectly upright. You don’t have to use eyesight to work out whether the boat is upright. All helms need to do is to ease their grip on the tiller. If the tiller doesn’t stay down the centreline, then the boat

SPORTOGRAPHY.TV/ALEX IRWIN

Knowing your boat, and especially knowing the effect of varying conditions on it and the rig, can make a big difference to maximising boat performance. Rig tuning is very individualistic. Most sailmakers provide guides to getting the most from your rig, but a setting up guide is only a starting place; for example, if you are heavier than average, you will need to adjust for this in your settings. Therefore I am a disciple of working it out yourself by getting to know your boat, by practising in different conditions and by responding to what you see and feel. Combining all of these elements is the key to improving performance.

Above Sails work most efficiently when deflecting the miminum wind possible - slightly under-sheeting helps achieve this Below Understanding rig tension gives the basis from which to make informed decisions quickly

is heeling one way or the other. The tiller will always go to the problem area. So if it goes to leeward then the boat is heeling to leeward, and vice versa if the tiller moves to windward.

It’s important to keep checking boat speed through the water and be aware of how to increase this. The best way to monitor how well the boat is going is to look at the wash. You should aim to have as smooth and narrow a wash as possible. To achieve this, shift your body position fore and aft until the wash straightens. However, be careful of sitting too far forward and digging in the bow excessively, which will cause ploughing. Similarly, sitting too far aft in the boat will sink the transom and result in the bow aiming for the moon.

Over-sheeting is also a common and very easy mistake to make, especially in light weather, and will severely impede boat speed on the race course. Again the rule to achieve this is very simple and easy to remember. Under-sheet to allow the sails to back-wind, before sheeting in just enough (and only enough) to stop them back-winding. Then, just to be sure, the sheets should be eased out once more to start the cycle all over again. Remember, a sail is at its most efficient when it is deflecting the wind by the minimum amount possible. You cannot have the same rig set-up in light winds as you would in heavy breeze, but using this rule makes it easier to quickly work out how much tension to apply.

it will make it hard to ‘read’ the sails properly. Conversely, if it is too loose it will be too full in a breeze. You should be prepared to make these simple but effective adjustments as and when necessary during your sail. Some classes sail with less tension on the shrouds than would be acceptable in others. The thing is to be aware of what principles apply so informed decisions can be made on how much to use.

These principles of rig tuning can be applied whether you are racing at club or circuit level, to ensure you always get the most out of your boat. It doesn’t matter if it’s a singlehanded dinghy on the tiniest of lakes or a yacht battling around Cape Horn, the same principles apply. If you’re always thinking, always adjusting, you will see the benefits no matter what. Having your boat set up properly and operating at peak performance makes sailing even more fun.

FIND OUT MORE

Mike McNamara, of the Norfolk Broads-based McNamara Sails, is current National Albacore Champion and European Wayfarer Champion. He will be presenting a talk on rig tuning and sail setting at the RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show in association with Yachts & Yachting on 5-6 March 2016 at Alexandra Palace, London. Find out more at rya.org.uk/go/dinghyshow

Regardless of what boat you are sailing, an understanding of what rig tension does is vital. It needs to vary depending on conditions, because if it is too tight,

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

ANDY RICE uncovers the

inside story on the RYA youth racing programme, as he quizzes RYA youth manager Mark Nicholls on the ins and outs of the current system

YOUNG GUNS

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

FEATURE

YOUTH RACING

PHOTOS: PAUL WYETH/RYA

ow do you measure the success of youth sailing in the UK? The simplest measure might be to see how many medals Team GB can win at the ISAF Youth World Championship each year. From time to time, Great Britain does come out as top nation, though perhaps not as often as some would like. But it’s more complicated than that. At Olympic level, medals are the only measure that counts, whereas at youth level, perhaps there should be other factors in play. For example, how many of those young sailors engaged at youth level will go on to sail for the rest of their lives? Should the RYA be running its youth programme as a medal factory, or as a democracy seeking to serve the needs of all the participants in the programme as equally and fairly as possible? “Well, it’s not a democracy, that’s for sure,” says Mark Nicholls, the RYA youth manager tasked with treading this fine line. “It is about developing the best young racing sailors. That said, we strive to ensure that everybody has a good experience in the programme. But to develop excellence, you need to have failure. And we always say that failure is normal, and there are elements designed into the programme where we explicitly allow the sailors to fail. Because it’s through failing that you develop learning and resilience. “That’s always a challenge of course, because it’s not much fun, it’s difficult. But you need those skills in life. Any programme that does not allow that to happen is a programme that isn’t really going to do any good to anybody.” THE POWER OF ‘YET’ Set against the nanny-state culture that has pervaded wider education in the UK, where ‘everyone’s a winner’

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

YOUTH RACING

FEATURE

mindset’ or ‘growth mindset’. “We are trying to develop sailors that enjoy challenges, that look for difficult things to do, and this is where the message from education sometimes get confused between rewarding everybody or focusing explicitly on rewarding effort and endeavour. “It doesn’t mean you don’t allow failure, you do – but you use language like: ‘No, you didn’t win. Not yet.’ Then you move into a conversation about what you’re going to do about learning to be better next time. So, the coaches and the parents get a big understanding of the power of ‘yet’. You don’t shy away from saying ‘You weren’t good enough’, but you always follow it up with ‘yet’. And then

TONY WYETH/RYA

on school sports day, where no one is allowed to fail, Nicholls’ willingness to embrace failure as the inevitable flip-side of success is refreshing. “Yes, the background education environment is a challenge, and parents’ expectations are part of that challenge. But our focus is on developing young people, developing sailors, and resilience and failure are part of that journey. That doesn’t mean we are focused explicitly on winning, though, because we’re not. We know that focusing explicitly on winning developmentally is harmful, because it forces them to be fearful of failure, and to worry about not achieving.” Instead, Nicholls and his army of coaches talk in terms of ‘performance

Above from top, The British squad competes in all classes; The focus is not on winning or losing, it is asking how to win Left The system aims to encourage smooth transitions and goals for the longer term

the conversation leads to what they are going to do to learn and progress next time, because we want sailors that look for challenge, look for difficult things to do. They need to understand there are some things that you can’t change – your height, or your eye colour. But, you can change how you sail, you can change how you respond to pressure and you can change how you make decisions.” DEFINING THE PYRAMID Like many RYA coaches, Nicholls has raced at a high level in his own right, competing on the Olympic circuit in the 49er and winning two Match Racing World Championships crewing for Ian Williams. So he knows what it takes to succeed at a high level, although he remains mindful of the fact that his responsibilities as youth manager are not just about winning. He has also inherited a well-oiled machine, a youth programme that has been functioning very effectively for many decades. Nicholls talks through the progression of the different tiers that make up the RYA programme. “It starts off with Champion Club, which is a really high quality good fun club environment for any 8 to 12-year old kids. That progresses into Zone where we begin to apply some level of selection, and then National Squad, and then we have the first big challenge where we’ve got to

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

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move sailors from junior classes to youth classes. So, that’s a transition programme, and then Youth Squads where we apply rigorous selection, physiological benchmarking and profiling, so it starts to get serious at that point. Then the youth programme’s last big challenge is to transition people out from youth classes into senior sailing, possibly into coaching, or Olympic classes, and so on.” With such a strong base of dinghy sailing in the UK, one could wonder why the British team doesn’t win top nation at every ISAF Youth World Championship. Surely there are lessons to be learned from other nations whose youth programmes are much smaller? “We are always keeping an eye on what other nations are doing. The difference is there are 1,600 RYA-affiliated clubs in the UK. And that’s a much, much bigger number than any other country, relative to the population size and geography. So there wouldn’t be much point in having four ‘super clubs’, much like they might do in Spain or France, because we are never going to achieve that without disenfranchising the other 1,596 clubs, which would be hugely damaging. So, we’re not going to do that, although we can see the advantages of that system. We need to embrace our environment in the UK and focus on that. “The biggest challenge that we really have at the moment is that lots

of countries are no longer competing across the board at any level. They are focusing their resources on one or two classes, in one or two disciplines, which in effect increases the number of countries which are trying to compete, because they are putting more resources into one class, whereas we are still operating on a big programme. We’re trying to win a medal in everything. We compete at just about every single worlds and Europeans at youth level every year. And the expectation of the community is that we’ll do that.” ON THE WORLD STAGE Inevitably there are parts of the community that expect to see Team GB prevail every time at the Youth Worlds, but, Nicholls says, it’s about balancing the different objectives of the programme. “Of course, we’re always trying to win. If you’re taking a very young team then we wouldn’t necessarily expect to perform, and it’s about making sure the sailor understands the expectation upon them before the event. Sometimes you go with a more mature team with very clear medal outcomes, and if we didn’t perform, we’d be reviewing and understanding what went wrong. “The ISAF Youth Worlds is an interesting event, because when I was a kid there was a really strong correlation between winning the ISAF Youth Worlds

Above The UK’s pyramid system starts with a uniquely broad base

and going for Olympic success. But over the years that slowly dropped away – for lots of reasons – partly the classes or the venues, partly other countries’ approaches; for example, selecting sailors specifically to win medals, because that’s a funding trigger for their national programme. And then once they’ve won those medals, they’ve got the funding, they get rid of those sailors and they get a different group of sailors and take them on to Olympic success.” Effectively

What makes a ‘performance parent’? Mark Nicholls says: “Without the parents we don’t have a programme. They are super, super important and we do want to work with them as much as we can to help them be ‘performance parents’. So we want them to help the child make decisions for themselves, to be non-dependent. “For example, even when the sailor has forgotten their lifejacket, there needs to be some sort of consequence, which is hard for the parents, because they’ve spent a lot of money, they got the kid there, they got up first thing in the morning. ‘Hey, you’ve forgotten your lifejacket’, but I’ve remembered it anyway, so it’s fine’. There’s no consequence. “But if they do things like say ‘Well, you’ve forgotten your lifejacket, so what are you going to do about it?’ – ‘Well, I don’t know’ – ‘Well, who can you borrow it from?’ And, “is there a sailing centre on site? Perhaps you’d like to go over and ask the instructor if you can borrow a lifejacket for the event.” Little things like help breed resilience and non-dependence in the sailors.”

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

other nations select specialist sailors – for example, a lightweight team for a light airs venue – as cannon fodder. “We won’t do that, ever,” says Nicholls emphatically. “We don’t think that’s right. On a fundamental level, it’s about developing sailors so they’ll progress to win medals at an Olympics.” GUARDING AGAINST PROBLEMS In times past, some of the most boisterous members of the youth squad, the hardest to handle, also went on to be those Olympic medal winners. Back in the late 1980s and early 90s, John Merricks and Ian Walker were among the first to start a late night pillow fight or indulge in a bit of underage drinking, yet they went on to win a silver medal at the 1996 Games in the 470 class, when GBR medals were rarer than hens’ teeth. One of the criticisms levelled at the RYA youth programme today is that it is too regimented, too much of a one-sizefits-all operation. So, what to do with the ‘problem children’? “Well, they are not problem children,” retorts Nicholls. “You want them with a bit of spark. You actually want the difficult ones, because sailing is a difficult environment, it’s

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Clockwise from top There is a focus on developing allround characters; Fundamentally it is about encouraging sailors to perform; Engaging with and listening to coaches is key

risky on the water. “You have to learn to manage all those things, so you don’t want shrinking violets, you want kids that are going to have a bit of punch. But sometimes I do almost feel like the headmaster of some big school; you do have to tell people off sometimes, and establish clear boundaries within which they can operate.” While Nicholls is too diplomatic to acknowledge the term ‘problem parent’, he does acknowledge the problem but also points out that without parents the system couldn’t operate. The whole youth programme relies on a huge amount of volunteer effort and enthusiasm from parents. He likes to talk in terms of ‘performance parenting’. “Our reflection is that when parents are talking about their own children, then they struggle to maintain a non-emotional state. And of course, the more emotional you become, the more that influences your ability to make rational decisions. “So, the parents that can manage their emotions the best are the best performance parents essentially. And

the ones that struggle to manage their emotions, then they create real challenge for the programme and for their sailors.” LIFE LESSONS One of the big challenges, both with the sailors and their parents, is to explain the difference between process and outcome, says Nicholls. It’s hard not to get caught up with the results, the push to qualify for the next squad up the ladder. Tempers can fray when things don’t go people’s way. But as Nicholls points out, if you focus on getting the processes right, the building blocks of preparation, practice, good boathandling, team work and so on, the desired outcome – the result on the score sheet – will follow. Not only is this a great lesson for competitive sailing, says Nicholls, it’s a great lesson for life. While the headlines are always going to focus on the medal winners, if the youth programme can help to instil the kind of resilience and persistence that Nicholls wants from his acolytes, that’s a pretty good outcome too.

How can a sailor get the most out of being in the youth programme? Mark Nicholls says: “Engage, listen to coaches, talk to them, work hard – work really hard – and have a go. Always just have a go, and just keep working at it in simple terms and listen to what the coaches are advising and guiding you on. And don’t do anything different for no reason. Sailing is a sport of minimising failure. You have to make 200 decisions in the course of a race, and if you get half of those decisions right, you’re probably going to finish in the top third or higher in the fleet. That’s a pretty good result. Whereas if you make a small mistake on the start and spend the rest of the race worrying about it, you’re going to finish in the back third of the fleet. “So, it’s all about: make a decision, understand it and move on, always through the race. Don’t worry about all the mistakes you’ve made, but just reflect on them afterwards, and then go again. If you can do that, then you’ll be fine. “You’ll miss out on selection from time to time. That happens; it’s normal and it’s a good thing. The programme is designed for that to happen, because it breeds resilience and strength. Keep going, don’t give up. Keep racing!”

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ÂŠ Andrea Francolini

WIN A 1-YEAR JUNIOR MUSTO SAILING SPONSORSHIP Are you aged 21 or under? Win the opportunity to train with the pros and get sailing sponsorship for a year valued at ÂŁ5000. Head to www.musto.com/sailorsearch to submit your sailing CV. Shortlisted applicants from around the globe will be put to public vote. Good luck! Entries are open from 05 Jan - 30 Aug, 2016. You must be aged 21 or under to enter.

FEATURE

CAREERS

DREAM BIG Turning a passion for sailing into a career takes courage and commitment. SUE PELLING offers advice for those with their sights set on new horizons

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ailing, like any hobbyled sport, is generally regarded as a lifestyle, which means a profession in the marine industry is usually associated with low pay and long hours. In short, it is probably one of the most demanding occupations to be involved in, with few get-richquick opportunities. The key to success therefore, is all about balancing pay with job satisfaction. Get the balance right and thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s every chance a career in the marine sector will reward you with a long, successful and, most importantly, an enjoyable future. Whether starting out on your first job or switching careers, it is important to consider also that by changing your hobby into a career you run a high risk of losing your recreational

lifestyle, particularly in the teaching or professional crew sector where your pastime becomes your job. When considering launching a new career, or even giving up a well paid, secure job for a career in yachting therefore, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Be very clear about these reasons before you go ahead and spend time weighing up the pros and cons. For example, are you being pushed because you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t like your current job? Or are you being pulled because you think you have what it takes to succeed in a new venture? BE SAVVY ABOUT YOUR SKILLS It is also important to research the market thoroughly to get an idea of the area in which you would be most suited to work. To help decision-

making become more clear and to assist with an initial plan, it is worth considering the following questions: What sort of service could nn

you provide from your interests or current skills? Would you be prepared to take time nn out to build up qualifications to increase chances of finding a job? What sort of demand is there for nn the service you could provide? Who do you know who has nn a similar occupation within the sailing industry? Are they successful in what they do? Could improvements be made in nn their particular job, and do you think you could do the job better? What sort of money would you need nn to earn to make the idea viable?

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Because the marine industry is so diverse there are plenty of options to focus on. It is one of the largest recreational industries, with latest statistics from the British Marine Federation’s survey showing 7.1 per cent of UK adults went boating in 2013, which equates to around 3.5 million adults. The figures also show that full-time employment in the UK marine industry is 31,450 (up 2.7 per cent from 2012-13), which gives a good indication of how buoyant the market is. Keen sailors who have a talent of sharing their knowledge for example, might consider obtaining qualifications to become a sailing instructor, a skipper of a superyacht, or even becoming a professional racing crew. Those with the correct level of qualifications, including an MCA-approved Ocean Yachtmaster and who are natural strong team leaders, may consider stepping on the professional ladder aboard one of the Clipper Round the World Race yachts. It is an industry that values those with a wide range of skills, so the more you have to offer in the way of qualifications and experience, the more opportunities there will be available. If you feel you could provide a service from your own experience, then there’s a good chance you could utilise your skills within the marine industry. HIGH TECH FOCUS Those passionate about technology or communications could do worse than investigating a career with one of the world’s professional yacht

racing teams such as Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing, Portsmouth. With a vision to nurture young talent and build a legacy, Land Rover BAR has succeeded in collaborating with Southampton City College and its Maritime Skills Centre at Woolston to create an apprenticeship scheme. Students have so far helped develop and build two RIBs for the race team and, at Green Marine – Land Rover BAR’s primary construction site for the British team’s America’s Cup boats – a further two apprentices are involved. Danielle Thomas, an apprentice at Green Marine, worked on the sustainable Docking RIB project as part of her coursework at Southampton City College. She said even though she is still an apprentice, it has been such a memorable career moment. “I’m still only an apprentice and I can’t believe I am working on a project for one of the world’s greatest sailing teams, Land Rover BAR. My ultimate goal is to travel the world, building high profile, high performance boats. That’s the dream. But first, I’ll finish my apprenticeship and get to see my fine work in action.” OUTSIDE THE BOX If you have a unique technical skill, a support team position within one of the many global yacht races, such as the Clipper Round the World Race or even the Volvo Ocean Race, is worth a try. An interesting yet highly demanding job for those passionate about fine cuisine is an on board chef position. These jobs, many of which are based in

Above, left Career riggers working as shore crew in an ocean race Above, right, from top Those with teaching ability could instruct; sailmaking

the Mediterranean or Caribbean, can be fairly well paid but are often seasonal. Teaching sailing can be one of the most rewarding jobs, so if you think you have what it takes to help others learn the skills of sailing, then becoming a sailing instructor is definitely one to consider. Flying Fish UK, Rockley Watersports, and the UKSA are among the thousands of RYA recognised training centres around the globe, which means there are plenty of opportunities for instructors. If working in the sun is something that really appeals to you, then the charter and shorebased holiday industry is a good option. Because these sorts of jobs

Need inspiration? Job ideas to consider in the marine industry include... nnSailing instructor working in the UK or abroad nnSuperyacht skipper, mate, hostess, engineer nnWatersports centre manager or assistant nnCharter skipper/mate nnYacht delivery skipper nnBoat yard manager nnSetting up your own charter company or sailing school

nnProfessional sailor nnShoreside staff/logistics nnExpedition crew nnBoat builder nnSailmaker nnRigger nnYachting PR nnYacht surveyor nnYacht designer nnYachting journalist/media nnTV camera operator, editor or producer

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

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are considered demanding, there’s a fairly high turnaround of staff, which means there’s often plenty of availability for qualified instructors and ground staff such as nannies and centre managers. ON COURSE Whatever route you take, whether it be crewing on a charter boat or skippering a superyacht, qualifications are key. The superyacht sector is generally regarded as the most glamorous in the industry, and one of the most lucrative but it is also one of the most demanding, so it is important to wise-up on the requirements from training centres such as Warsash Superyacht Academy or the UKSA. At entry level, for example, STCW basic safety training is mandatory for anyone working on board large yachts over 24 metres LOA. While not all careers in the marine industry require qualifications, as a general guide the more you have the better chance you’ll have of snapping up that dream job. It is also worth remembering that experience is important, which means whatever sector you decide on, you’ll need to build up, and record, as much practical experience as possible. Apprenticeships like those run by Land Rover BAR and numerous other marine companies are a great way of

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Clockwise, from top A flotilla crew on hand to help; The Clipper Race offers a number of opportunities; Gain as many qualifications as possible

Read more from Sue Pelling in Sail for a Living wileynautical.com

building knowledge and experience and also testing the water to see if you are cut out for a particular job. There are many apprenticeships developed specifically for the marine industry including boatbuilding, engineering, and watersports instructor – britishmarine. co.uk is a good place to start. There are also plenty of companies such as UKSA offering training schemes with subsidised funding. Those between the ages 18-25 looking for a long term career in the superyacht industry for example, could consider applying for a place on UKSA’s Professional Yacht Cadetship. This course, which runs over four years, allows you to earn while you learn and combines phases of training at UKSA with paid work placements in the superyacht industry. Dan Snook and Jack Dykes, both Trinity House-funded students, were fortunate enough to secure places on the UKSA Professional Yacht Cadetship scheme. Having completed Phase 1 and gained their Yachtmasters qualifications they each secured a job on a superyacht. Dykes, who is currently working in Athens, said: “The past six months have been the best of my life. I am massively grateful to everyone that has helped me, to all those who have made this the experience of a lifetime.” Snook meanwhile is undertaking his first job on a superyacht. “I feel so privileged that the captain is able to go to sleep for a few hours and leave me at ease to drive a multimillion pound yacht on my own, at night in some properly busy

waterways and channels with high end guests on board. Not bad for a teenager!” ACTIVE HOLIDAYS UKSA has also teamed up with Neilson – specialists in active holidays – to offer anyone over 18, subsidised funding for Yachtmaster training, and guaranteed employment. The 13week course, open to anyone over 18, offers 72 per cent of the course cost and guarantee employment for two years with Neilson upon graduation. Olly Yates, who completed his Neilson Professional Yachtmaster course, now works as a flotilla skipper for Neilson in Nafplion, Greece, says he had a fair idea of what job he wanted but he said it was important to talk to as many people as possible at UKSA and in the industry. “Options like deliveries and superyachts were crossed off my list as they are not for me, and I began to get a much better idea of what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. “Being a flotilla skipper gives me a great opportunity to meet wonderful and funny people from a variety of backgrounds, my tan is awesome, and I know the experience, and the learning I am getting are well worth it. It’s not a job for life, mainly because of the money, but it is great fun and a fantastic stepping stone to bigger and better things.” Last but not least, don’t be afraid to dream big! Your current skills, whatever type of industry you work in, could be utilised to provide a platform in which to turn your passion for boats into a new and exciting career.

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APPLY NOW clipperroundtheworld.com/careers +44 (0) 2392 526000

LIFE BEHIND THE LENS + standfirst

The ‘queen of yachting photography’ celebrates her 100th birthday this month. Eileen Ramsay talks to DAVID HENSHALL about her most iconic images of sailing

ot so long ago, the art of the photographer was expressed in skill through the viewfinder. In contrast to the proliferation brought by today’s digital technology, at the time of the UK’s post war golden era of expansion in sailing, marine photographers were a rare breed indeed. Chief amongst these is the incredible photographer Eileen Ramsay, a lady whose work documents in detail some of the very best days of the sport, continuing up to and beyond the time when Jack Holt, Ian Proctor and others would turn small boat sailing from an elitist sport into an activity that was accessible to all. The path that led Eileen first into sailing and then on to photography was

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

somewhat arbitrary. Eileen was born into a comfortable lifestyle at Sanderstead, which back in pre-First World War days was still in the countryside south of Croydon. As her schooldays drew to a close, Eileen found herself employed as an au pair to a wealthy Swedish family living near Gothenburg. When the family went on holiday, Eileen went too and learnt to enjoy sailing on the family yacht in the Baltic. She still finds it amusing that the rest of her time seemed to be spent playing tennis! By the mid-1930s, Eileen was working with Gilbert and Marcus Adams, the famous dynasty of photographers, whose portraiture shots brought them some famous royal commissions. With war looming, Adams’ assistants were each given a camera and told

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FEATURE

EILEEN RAMSAY

The problem was that Rodney Pattisson was the ultimate lone wolf and determinedly camera shy... He would later comment that Eileen had them sailing up and down all day. But the results were worth it

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

ALL IMAGES: EILEEN RAMSAY VIA PPL ARCHIVE

to take some photos; whoever took the best would get the task of keeping the studio open. Despite her lack of technical knowledge, Eileen’s photographs were good enough to get her the job, which blossomed with the outbreak of war. Servicemen heading off to the front wanted pictures of their sweethearts and Eileen quickly honed her skills as a ‘classic’ portrait photographer. PICTURE PERFECT The opportunity to combine her two passions came as peacetime returned. By then, Eileen was living and working in Chelsea, where she started taking pictures of the sailing at the London Dinghy Club, as something of a sideline. Proof that she had a special eye for a yachting picture came when, whilst on holiday in Anglesey, she managed to capture a moody, evocative blackand-white picture of an old gaffer sailing out on the Menai Straits. Some 70 years later, Eileen still considers this one picture as her signature shot – it is certainly the one that she recalls with the greatest of affection. As the years of wartime and austerity receded, Eileen and husband George followed so many of the young Londonbased professionals in heading for the coast. For Eileen, from 1955 onwards,

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Above 12 Metre yachts at Cowes Week in the early 1960s Right top Eileen Ramsay at the height of her career Right below Francis Chichester prepares for the OSTAR aboard Gipsy Moth III

home from home would be Hamble, which was rapidly developing as the mainland centre of sailing. She soon became the first-choice photographer for the yachting industry, for though Frank and Keith Beken enjoyed international fame for their photos of yacht racing in the Solent, they were less inclined to travel. Eileen suffered no such qualms and remembers how she ranged across the country, attending yachting events, and capturing not only the moment but the very essence of being afloat. With society at large having more time and more disposable income, having a boat – anything from a dinghy to an offshore powerboat – was fast becoming the number one aspirational activity. Yachting magazines flourished and Eileen was on hand, ready to satisfy their demands for great pictures. Eileen attributes much of her success to her belief that it was important to get on with everybody – even those who had the reputation for being difficult, with one famous case being that of round the world yachtsman Sir Francis Chichester. Eileen recalls this may have been helped by the fact that Chichester always seemed to have a bottle of Champagne open! Moreover, she was also able to get on well with Lady Chichester, with the friendship resulting

in some of her best photographs. Her portrait of Chichester, sat holding his Foolscap sized navigational tables, is so well composed and shot that it is possible to blow the picture up to the point that the tables themselves can be read. Chichester was of course famous for his exploits sailing in the early OSTAR (Observer Singlehanded TransAtlantic Race) in 1960 and 1962 and Eileen captured wonderful pictures of many of his fellow competitors. With changes in sponsorship, many of the Observer pictures of this early long distance single-handed race were lost, leaving Eileen’s pictures as the best record of the first two races. SHOOTING AT THE SHARP END As with all the technologies, photography and cameras were changing fast, but Eileen remained true to her choice of Rolleiflex camera; at a photoshoot she would use two, one with a standard, the other with a long lens (this of course pre-dates today’s zoom lenses) whilst George took on the responsibility for reloading the 12-frame magazines. He should have had an easy time of things for Eileen was not one to snap away at everything. She insists that she was “always very selective” when shooting and would take a shot with

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FEATURE

great precision, then another shot as a duplicate, before moving on. A measure of her careful approach to her work can be seen in the size of her final archive. In 21 years of being just about the busiest marine photographer in the country, there are still only some 40,000 negatives. By now Eileen was experimenting with colour and was soon leading the way, ever the perfectionist when it came to quality. Her love of dinghy sailing as a subject would ensure that Eileen developed a long relationship with Y&Y. By the early 1960s, new dinghies were appearing on the scene on a regular basis, as the prototypes of boats such as the 505, Fireball and Mirror were launched. Through her friendship with Olympic yachtsman Vernon Stratton, Eileen recounts having access to some of the top sailors of the time. Her photographs of Keith Musto and Tony Morgan capture the pair sailing in their Flying Dutchman, taken at Whitstable in 1964, just before they went on to take the Olympic silver medal in Tokyo. As the 1968 Olympic regatta at Acapulco drew near, it was clear that our FD representatives would be Rodney Pattisson and Iain MacDonald-Smith. The problem was that Pattisson was the ultimate lone wolf and was determinedly camera shy. Once again, by working

on her relationship with Stratton, who was now Olympic team manager, Eileen finally was granted a day with the pair; Rodney would later comment on the fact that she had them “sailing up and down all day”. However, the results were worth the effort, for the precision in her pictures matched perfectly the attention to detail Rodney brought to his sailing. Both photographer and sailor were the consummate perfectionists, a fact that comes across clearly in the final images. The records show that after a bad first day, when Pattisson and MacDonaldSmith were disqualified, they went on to win the next five races. In doing so the pair became the first British sailors since Stewart Morris at the 1948 London Games to win a sailing gold medal. Little wonder that the media were desperate for pictures of the pair, which Eileen was pleased to provide. ROYALS ‘FAIL TO PERFORM’ Now, as Eileen celebrates her 100th birthday, she is able to look back on her life behind the lens. I asked if she could have been closer to the royal family, given that they used to be regular attendees at Cowes, but her royal sailing pictures are in fact not that numerous. Her answer to this? They were not sailing the boat well enough to be

Centre Eileen began capturing dinghy images on the Thames – here, Putney to Tower Bridge dinghy race circa 1960 Above Close racing in the XOD fleet at Cowes Week

Read more: Eileen Ramsay, Queen of Yachting Photography bloomsbury.com

EILEEN RAMSAY

photographed! Even in this case, she says, the scene had to be a “good” picture to capture her attention. There is no doubt on this, for despite the passage of the years, Eileen’s mind remains as sharp as ever and she is well able to recall taking each picture, even down to a pen portrait of the sailors being photographed. Recalling these memories was an important part of the work she did with Barry Pickthall on the superb retrospective of her work, which was published in 2012, a task that she talks of with real pride. Pushed further to define her life’s work, Eileen’s answer is typically succinct: “I treated it as a job, but one that I took very seriously.” The world of sailing can but express to Eileen Ramsay a debt of gratitude, for it is her pictures that best tell the story of our heritage. Today, with the advances in digital photography, almost anyone can call themselves a marine photographer – although we often end up taking hundreds of shots in the hope of getting just one good one. Few though have the eye needed for the demands of black-and-white photography; fewer still could get that telling shot in one, maybe two frames. It is this skill and dedication to her art that makes Eileen Ramsay’s work so special to this day.

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not often one sets foot in a sail loft and is anything approaching agog. But arriving in North Sailsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; brand-new facility in Gosport (so new it is yet to exist on Google Maps, as I discovered en-route) I was, if not agog, then seriously impressed. The main loft sits at 110m long, the building having been designed for purpose by North. Beyond this main loft are two further areas within the sailmaking part of the facility, one for maintenance and repair work and one for dinghies and one-design. Additionally there are design offices, administrative offices and various other spaces you

IMAGES: IAN ROMAN

As North Sails unveils its flagship loft in Gosport, UK, TOBY HEPPELL is given a behind the scenes tour and uncovers the latest moves in sailmaking technology

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

DESIGN INSIGHT

would associate with a facility built to be North’s flagship European loft. But the big sell here is the size of the main loft and, more specifically, the size of the raised sail-finishing floor, which North believes to be the largest in the world. At a whopping 1,950sq m, there is enough space here to lay out a mainsail and two headsails for a J-Class yacht alongside one another at the same time. With this in mind, it’s little surprise the loft will form the backbone of North’s superyacht offerings but that is a long way from the beginning and the end of its purpose. A variety of dinghy sails will be finished in the facility, as will an array

of sails for the keelboat market. There is also a large area of the space dedicated to maintenance and repair work. INNOVATIONS The giant raised floor can be split into two separate working spaces when not being used to stitch superyacht sails, providing significantly more edge for sailmakers to work at. And this raised floor is one of the many factors within the new loft that goes to demonstrate just how much sailmaking has changed in recent years. “When I first started working as a sailmaker, you would spend your whole

Above North Sails’ 1,950sq m raised floor in Gosport is thought to be the world’s biggest

NORTH SAILS

day on your hands and knees crawling around on a concrete floor,” says Neil Mackley, who has been with the firm for 23 years. “With the raised floors these days people work around the edges of the platform without having to spend the whole day bent over. Obviously that is good for people’s health but it also means they can be more productive.” But working at the edges of the floor does not mean the vast square metreage of the raised platform goes mostly unused. Dotted throughout the floor are small circular bunkers within which sit the sewing machines. These machines can rotate fully 360 degrees around

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

NORTH SAILS

DESIGN INSIGHT

Gosport specialises in superyacht and large sails, Sri Lanka is where one-design sails are put together and 3Di is produced in Nevada

the edge of the ‘bunker’ meaning the stitching of corner patches, for example, can be done by one person almost no matter the size (and weight) of a sail. They can also be locked off for work on smaller sails and used normally, and are interchangeable, so different machines can be dropped in for various jobs. Impressive though these rotating machines are, the gadget of which North is most proud is its moving sewing machine, which runs the full length of the raised floor. “This conveyor belt machine is something we are really pleased with and something a lot of the team had been requesting,” explains Mackley. “The operator can sit in it, and move the full length of the platform while sewing – or not – without the

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

conveyor belt moving at all. If you look inside the mechanism you would see as the machine moves it is running forward on a conveyor belt that goes under the pod and then re-attaches on the other side. Because nothing moves except the machine, one person can sew a sail that would usually take five or six people to heft around. “Again the concept is a gain in efficiency – the five people that would have been moving the sail can be used elsewhere doing something else – but it also means we get a better result. Without the conveyor belt on something this size [we are stood next to a headsail being sewn along its 65m luff] stitching will be fairly straight but you can rarely avoid an occasional wobble. This way you

Above The new loft caters for all sizes from dinghies to superyachts; Work at one of three dedicated cloth cutting benches Facing page, from top It’s all in the detail; Panels ready for stitching stored alongside complete sails; J-Class sail in the making

get it pretty much arrow-straight which, obviously, means a better sail as a result.” GLOBAL MANUFACTURE It is hard to escape the word efficiency when talking about this new facility. It is more efficient to have people working on a raised floor; the sewing machine designs are to increase the efficiency of deployed manpower and on and on. North is, of course, the biggest player on the market, and vast though this facility is, it’s still smaller than its flagship loft in Minden, Nevada where the company produces its latest 3Di cloth. That 3Di is not to be produced in Gosport speaks to the global thinking behind the brand. A decade ago, it was not uncommon for designs for the same classes to differ

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

TIM WRIGHT

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

from loft to loft, despite being under the same parent brand. Within the 470 class, as one example, sailors might have chosen Norths from Japan or the USA (or elsewhere), depending on a number of factors and preferences. But with the globalisation of manufacture this autonomy is clearly reduced. “These days it is a much more joined-up process,” says Mackley. “One of the key things is to make sure that there are always sails on the floor so 3Di sails might come over from America in panels needing stitching or stitched but needing finishing. That all depends on what we have booked in at any given moment. The aim is never to have any part of the floor lying empty.” It’s clear then, that North works on a centralised/specialism model – so where Nevada produces 3Di, Gosport specialises in superyacht and large sails, Sri Lanka is where most one-design sails are made and so on. In theory the end product should be the same wherever you are in the world and may have come from any one (or several) of these lofts. But perhaps this is not such a new concept anyway. Traditionally sailmakers have not produced their own cloth, buying it by the roll from material manufacturers. The cloth is shipped to a sailmaker before being cut, stitched, finished and delivered to the customer. Dacron is a proprietary material, owned and manufactured by the American Dupont company. Even sailmaking behemoths such as North must buy their Dacron in and, until relatively recently this has also been true of membrane sails for most. But this is changing. “It is not really cost-effective to cut sails from a

It is not really cost-effective to cut sails from a cloth roll any more cloth roll anymore, there is simply too much wastage,” says Mackley. “It is not hard to see that where the industry is moving is to manufacturing your own materials and to do so for a specific sail or set of sails.” Indeed speak to any of the larger sailmakers these days and many of them are either producing their own cloth or are in the development process. LOOKING AHEAD Of course this progress of the sailmaking industry as a whole will always have consequences. It was notable that for the tour I had of the new loft, each section was clearly marked by signage to help to demonstrate the processes sails go through, from one end of the loft to the other. These signs also highlighted one aspect of manufacture that cannot be avoided on this sort of scale – the factory-style process. A sail made from Dacron (cut from the roll on one of three cutting machines in the loft) starts at one end of the room where it is stitched into the main shape, then moves on to patching where another team adds spreader and clew patches and so on, to finishing and onwards. There are plenty who might bemoan this system of mass-manufacture, but in truth, to a degree this has always been the way, as Mackley explains: “Even way back, a local sailmaker would usually

Above Efficient operation at the Gosport loft Below A sewing machine sited its circular bunker

have designed and cut sails before passing them on to a seamstress for stitching. In many respects modern systems are just a larger scale version of that.” It is easy, too, to get caught up in the fact that North is the largest sailmaking company on the planet. But opening a new loft in Gosport, where there are skilled sailmakers working for the company already at much greater expense than opening another loft in the Far East is a fine demonstrator that this is not just about profit above all else. It shows the importance of ultilising skills in delivering a superior product and service. A GLOBAL SCALE The service provided is another big factor in opening new factories in the UK. Within the Gosport loft, above the sailmaking floor, there are the offices within which the designers do their work, but there are a number of meeting rooms too. The aim is to encourage a conversation between customers and the North team – whether those customers are yacht manufacturers or the private owner. Looking around the facility in Gosport it is hard to imagine anyone would be disappointed with the quality of any sail coming out of the loft. Your local sailmaker this definitely is not, but it seems the company is working hard to maintain something of that feel while delivering sails on a global scale.

NORTH SAILS GOSPORT IN NUMBERS

1,950sq m

110m

Size of the sail-finishing floor

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Length of the loft

Number of J-Class sails that can be worked on at once Number of staff

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TRANSPORT LOGISTICS

ROAD TO RIO

LOGISTICS

PUZZLE

Juggling three boats for one campaign is not easy – the British Sailing Team’s HANNAH STODEL, three-time Paralympian in the Sonar class, is known as a logistics guru and shares some of her secrets having said that, there’s literally so much to think about. It’s not just a case of turning up at a regatta and off you go – you need to be prepared and you have to think about all the ‘what ifs’. What if something goes wrong, will we be able to fix it on site? What is actually supplied on site? Is the crane suitable? There are endless worries, which results in endless lists. (Luckily for me, lists are one of my favourite things!) Over the years we’ve had many funny stories of having to resort to Plan B –

RICHARD LANGDON/RYA

he road to Rio is a long and winding one with so many areas and logistical challenges to think about before you even get to the startline – not least making sure your boat turns up on time and race-ready. And the same is true for any overseas dinghy event, whether it’s a one-off regatta, a Eurocup event or your class’s world championship. Putting it simply, the biggest challenge when preparing for an overseas event is just not forgetting anything. But

Above The more you plan and prepare ahead of an event, the better your racing will be

RACHEL JASPERSEN/RYA

Left Get to the venue early so you have plenty of time to prepare the boat and then relax

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

too many to count! One of the most memorable is when we forgot to pack a sail for a world championship in America which subsequently involved one of our friends getting on a plane with that sail and flying over, then getting straight back on that same plane and heading home. He had a fun time, but it really wasn’t an ideal start to our event. It certainly makes you learn quite quickly not to repeat some of those mistakes. The more you can plan and prepare in advance, the more successful the trip – and your racing – is likely to be. THE POWER OF POST-IT NOTES We start our planning and preparation for an overseas trip a fair old while in advance. With the nature of our international calendar, we’re currently running a three-boat programme with them all going to different locations, so keeping a close track of everything is key. I have a whiteboard at home with

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PAUL WYETH/BRITISH SAILING TEAM

TOP TIPS: Getting from A to B nnStart

a post-it note for each piece of kit so I know which item has gone with which boat, where each piece of kit is at any given time, and whether anything is out for repair or if trailers are being serviced. In addition to the boats, the rig, sails and all the spares we might need, we like to take a lot of ‘home’ stuff with us when we travel abroad. Things like washing-up liquid, dishwasher tablets, washing powder, squash and so on. There are restrictions on some items, depending on where you’re travelling to, so you need to check in advance. For Australia, where our world championship is this year, for example, you can’t take foodstuffs or anything chemical. That’s how their customs work and that’s that, but generally where we can we will take a massive supply of things that we like from home. As another example, normally when we’re shipping our boats in a container we’d block them up on wood, but when

shipping to Australia there are specific and very strict requirements we have to be sure we follow to avoid delays or fines. Having an agent who knows exactly what paperwork we need, and who makes sure your packing lists are right is essential in avoiding this. Fortunately for us, as members of the British Sailing Team, we are able to draw on the expertise of the team’s official shipping partner, Peters & May, in overcoming some of these overseas challenges. It is also really helpful to have someone you trust on site to sign for your boxes. When kit is arriving in a different country before you or your team, having somebody on site who can just sort it for you is invaluable, as is being able to pick up the phone to them to find out what is happening.

See more from the British Sailing Team online at yachtsandyachting.co.uk

with the end in mind, and plan out all your kit in advance. nnGet yourself a whiteboard and make lists. That way you’ll know where everything is, where it needs to be and by when. nnHaving a clean and dry boat is essential – if you’re leaving them in a hot, sweaty container you’re going to end up with a bubbly boat at the other end. That’s not pretty, or fast! nnWork with a shipping agent that has the experience and worldwide networks to get you where you need to go with minimum fuss, and can also help free up your time. READER OFFER

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January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

HOW TO WIN

WIN THE PIN MARK RUSHALL breaks down the need-to-know strategies

for securing the prime spot at the leeward end of the line

acing in Portland Harbour in an overcast southwesterly often provides the classic left-hand favoured race track. The boats positioned furthest left off the startline sail into a progressive header and increasing pressure caused by the wind bending around the Isle of Portland. By the time they approach the port layline they are able to tack on to port and comfortably cross ahead of the more conservative starboard tackers. A good start by the pin gives the option of sailing fast into such a gain, or sailing high and forcing the boats to windward to fall back into bad wind or tack away from the advantaged side.

There can be more subtle reasons for wanting to control the left side of the course: if the wind is regularly shifting and in a right-hand phase at start time, a good pin end start guarantees a clear lane on the lifted tack, and gives an advantage as the wind shifts back to the left. Alternatively there may be a little less adverse tide, or a patch of extra pressure coming down from the left as start time approaches. To give maximum chance of winning the pin, an early and aggressive stake-out is the best option. The more opportunistic â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;take the pin if there is an opportunityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is less critical on execution, but does not guarantee you the berth as furthest left boat.

Layline transit

1 1 First, Red gets a really good feel for the lowest possible layline approach to the pin end, taking into account the extra slippage from tide and windage when approaching at low speed. As there are no dotted lines in the water, a transit through the pin end mark means that Red, on her final approach, will always know if there is still room to manoeuvre against any late port tack approachers (fig 1). Red also checks the mooring line for the pin end mark or boat: will there be any chance of catching a rudder? Now Red practises the approach, sailing down the layline at half speed, getting a feel for just how close to the pin she can afford to be at around 30 seconds to go. This distance is absolutely boat dependent: a light dinghy can line up later and closer; a keelboat has to tack into position a little earlier.

DAVID RAMOS/VOLVO OCEAN RACE

FACING IMAGE: PAUL WYETH

Preparation

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

The ideal approach

TOM GRUITT

The best way to keep control of the pin is to be furthest left boat in the last minute before the start. Red follows Blue closely away from the pin, preventing her from tacking or gybing until she reaches the starboard approachers. To stop Blue from tacking, Red points her bow to windward of her transom. To discourage Blue from gybing, Red aims below Blue’s transom, but avoids overlapping to leeward (fig 2). When Blue tacks, Red checks she is OK on her approach layline, then tacks into a control position to leeward. The best position is bow-to-bow, close enough so Blue can neither bear off to accelerate through to windward, nor duck behind Red’s stern.

Defend from the left

3 2

If Red was not able to control the left before the start, she will have to defend from late port tack approachers. As Yellow approaches (fig 3), Red rolls the boat to windward, eases the main, and backs the jib to bear away 25 or so degrees without accelerating forward. That’s usually enough to persuade Yellow to sail past. A bit of verbal encouragement might help! Once Yellow is past, a double tack might re-establish control over Blue. If Yellow insists on tacking to leeward, Red re-checks the layline: is there room and time to sail below Yellow and re-establish control? Red waits until Yellow’s speed is minimal before attacking and disguises her intentions. In light winds it may not be possible to sail through Yellow’s dirty wind into the control position. If so, Red relinquishes the pin and concentrates on keeping a gap to leeward to accelerate into. A ‘scoop’ (a fast trigger, killing speed by luffing and backing the main to windward) or a double tack may help here.

Defend from behind

If Red is above the layline, she makes sure the boats to windward are not able to drop behind, break the overlap, and dive to leeward before she is ready to trigger. Red defends from Green sailing fast from behind by bearing off to stop Green gaining a leeward overlap, watching that important layline transit (fig 4). Green will give up, will herself be below the layline, or be unable to break through the dirty wind to leeward.

4 4

RULES CONSIDERATIONS FOR GREEN

4 3

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

2 3

6 3

Green has to keep clear of Red while she is clear astern (rule 12). If she gains an overlap to leeward of Red, she becomes right of way boat (rule 11), but must initially give Red room to keep clear, unless Red caused the overlap (for example, if Red bears away sharply, swinging her transom to create the overlap) (rule 15). If Green chooses the windward route she is keep clear boat until she becomes clear ahead (rule 11). Green can luff to head to wind to clear the pin, before or after the start gun, so long as she does not pass head to wind. As she has established her overlap on Red from behind and within two hull lengths, she must not sail above her proper course after the start gun (rule 17).

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HOW TO WIN

4 3

2 1

4 2

5 5

2 4

Green’s opportunistic approach

RULES CONSIDERATIONS FOR RED AND BLUE While she is chasing Blue away from the pin, Red is keep clear boat: either clear astern (rule 12) or windward boat (rule 11). Once Blue passes head to wind, she becomes keep clear boat (rule 13) until she’s on a close hauled course. It doesn’t matter whether Blue’s sails are trimmed; it is her course that is relevant. Once she gains right of way, Blue has to initially give Red room to keep clear (rule 15). When Red tacks to leeward, she remains keep clear boat until she is on a close-hauled course (rule 13). Then she becomes right of way (rule 11) but has to initially give Blue room (rule 15). Blue now remains keep clear boat while they are overlapped (rule 11), so long as Red does not luff above head to wind again. If Blue’s only way to keep clear is to sheet on and sail over the line, that’s what she has to do. Red as leeward boat can luff as she pleases, before or after the start gun, so long as each time she alters course, she gives Blue room to keep clear (rule 16).

PAUL WYETH

Green also needs a clear gauge on the pin end layline. She is going to have to make some good last minute decisions. Her fallback plan is a clear lane away from any congestion away from the pin, she tacks into position early and watches the situation develop. As well as the layline transit, a startline transit is vital so that Green knows how far from the line the boats to her left are. If the wind is medium strength and above, and the boats to leeward are lined up close to the line and travelling slowly, the late leeward approach is an option (fig 5). Green waits for the ideal moment, when Red and Blue are focused on sailing slowly (or even better, double tacking). Green accelerates and sails straight towards the pin, at maximum speed. If there is time to kill before the gun, she luffs into the control position below Red, once she has an overlap. If time is short she keeps sailing fast to the pin and relies on her speed to take her through the boats to windward. If the wind is light, and the boats are shy on the line, Green pounces from to windward, sailing around the bows of Grey, Blue and Red then ducking into the space to leeward (fig 6). It is even more important this time to attack when Blue and Red are slow and have no chance to respond. In light winds, once her wind shadow takes effect, Green will be in the driving seat. Once she has the leeward berth, Green’s choices are as for the late leeward approach.

7 7

Red can maintain the controlling position, while continuing to check the pin layline, until the time to the gun is less than the time to the pin. The details of Red’s trigger are boat specific, but might include the following (it happens quicker than it reads!): n Getting the boat down to just below close hauled - by easing the main, having the jib trimmed a little (or backed if above close hauled), and sculling as permitted by rule 42 if stationary and above close hauled n Then, as the boat bears off, easing the jib and moving into the boat, allowing a little heel n Finally, hiking hard to roll boat upright and sheeting on, bringing the boat back to close hauled at maximum speed, exactly as if exiting a roll tack If Red is above the layline at trigger time, it is tempting for her to point straight at the pin just before the gun to avoid any danger of an OCS, but this is giving away her hardwon controlling position. If there is no pin end boat, Red can be confident so long as her bow is only just forward of Blue’s. If there is a pin end boat Red can often see where the line is from where the people in it are looking!

Tips for timing the trigger

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

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BUYER’S GUIDE

COMMS

STAYING IN TOUCH On board communication equipment has made huge advances in recent years. RUPERT HOLMES suggests updates to benefit your boat

FACING IMAGE: INGRID ABERY

HAND-HELD DSC VHF One of the most recent developments is the introduction of hand-held DSC units that combine the advantages of hand-held devices with the automated messaging – including distress messages that can be sent at the touch of a button – of fixed DSC units. Units

have a built-in GPS, often with the functionality that you would expect of a fully-featured GPS unit, making it a genuine dual-purpose device. It’s worth noting that these require a separate license to the boat’s Ship Radio License and will also be issued with a separate MMSI number. This also means that the DSC functions, including automated distress messaging, cannot be used outside of UK waters. FIXED VHF These have a number of advantages over hand-held devices, most notably a significantly longer range for two reasons. Firstly, they transmit at 25W – more than four times the power of the best hand-held units. In addition, they can use a masthead antenna, which, since VHF transmission is line-of-sight, also significantly improves the range. A number of units have provision for a separate cockpit-mounted handset, which obviates the need for a hand-held set. For instance, B&G’s V90 unit can be used with up to six different handsets around the boat. Another alternative is to get a model that can be used with a bluetooth headset, or a wireless handset, such as B&G’s H50. Installing a fixed DSC unit in most cases means it must be interfaced with the boat’s instrument data

n B&G V90 VHF

Facing page Hand-held DSC VHFs are a relatively new development

so that it receives the GPS position that’s needed to make an automated distress call. Some of the older units still on sale have only an NMEA0183 interface, which requires tedious wiring, rather than the almost plug-and-play waterproof NMEA2000 system. WI-FI AND MOBILE DATA Increasingly we want to stay connected while on board, even if it’s just for weather forecasts and to post on

Multi-device solution: Iridium Go!

This relatively new device is a black box that communicates with the Iridium satellite network via apps on smart phones and tablets. In many ways it’s a neat solution to satellite communications, as it provides a wireless network for up to five different devices. It will also work on a PC running the Predict Wind Offshore app, allowing downloads of weather data for use either with Predict Wind’s routing algorithms, or for export to Expedition. One useful option is that it’s possible to buy unlimited data for a monthly fee of US$130 (c£86), which maintains a cap on fees. At the moment, in common with other small satellite phones, the data rate is just 2Kb/second – a snail’s pace – although the hardware will be compatible with the next generation of satellites that will come on station in 2017 and will offer significantly faster speeds.

n Icom M91D DSC VHF

B&G

or inshore racing, hand-held VHF continues to prevail as the most useful tool. However, there have been a number of recent developments that may make now a good time to upgrade to new equipment. While almost all hand-held units on sale today are waterproof and fully submersible, there are still two key decisions when choosing a model. Firstly, do you want one that will float if dropped overboard? The advantages of this are obvious, but the downside is considerably more bulk. In any case, the likelihood of recovering a unit that has gone over the side during a race is minimal. It’s also important to consider the power output of the unit – some of the cheaper hand-held models have a maximum transmit power of only three watts – just half of the permitted 6W maximum. This effectively reduces maximum range to an area that’s only around one-quarter the size.

n Iridium Go!

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

DPPI/VINCENT CURUTCHET

significantly faster VSAT units are small and light enough enough to use with a medium size yacht. While their cost is higher, broadband data speeds of up to 4Mbps can be achieved.

social media. While some marina Wi-Fi systems are now excellent, there are still plenty with weak and patchy coverage. In such situations, an external, boost antenna can significantly improve performance. These can be as simple as the Alfa R36 range, which is readily available for less than £40, up to fully weatherproofed marine products that will also create a Wi-Fi network on board that can be shared by a number of devices. Perhaps surprisingly, the south coast of the UK has very patchy mobile

Need to know: Which licence?

There are two types of licence required for marine communications equipment. Firstly, for radio communication the operator must hold a Short Range Certificate. This is awarded after an exam that typically follows a two-day course. To operate an SSB transceiver you need the Long Range Certificate, which involves a four-day course. Secondly, the equipment must be licensed. This is done with Ofcom – providing the details on the certificate remain the same it will last for 10 years and is free if done online. It’s also important to recognise that only radio equipment approved for use in the UK must be used on a British registered vessel. US specification equipment, for instance, won’t have channel M2 (80) – that’s the only one that marinas in the UK are licensed to use.

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

data coverage compared to many other European coastlines. Again a fixed external antenna will give better results anywhere that there’s a weak signal for 3G or 4G networks. Many of these systems can also be configured to create an on board wireless system, allowing a number of devices – smartphones, laptops and tablets – to communicate with the internet. SATELLITE COMMUNICATION When out of VHF or mobile phone range satellite phones are now the normal means of communication. These can be used for text messaging, phone calls, email, weather info and in some cases even limited internet browsing. It’s also worth saving the phone numbers of Coast Guard Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres so that in an emergency situation you can get straight through on the phone if you’re beyond VHF range. There are times, therefore, in which it’s useful to have access to satellite communications. This is certainly a help for longer races such as the Rolex Fastnet, allowing you to keep up with weather data throughout the race, and is a requirement for longer Category 1 races. While it’s possible to use a handheld device, an external antenna will significantly reduce the risk of losing the signal during the call and having to restart the call from scratch when downloading electronic files such as GRIBs. With data costing around US$1 (66 pence) per minute and a 5-20 minute call often needed, it’s easy to clock up the cost of the external antenna in wasted data calls. While basic systems are limited to slow data speeds – typically just 2Kb/sec –

Above Fixed VHFs have a longer range than hand-held devices

08 NEXT MONTH Buyer’s guide to ropes On sale 8 January

COMBINED UNITS There are a number of devices that combine a Wi-Fi booster, 3G/4G antenna and in some cases even a satellite antenna into a single unit that incorporates a Wi-Fi router to create an on board Wi-Fi network. This is a neat solution that minimizes the number of different devices and individual antennas required. The Wirie is a popular option for those who don’t need satellite communication, while the Yacht Router Mini (from Yacht Router), or the Aqua Ultimate Superyacht 4G Wi-Fi VSAT MIMO from Plymouth-based Aquamare, incorporate satellite communications as well. OFFSHORE OPTION: SSB RADIO In the past this was fitted to almost every yacht that ventured well offshore, but has increasingly been replaced with satellite comms. It is now rarely fitted, other than for cruising yachts headed for the Pacific Ocean, where there are extensive radio nets. But a receive-only unit will enable weather data, for instance, to be received without the call charges associated with satellite communications. A benefit of SSB is that, like VHF radio, transmissions are broadcast to all vessels in range. This may alert a nearby boat that’s able to lend assistance or stand-by a disabled vessel, which wouldn’t happen in the same way with satellite communications.

NAVTEX: PROS AND CONS While this is often overlooked, it remains an excellent source of GMDSS data covering navigational warnings and weather forecasts. It’s a low-power receive-only device with a range of 200 miles, although significantly longer distances are frequently achieved. To put that in context, coverage on a voyage from the UK to the Canary Islands would be uninterrupted, while on a trip to and from the Azores, you’d have only a handful of days out of range of UK, French, Spanish or Portuguese broadcasts. Wherever you are in the world, the core safety and weather information is broadcast in English. A conventional Navtex unit requires tedious set up to filter out the information that’s not relevant to you – typically from stations in a different area – or a huge amount of scrolling. However Nasa Marine’s PC Navtex USB is a Naxtex receiver that’s interfaced with an on board PC, making this process much easier; it’s also significantly cheaper than a stand-alone Navtex.

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Iridium GO!®, the sturdy, water-resistant personal satellite communicator lets you use your own smartphone to stay in touch with friends and family — and even send emergency alerts in a time of need. This unique device offers an easy way to access weather, navigation data, and more when you’re out of cell coverage, wherever the winds take you. With Iridium GO!® you get: • Reliable satellite-based connectivity just offshore and around the globe • Voice calling, email, SMS, and optimized maritime apps • 100-ft connectivity range for coverage throughout your boat

SAIL ANYWHERE. STAY CONNECTED.

W W .U W

UML

M L. C O .U K

Life Jackets, and in particular the inﬂation mechanism should be checked at least annually

Check the expiry date on your cartridge and replace with a new cartridge from your local chandler or service agent.

Who do you think will be rescued first? Improve your chances of survival – be seen and get found fast Man overboard – everyone’s worst nightmare

MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN

Being rescued fast could be the difference between life and death. Exposure’s Man Overboard (MOB) strobe and searchlight is designed to do just that – make the difference between life and death. As soon as the buoyant, pocket-sized MOB hits the water, its 1300 lumens strobe starts flashing automatically, for up to 40 hours. What’s more, it’s highly visible from the air, and can be seen from more than five miles away. And by the way, the MOB strobe is a really powerful torch as well. Contact oceansafety.com to locate dealers or visit exposuremarine.com for more information.

Be seen with the MOB Strobe

One night, it might just make the difference.

Get in Touch

info@expmarine.co.uk

Lifesaving and safety equipment category

TRIED & TESTED

KIT BAG

HENRI LLOYD ENERGY DINGHY SMOCK

SPINLOCK RIGSENSE For as long as I – and I imagine most – can remember there have been but two options in the rig tension gauge world, the Superspars Gauge and the Loos Pro Gauge. So it was always going to be a pleasure to see another offering, and that that offering came from Spinlock could only add to my interest. The focus in developing the RigSense was on repeatability of settings, with the use of a unique composite leaf spring that is only under tension when attached to the rigging. The gauge certainly seems to do the job, supplying an easy to understand reading and appeared to be accurate – though testing this through sailing can be tricky in terms of repeatability. The gauge measures in kg where all others measure in lbs, meaning any previous tuning notes need to be converted. Additionally a slider sits over the wire, which modifies readings depending on wire thickness. This is a great feature but if there is a a lot of sand around and you are at all careless this needs to be washed out otherwise I fear it may seize. Finally there is an app for logging data for iOS or Android devices. At present this is little more than a notebook for keeping settings but the ability to download settings means tuning guides for certain classes and/or sailmakers can be downloaded by a user to give them a base setting – plus it could be a great tool for coaches. Spinlock.co.uk RRP: £124.99

Henri Lloyd’s new Energy Dinghy range consists of smocks, buoyancy aids and rash vests, all available in a range of bright colours and clearly pitched towards the active market. This smock/splashtop features the top-end build quality expected from Henri Lloyd, but at £90 struck me as a good buy. There is little that is absolutely innovative but the neoprene waist seal works well (the Velcro closure showing little sign of wear after a season’s use) and the waterproof chest pocket, with water resistant zip does enough to keep your spares dry. One point to note is that the material is very thick – ideal much of the time, but a little warm for my taste during windy summers days. Henrilloyd.com RRP: £90

KIT ON TEST

Y&Y put some of the year’s top kit to the test to see what is worth your money

CREWSAVER CREWFIT 180N PRO This is the first ‘everyday’ lifejacket to take advantage of Crewsaver’s 3D technology in its design, adopted from it’s top of the range ErgoFit line. The Crewfit 180N Pro neatly packs everything a round-the-cans sailor would expect from a standard lifejacket - and a bit more - into an extremely neat looking, yet robust, product. Buoyancy is rated to a superior 180N (over the 150N approved). Out test version had a soft D-ring loop for attaching a harness and, once inflated, there’s extra chin support to keep your airway clear. There are also attachment points for more optional extras such as a light, AIS unit and sprayhood. This is clearly a product that has been designed for comfort and ease, with simple but thoughtful details such as thumb tabs for fit adjustment. But it’s when you put this item on that the ergonomic design is really felt; despite feeling slightly heavier than some ‘everyday’ models, once you’re actually wearing the Crewfit, that’s quickly forgotten. The garment contours perfectly around your torso and, happily, a low scooped shaping at the back of the neck ensures no more snags when ducking the guardrail. Crewsaver.co.uk RRP: £90 (as shown)

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TRIED & TESTED

KIT BAG

BUELL RACE ANALYZER This race analysis software is currently available for the Solent, Weymouth, La Rochelle and Rio de Janeiro - and there are plans to expand further. Principally the software (for Mac, Windows, iOS and Android devices) is an in-depth tidal map, which, along with the ability to import wind data from a variety of sources (I was using a PredictWind Pro account) turns it into a race analyzer/tactical software. With the tidal data plus the wind information plumbed in, all that remains is to select the class of boat you are sailing from a list of 730 classes (if your boat is not already on the list then you can send the company polar information and they will add it). As with every piece of software in a similar vein there is a fair amount of learning how to use it before getting started, but Buell is certainly at the more intuitive end. Accuracy is a curious one and I would suggest that relying on tidal data and wind prediction as it does, this system is obviously not a replacement for a full navigational race suite. But where I found it of greatest use was pre-event and pre-race where I could study the predicted favoured route then adjust that advice based on what I saw out on the water. It seems this is the target the company is shooting for with the majority of boats listed being fairly wet sportsboats and dinghies – plus the list of venues they have selected as a starting point makes this clear from the off. Buell-software.com RRP: from £26.99

SLEIPNIR WIND METER Fresh from the Danish team behind the Vavuud smartphone anemometer is this new device, which can measure wind direction as well as speed. Canny R&D has shown that the window cut in one of the meter’s ‘sails’ makes it speed up and slow down minutely during each rotation. An internal infrared beam measures this effect, and sends a signal back to the phone that allows it to pinpoint the wind direction with surprising 4 per cent accuracy. Unlike its mechanical predecessor, which interacted with your phone’s magnetic field detectors, the Sleipnir needs power from your headphone jack to function. It works through the new Vavuud app, which is a great looking but more complicated interface. You can still use it for simply obtaining a wind reading, but Vavuud is trying to build up a community of customers who will share their readings online in real time - this element is still optional. Works with a range of Apple and Android smartphones. Vavuud.com RRP: c£41 (€55)

LENNON RACEWEAR If our observations at events throughout 2015 are anything to go by, Lennon Racewear has had a pretty good first year. It is a struggle to remember the last time we attended an event without noticing several people wearing their popular year-round suit. And the popularity is easy to understand. The suit consists of a longjohn in the currently fashionable sleeveless design with no zipper – clambering into it through the neck opening is the name of the game here. In my experience this suit with a decent splashtop is sufficient for almost all conditions but when it is particularly chilly the top does come in handy;

certainly I needed both to make a true ‘year-round’ suit. The company makes much of their waterproof neoprene system, of which I was slightly sceptical but it really does work. Granted in my regular boat (an RS200) I am not putting the water resistence to the most rigorous of tests every time, but it is notable that the fleece lining on the suit has remained dry for most sails, even on the legs after launching and recovering. In all, the longjohn has become my wetsuit of choice for almost all conditions and the top remains in my sailing bag for when it is needed. Lennonsails.com RRP: £185 (longjohn); £155 (top)

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

J/11S

BOAT TEST

SHORT-HANDED FORMULA J-Boats’ latest model is an appealing adaptation of the J/111, optimised for doublehanded and solo offshore racing. RUPERT HOLMES puts the J/11S through its paces

Specifications LOA: 10.90 m LWL: 10.04m Beam: 3.31m Draught: 2.20m Displacement: 4,600kg Ballast: 1,570kg Sail area: 63sq m Spinnaker: 95sq m

-Boats has a long history of producing successful designs that lend themselves to short-handed sailing. For instance the J/105, a design that’s two decades old, is still winning – it was first double-handed boat in the 2015 Rolex Fastnet Race and fourth overall in the very capable hands of Kevin Rawlings and Stuart Childerley. CONCEPT 9/10

««««««««««

Despite the company’s heritage in this area, thinking has changed in relation to what’s perceived as a good set up for short-handed offshore racing, with wheel steering now out of favour and twin rudders increasingly the norm. The J/11S sets out to address these changes, taking the already very well proven hull of the J/111 and tweaking the formula to the boat for this purpose. At the same time, the IRC rating has been dramatically reduced; the first boat measures at 1.054 – compared to 1.096 for the one-design J/111. This moves it into similar territory to the Sunfast 3600 (1.039 to 1.043) and JPK 1080. With a big French demand expected for this boat, reducing the rating to the 1.050 upper limit for the Transquadra amateur single or double-handed trans-Atlantic race was crucial – clearly only a couple of tweaks will be needed to achieve this. While the J/11S doesn’t have the beamy hull of some of the most recent

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

French designs, J-Boats has still given the boat twin rudders. While arguably not strictly necessary in this case, this is not simply a nod to fashion – it helps the pilot keep control when the boat is fully powered up on a reach. The downside is a little more drag in light airs, when both rudders are immersed. Other changes relative to the J/111 include a shorter aluminium rig and significantly more lead in the keel bulb, which increases stability lost through the lack of crew on the rail. In addition 20cm has been chopped off the back of the hull. ON DECK 8/10

««««««««««

The deck layout has been significantly revised from that of the J/111 in order to optimise it for two-handed and solo operation. The tiller gives the boat an entirely different character, with many tasks easily accomplished by the driver. A wider range of rig configurations than is usual with J-Boats is offered with the 11S and our test boat must be the first new boat from the company for a couple of decades set up for symmetric spinnakers. While much has been made of the simplicity of asymmetrics, including the ability to gybe from the cockpit with only one person on deck, there are also many arguments in favour of symmetrics for this type of sailing. For a start, once offshore, in any kind of swell you can’t steer as deep with an asymmetric as you can in sheltered

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water and then if you’re spending significant lengths of time steering on the pilot you’ll have to head up even more. That’s fine for a boat like a Class 40, that has enough speed to (almost) always be sailing angles, but in a slower boat there are more occasions in which the optimum VMG is dead downwind. As well as reducing distance sailed, in such conditions a symmetric kite also reduces the number of gybes, which reduces the likelihood of mistakes. If the pole is end-for-ended, but separate sheets and guys are used,

as for dip-pole gybing, the foredeck work becomes really straightforward.

1. The J/11S feels well-balanced and light upwind

UNDER SAIL 9/10

2. Simplicity is key in the cockpit

««««««««««

The narrow, slippery shape helps make this a quick boat to accelerate, although it doesn’t have the rock steady stability of the 3600, which means a little more input from the crew is needed to keep it on its feet. Upwind the helm is beautifully balanced and impressively light – this is clearly not a boat that requires tons of muscle power to keep it on course.

3. Foredeck work can be handled solo 4. Twin rudder/ single tiller steering and the shortened transom

The helm position is comfortable, with excellent foot chocks for security, and the mainsheet controls fall easily to hand. However, for offshore short-handed racing, when there is often only one person on deck, I’d prefer to see the primary winches located closer to the helm. The sail plan has a smaller main than the J/111, although the foretriangle remains a similar size. However, the spinnaker area has been reduced considerably, to just 95 square metres on the symmetrically configured boat we tested. Nevertheless, the boat still appeared quick downwind,

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

VERDICT 9/10

accommodation, including a basic galley, ample hanging space, a decent navigation station - all near the foot of the companionway. Forward of this the saloon has two settees that would make excellent sea berths, and a big central table. The latter I’d be happy to take the rating hit and dispense with, in favour of space for a beanbag and more room to pack spinnakers. Ahead of the main bulkhead is a large full-width heads compartment, which is open-plan to the forepeak. The latter has provision to take a double berth, although this area was left bare on our test boat, which helps keep weight out of the ends of the hull. Aft on the port side is a wide quarter berth – too narrow to be a double, but a potentially excellent sea berth none the less. There’s an equivalent space on the starboard side, although this also has access from the cockpit via a locker lid (sealed with meaty neoprene) and on our test boat was used for stowage.

««««««««««

VERDICT 9/10

although unfortunately the instruments were not calibrated at the time of our test and were clearly inaccurate. Bringing the boat up onto more of a reach saw the boat speed jump, with the stern wave left well behind and the boat still feeling under rock solid control. Hotting up still further, as the loads on the rudders build, there was useful feedback

that tells you when the boat is getting close to the edge. Nevertheless, when we tried bearing away without easing sheets with the boat well pressurised on a reach she still answered the helm immediately. BELOW DECK 8/10

««««««««««

There’s bright and civilised

Above The symmetric spinnaker may be smaller but still gives great speed

This new model gives another option for short-handed racing on a well proven hull and is clearly a viable alternative to all-French designs. It has a speed potential that’s arguably more balanced between different wind strengths and angles than its beamier competitors that can be extremely quick downwind but can suffer in light airs.

COMPARISONS

ANSWER BACK

Sunfast 3600

J-Boats has a very long history of designing, developing, building and selling boats that excel as short-handers. For this project the aim was to produce the fastest boat that would rate close to 1.050. To win a race, a boat with excellence in just one set of conditions can do very well on its day. To win a regatta or a series, an all-round performance is probably better. The J/11S has a brilliant upwind performance coupled with the ability to plane downwind on a breezy day. Many modern boats push beam well aft which is really useful to increase aft cabin space and to add stability downwind in a breeze. The downfall of these design is in light conditions, when high wetted surface saps speed. The J/11S is probably the most ‘all-round’ of the modern designs. Contact: keyyachting.com

From: Paul Heys, Key Yachting Ltd

RICK TOMLINSON

Huge stability thanks to a beamy chined hull, high ballast ratio and deep draught. It has already notched up plenty of successes on the race track on both sides of the Channel, both short-handed and fully crewed LOA 10.8m Beam 3.55m Draught 2.13m Upwind sail area 69.8sq m

««««««««««

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

JPK 1080

JPK’s earlier 1010 has long been a tough boat to beat and this new, larger model is showing every sign of doing the same – Géry Trentesaux’s Courrier Du Leon won the 2015 RORC Series overall and a second boat placed in the top five. LOA 10.8m Beam 3.65m Draught 2.20m Upwind sail area 73sq m

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New & used boat sales - Berthing - Servicing ϬϮϯϴϬ ϰϱϱϲϲϵ ŝŶĨŽΛŬĞǇǇĂĐŚƟŶŐ͘ĐŽŵ ǁǁǁ͘ŬĞǇǇĂĐŚƟŶŐ͘ĐŽŵ ,ĂŵďůĞ WŽŝŶƚ DĂƌŝŶĂ͕ ^ŽƵƚŚĂŵƉƚŽŶ͘ KƉĞŶ ϳ ĚĂǇƐ Ă ǁĞĞŬ͘

UPDATED

BOAT NEWS

NEW

J/112E

The brand-new J/112E is due to make her UK debut at the London Boat Show this January. The J/112E is designed to be an efficient performance yacht with cruising comforts and sits in a popular size range, at 36ft LOA. Understanding that sailors spend more time on deck than anywhere else, J-Boats has focused on creating a comfortable cockpit; the helmsman sits completely forward, straddled or aft of the wheel. The single large-diameter steering wheel allows an outboard sitting position in order to see the jib telltales and waves. With the main and jib controls within easy reach, the helmsman can adjust the sails upwind without leaving the wheel or troubling the crew. The J/112E joins sisterships, the J/97E and J/122E, both of which are modern boats with a focus on upwind performance. V-shaped bow sections provide directional stability and reduced slamming in waves. Freeboard forward and topside flare help to keep the deck dry, while a long waterline combined with a low vertical centre of gravity promises a smooth, sea-kindly motion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; more like that of a 40-footer. The J/112E will be available to view on stand A220/B.

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

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UPDATE

6 ISSUES FROM JUST

RS VENTURE

RS has unveiled an updated version of the RS Venture, intending to firmly focus the boat towards the sailability market. The new RS Venture Sailability Pack features a new twin rudder system, providing lighter, more responsive steering, which is compatible with manual joystick, electric steering and sip and puff options. The RS Venture Keel has a whole range of ‘plug-and-play’ Sailability Pack options which compliment her self-righting and self-draining capabilities. These options can be added or removed as required, allowing the same boat to be used for either able bodied or a range of disabled sailing. The new adaptations are a significant step forward and bring huge advantages for many sailing and training centres, in particular.

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£4.30 Issue #1693 January 2016 yachtsandyachting.co.uk

MEET KNUT FROSTAD – LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT WINNER SPECIAL FEATURE

EXCLUSIVE

IRC insight

Sails

Trimming tips PLUS North Sails reveals latest tech

New ratings chief looks to the future RACING CLASSES REVIEW

Sportsboats INTERVIEW

Youth squads Inside the system

STEP BY STEP

Win the pin Perfect port end starts – every time

YACHTS YACHTING

CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES

9 770044 000205

BEACH CLUBS

BOAT TEST: J/11S

DREAM CAREERS

STAYING IN TOUCH

Dinghy escapes – find your ideal summer break

The doublehander that’s meeting new demands

Turn your passion into your profession

From Wi-Fi to VHFs – the best kit to have on board

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YACHTS YACHTING

DIGITAL CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES

CHELSEA ARINE M MAGAZINES

01/12/2015 16:50

RICHARD LANGDON/RYA

EDITION

UPDATE

NACRA 17 - UNDER REVIEW

For the first time ever the Rio Olympics next year is to feature racing in a class specifically for mixed sailors - the Nacra 17 catamaran. Morelli and Melvin designed the class for Nacra with the specific aim of becoming the Olympic mixed multihull. Following a successful trial and selection by ISAF, the boat was then put into full production. Significantly the

Nacra 17 was the only boat present at the multihull trials with curved C-foils but it now seems as though even this nod to modern sailing may not be enough for the Olympic Games, and the class is looking even further into the future. At the recent ISAF Annual Meeting in China, a recommendation to evolve the Nacra 17 into a foiling

multihull for Tokyo 2020 was put forward and duly endorsed. It must be stressed this is only a recommendation to look at the options going forward, and even if the boat is developed to foil satisfactorily there are many other factors to be discussed (and ultimately voted upon), but it is a step towards foiling finally appearing in the Olympic Games. Watch this space.

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BEACH CLUB MYTHS BUSTED If you’ve ever thought a sailing centre holiday isn’t for you, it’s time to think again. HELEN FRETTER dispells some common preconceptions 74

TRAVEL

IMAGE: C/O NEILSON

DINGHY BEACH CLUBS

Lo S nd ee u sta on s at B nd o th C0 at S e 08 ho w

BAREBOAT SKIPPERED ASSISTED TRAINING

DINGHY BEACH CLUBS

C/O OCEAN ELEMENTS

C/O GLOBAL SHOTS/WILDWIND

C/O MINORCA SAILING

TRAVEL

winds venue of Vassiliki, with punchy catamarans such as the Tornado and F18 Hobie Tiger, and a wide range of dinghies that includes the Laser 4000 and RS500. And if you want to take on a new challenge, the Pro Vela sailing centre on Mar Menor specialises in teaching experienced sailors to fly a foiling Moth, with Spanish sunshine and warm water to make the experience even more enjoyable. MYTH #2 – THE KIT IS BORING This is far from true! Neilson Messini, like many beach clubs, had a large fleet of Picos and a handful of family-friendly designs (such as the Bahia) on the beach, because they are great teaching boats. But there was also the chance to try the RS500, and a fleet of catamarans including the fun single-wire RS Cat 16. As mentioned above, other centres offer a wide range of designs from the RS200 to 29er, recent launches such as the RS100 or RS Aero, skiffs including the Laser 4000, Musto Skiff or RS800, fast cats, and foiling Moths. When you book, it’s worth checking the equipment list to see what’s available. For 2016, Ocean Elements is offering a performance boat upgrade package, giving experienced sailors exclusive access to boats such as the RS Aero, RS100, RS200, RS500 and RS800 for a weekly charge. For some more high performance designs, life on a sandy beach is less than ideal and you may occasionally

Left, from top Minorca Sailing is tailored to racers; Most clubs other activities such as bike clinics Above Performance cats like Wildwind’s F18 Hobie Tigers offer an extra challenge

find your dinghy of choice in the pit lane for part of your holiday. But that’s part of the joy of a beach centre – all the boat maintenance is somebody else’s responsibility. At the first day briefing at Messini the staff made it very clear that if something breaks, you should simply hand it over to the beach team to deal with, and then jump into the next ready-rigged boat, with the minimum of sailing time lost. If weather conditions change, you can switch to something else. Or if the wind dies completely, you could grab a SUP or canoe and go for a paddle. There was definitely no such thing as boring. MYTH #3 – THERE’S NOTHING ELSE TO DO If you spend all your free weekends sailing, it might be a hard sell to convince family and friends that you should also go on a sailing based holiday. But at Messini there were hardly any husbands or wives hanging around waiting for their other half to come in off the water. In fact, most of the couples and groups of friends did their own thing for most of the week, and only joined up for meal times. The packed Neilson programme meant you could quite easily spend a whole week out on guided road or mountain bike rides, improving your game on the tennis courts, or mixing it up with some fitness classes, spa time, scuba diving, wakeboarding… There is an endless list of options, which probably explains why so many people we met

were taking a fortnight’s holiday. There is simply no way you would manage to do everything on offer in a week. The other factor that allows you to cram so much in, is the inclusive wraparound childcare. With a combination of full days, half days and even evening ‘sleep clubs’, there is no dashing from one activity to crèche to pick up stranded kids. The childcare fits around the activity times, so everyone in each family can enjoy time to do what they want. Of course, if that’s lying on a sunlounger, or making sandcastles as a family, that’s just fine too. Other beach clubs offer different options – Vassiliki is a world-renowned windsurfing destination and many centres there offer higher performance boards as well as dinghies, while the Wildwind centre there also offers a healthy options programme that includes yoga, snorkelling, fitness classes, and guided walks. Ocean Elements centres not only include RYA courses in their holiday cost, but other activities such as bike skills clinics and beach yoga, as well as childcare. Mark Warner clubs offer childcare from 4 months to 17 years (free from 2 years), with evening babysitting options for little ones, and optional ‘Indy Club’ sessions and socials for older teens. Several of its beach bases also specialise in tennis – the Lakitera base boasts nine courts, with intensive coaching available (£250 per week) – and activity programmes that include mountain

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

TRAVEL

C/O PRO VELA

C/O MARK WARNER

DINGHY BEACH CLUBS

biking, scuba diving, and wakeboarding or waterskiing are widely available. MYTH #4 – THE HOTELS ARE A BIT BASIC I first went on a beach club holiday over a decade ago, and the standard of hotels on offer has come a long way since. Messini is one of Neilson’s newest five-star purpose built resorts, and as such is very high spec, with modernist design, ensuite rooms with huge beds, and all mod-cons. It’s not all for show either – air-con so you can get a decent night’s sleep even in high summer, large balconies with drying rack for swimsuits and sports kit, flatscreen televisions and Wi-Fi. However, if you want formal dining then Messini is probably not for you. The open-air restaurant served buffet meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The choice, quality and quantity of food was of a very high standard – lots of grilled meats and fish, a huge range of salads featuring local ingredients, and more olives than you could shake a stick at (we were near Kalamata after all). There are family and adults-only zones, but expect kids crowding round the chocolate fountain, with flipflops and boardshorts very much the dress code for the week. The poolside bar made a smart cocktail, but also had a very laid-back vibe. Mark Warner’s purpose-built

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Levante base on the Greek island of Rhodes is another modern five-star hotel, but also offers a pan-Asian and a la carte restaurant alongside buffet and taverna-style dining. Meanwhile, some beach bases have a range of accommodation to suit different budgets – Minorca Sailing’s self-catering options range from simple apartments to the stylish ‘premier’ villas, with sleek kitchens and seafront terraces. Offering a taste of the local culture, Seafarer’s Nikiana beach club on the Greek island of Lefkas prides itself on the local family-run taverna on site - its small hotel (25 rooms) is on a B&B basis only to allow guests to make the most of the authentic local cuisine. MYTH #5 – THEY’RE NOT VERY RELAXING If holidays are about getting away from it all, then a beach club holiday might make you nervous. If you dread being herded from activity to activity, forced to make polite conversation over dinner, or pressured to join in with ‘fun’ socials that involve public singing – fear not. We found plenty of opportunities to get to know our fellow holidaymakers, and some great friendships formed, with cocktail making masterclasses, ‘booze ’n’ balls’ (alcohol-fuelled tennis) and daily volleyball championships at

Above left Foiling Moths are the highlight at Pro Vela Above right, from top Mark Warner offers luxury hotels and family focused facilities

08 NEXT MONTH Travel in 2016: What’s new? On sale 8 January

Messini. But it’s all voluntary. If you want to get lost in your book, enjoy a quiet dinner for two, or explore by bike alone, that is absolutely fine too. And if you really want peace and quiet, going for a gentle sail or paddle in the light morning breeze was hard to beat. Read around carefully as many clubs have a different atmosphere – for example, Neilson’s smaller Seaside Beachclub in Turkey has special ‘adults only’ weeks throughout the season. Mark Warner’s Helona Beach Resort is a modernist hotel dotted with infinity pools (some attached to private villas), and an à la carte restaurant, spa and hamman on site. It is sited near the activity and family-focused Lakitira beach club, so visitors can enjoy Lakitira’s sailing or sports programmes, but come back to a relaxing hotel. You don’t have to limit yourself to the Mediterranean either. Wildwind’s new Mauritius base offers tropical beaches to relax on, with Indian Ocean snorkelling, Africa’s richest city and rainforest hiking trails to explore for the more adventurous. Ultimately, the great thing about beach club holidays is that everything is taken care of, with little more required of you than a bit of leisurely hiking. For me, that makes them one of the most relaxing holidays around.

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Self Catering or All Inclusive board options

BLAST AN

RS Aero in Antigua

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THE 2015 REVIEW Our annual A-Z listings of the most popular sportsboats and small keelboats on the racing scene Words: ROB MELOTTI

Singlehanded keelboat DESIGNER: various since 1983 LOA: 4.1m BEAM: 0.8m DRAUGHT: 1m WEIGHT: 254kg CREW WEIGHT: 40-95kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 7 PN NUMBER: 1,240 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £1,500; GOOD £3,000 PRICE NEW: £12,000 CURRENT BUILDERS: Charger Composites, Finland CLASS WEBSITE: ukassociation2-4.co.uk

DRAUGHT: 1.65m WEIGHT: 1,350kg CREW WEIGHT: 450kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 26.3 JIB: 15.8 SPINNAKER: 69.37 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £12,000; GOOD £16,000 PRICE NEW: £45,000 CURRENT BUILDER: Key Yachting CLASS WEBSITE: 1720sportsboat.org NUMBER OF BOATS AT NATIONALS (IRELAND): 17 2016 NATIONALS: Dublin (date tbc) 2016 EUROPEANS: Kinsale (date tbc) FURTHER INFO: Numerous 1720s sail in the UK under IRC handicap system but the class is working on rebuilding the one-design fleet as well.

Ajax

1720

707

GRP sportsboat with symmetric spinnaker

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Pedigree sportsboat for one-design or IRC racing, for five crew DESIGNER: Tony Castro in 1991 CONSTRUCTION: GRP KEEL TYPE: Fin LOA: 8m BEAM: 1.5m

23ft open keelboat with spinnaker. Number of crew: 3 DESIGNER: Oliver Lee in 1966 LOA: 7.01m BEAM: 1.95m DRAUGHT: 1.2m WEIGHT: 873kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 10.8 JIB: 9.2 SPINNAKER: 20.62 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £4,000; GOOD £4,500 CLASS WEBSITE: ajax23class.co.uk

British and Nordic Folkboats

Three-person long-keeler built mainly of wood with either clinker or carvel planking DESIGNER: Scandinavian committee in 1942 LOA: 7.68m BEAM: 2.20m DRAUGHT: 1.5m WEIGHT: 1,960kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 17 JIB: 7 SPINNAKER: 20 IRC NUMBER: IRC 0.790 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £5,000; GOOD £20,000 PRICE NEW: £50,000 CURRENT BUILDER: Folkboat Central (GER), Bootbau (SUI), Brandt-Møller (DEN), Parnu Shipyard (EST) CLASS WEBSITE: folkboats.com NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 57 NORDIC NATIONALS: 17 2016 NATIONALS: Lymington, September NEXT WORLDS: Gold Cup, Helsinki, July 2016

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LEAD PHOTO PAUL TODD. 2.4MR ONEDTITION; 707, 1720, FOLKBOAT RICK TOMLINSON

2.4mR

DESIGNER: David Thomas LOA: 7.09m BEAM: 2.49m DRAUGHt: 1.5m WEIGHT: 1,058kg CREW WEIGHT: 450kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 20.2 JIB: 9.3 SPINNAKER: 46.45 PN NUMBER: 927 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £4,000; GOOD £7,000 CLASS WEBSITE: sail707.com NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 22 2016 NATIONALS: Scarborough YC, 26-30 July FURTHER INFO: Major fleets in east Scotland: Forth at RFYC and PEYC; east coast of England: Scarborough, Hartlepool and Burnham-on-Crouch; south coast at Helston. The class is planning a big push this year as the affordable keelboat.

RACING CLASSES

Dragon

Graceful three or four-person longkeeler built of GRP or wood DESIGNER: Johan Anker in 1929 LOA: 8.7m BEAM: 1.95m DRAUGHT: 1.2m WEIGHT: 1,700kg CREW WEIGHT: 285kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 16 JIB: 11.7 SPINNAKER: 23.6 PN NUMBER: 1030 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £10,000; GOOD £50,000 PRICE NEW: £70,000 CURRENT BUILDER: Petticrows CLASS WEBSITE: britishdragons.org NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 20 CLASS SPONSORS: Aberdeen Asset Management 2016 NATIONALS: Abersoch, 2-9 July 2016 EUROPEANS: St Petersburg, Russia, 15-22 July 2016 GOLD CUP: Lake Thun, Switzerland, 14-19 Aug NEXT WORLDS: Cascais, Portugal, Jun 2017 FURTHER INFORMATION: The class recognises separate entries for all-Corinthian teams racing alongside professional sailors, classic yachts (pre-1973) and vintage yachts (over 25 years old) and there will be a Corinthian-only regatta at Cowes in July. Crewing opportunities always available with active fleets in Aldeburgh, Burnham, Medway, Cowes and Abersoch.

PHOTOS: DRAGON, ETCHELLS, FARR 280, FLYING FIFTEEN RICK TOMLINSON; FARR 30 MARK LLOYD; HANSE 303 ANDREA FRANCOLINI

Etchells

Strict one-design GRP fin-keeler for three or four crew DESIGNER: Skip Etchells in 1966 LOA: 9.3m BEAM: 2.1m DRAUGHT: 1.37m WEIGHT: 1,405kg CREW WEIGHT: 285kg max SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 20 JIB: 8.5 SPINNAKER: 48 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £5,000; GOOD £12-25,000 PRICE NEW: £68,000 fully kitted out excl. sails UK BUILDER: David Heritage Racing Yachts CLASS WEBSITE: etchellsukfleet.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 18 CLASS SPONSORS: Zhik, Spinlock NEXT WORLDS: Cowes, 2016 FURTHER INFORMATION: 2016 is the 50th anniversary of the Etchells class and all three boatbuilders throughout the world continue to build new boats. We are expecting at least 45 boats for the worlds in Cowes in 2016. Anybody buying a boat in 2016 will be eligible to compete. This year electric bilge pumps have been introduced along with an infinite control mast ram system. The Cowes Etchells fleet supports a very active youth programme with loaner boats available, along with fully funded boats for youth teams.

Fareast 28R

NEW IN

2015

ISAF-approved one-design GRP foam sandwich lift-keeler for up to five crew DESIGNER: Simonis-Voogd LOA: 8.55M BEAM: 2.75M DRAUGHT: 1.75M WEIGHT: 1,300kg CREW WEIGHT: 425kg (max) SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 27.8 JIB: 20.2 ASYMMETRIC: 80 PRICE NEW: £36,453 ex VAT, race-ready BUILDER: Fareast Boats, Shanghai CLASS WEBSITE: fareastyachts.co.uk FURTHER INFORMATION: “An astonishing amount of boat for the money” (Y&Y Aug 2015). The current IRC rating is 1.055 and with the new spinnaker from OneSails, that should come down even further.

Farr 280

New grand prix 28ft one-design for six crew. Fin-keeler build of infused GRP-foam sandwich DESIGNER: Farr Yacht Design in 2014 LOA: 8.72M BEAM: 2.87M DRAUGHT: 2.10M WEIGHT: 1600KG CREW WEIGHT: No max SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 32.2 JIB: 20.4 SPINNAKER: 107 PN /IRC NUMBER: TBA PRICE NEW: £80,000 plus VAT CURRENT BUILDER: Premier Composite Technologies CLASS WEBSITE: farr280.com NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 4 2016 NATIONALS: Cowes Week, 6–13 August 2016 EUROPEANS: September 2016, location TBA NEXT WORLDS: 2017 FURTHER INFORMATION: The Farr 280 has established itself in the UK and other markets in its inaugural year, with on target sales achieved. A significant reduction in IRC rating will make the boat competitive at club level and will accelerate sales for 2016. The winter calendar includes London and Dusseldorf Boat Shows and Key West Race Week.

Farr 30

Seven or eight-person rocketship with strong international calendar

DESIGNER: FARR YACHT DESIGN IN 1996 LOA: 9.43M BEAM: 3.08M WEIGHT: 2,000kg CREW WEIGHT: 525kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN & JIB: 55.68 SPINNAKER: 89 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC €30,000 (c£21,000); GOOD €50,000 (£35,000) CLASS WEBSITE: farr30.org

Flying Fifteen

Two-person fin-keeler built of GRP and carbon composites DESIGNER: Uffa Fox in 1947 LOA: 6.1m BEAM: 1.52m DRAUGHT: 0.76m WEIGHT: 138kg CREW WEIGHT: 140–190kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 11.95 JIB: 4.78 SPINNAKER: 14.2 PN NUMBER: 1013 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £3,000; GOOD £8,000 PRICE NEW: £20,000 CURRENT BUILDER: Ovington, Composite Craft CLASS WEBSITE: flying15.org.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 36 CLASS SPONSORS: UK Global Insurance 2016 NATIONALS: Hayling Island SC, 2–6 July 2016 EUROPEANS VENUE: KZ & RV Hollandia, Medemblink, 29 August-2 September

Next worlds: Napier, New Zealand early 2017 Further information: The world’s most popular racing keelboat, with fleets at 48 UK clubs. Sail numbers passed the 4000 mark in 2013. The Flying Fifteen class continues to attract a wide range of sailors carrying weight well but still popular with husband/wife partnerships.

Hansa 2.3

Single or double seat, una-rig keelboat with full roller reefing and a ballasted centreboard DESIGNER: Hansa Sailing Systems LOA: 2.3m BEAM: 1.75m DRAUGHT: 0.9m WEIGHT: 72kg CREW WEIGHT: 120kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 3.8 JIB: none SPINNAKER: none PN NUMBER: 1925 PRICE NEW: £4,150 + VAT (Zero rate VAT can be applied to boats for eligible charities or individual people registered disabled) CURRENT BUILDER: Hansa Sailing Systems – UK Agent is SS Marine CLASS WEBSITE: hansaclass.org.uk 2016 NATIONALS VENUE: Carsington SC, 9-11 September NEXT EUROPEANS: 2017 (date and venue to be advised) NEXT WORLDS: 2-9 June 2016, Medemblik, Netherlands (2016hansaworlds.com) FURTHER INFORMATION: There are 1000 Hansa 2.3s sailing in 20 countries and it’s an International Sailing

SPORTSBOATS

Federation (ISAF) class with a full international and UK racing programme. With simple rig and steering, the security of a ballasted centreboard and roller reefing, it’s an ideal entry-level craft for club participation and racing programmes that include sailors from a broad range of ages and abilities. Used by many Sailability groups and can be fully servo-controlled.

Hansa 303

One or two person, two sail keelboat with full roller reefing and a ballasted centreboard DESIGNER: Hansa Sailing Systems LOA: 3.03m BEAM: 1.35m DRAUGHT: 1.1m Weight: 92kg CREW WEIGHT: 160kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 4.4 JIB: 1.4 PN NUMBER: 1630 (singlehanded); 1660 (doublehanded) PRICE NEW: £5,950 + VAT (Zero rate VAT can be applied to boats for eligible charities or individual people registered disabled) CURRENT BUILDER: Hansa Sailing Systems – SS Marine CLASS WEBSITE: hansaclass.org.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 16 2016 NATIONALS: Carsington SC, 9-11 September 2016 NEXT EUROPEANS: 2017 (date and venue to be advised) NEXT WORLDS: Medemblik, Netherlands, 2-9 June (2016hansaworlds.com) FURTHER INFORMATION: There are over 900 Access 303s sailing in 23 countries, it’s an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) class with a full international and UK racing programme. It can be sailed single-handed or by two adults. The security of ballasted centreboard and roller reefing makes it an ideal mid-performance craft for club participation and racing programmes that include sailors from a broad range of ages and abilities. Used by many Sailability groups and can have servo controlled mainsail and steering.

Hansa Liberty

Fast, high pointing, two-sail singlehander with full roller reefing, twin rudders and a ballasted centreboard DESIGNER: Hansa Sailing Systems LOA: 3.6m BEAM: 1.65m DRAUGHT: 1.1m WEIGHT: 144kg incl 72kg the keel CREW WEIGHT: 150kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 5.6 JIB: 1.75 PN NUMBER: 1550 PRICE NEW: £8,000 + VAT (zero rate VAT can

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RACING CLASSES

be applied to boats for eligible charities or individual people registered disabled) CURRENT BUILDER: Hansa Sailing Systems - UK Agent is SS Marine Class CLASS WEBSITE: hansaclass.org.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 10 2016 NATIONALS: Carsington SC, 9-11 September NEXT EUROPEANS: 2017 (date and venue to be advised) NEXT WORLDS: Medemblik, Netherlands, 2-9 June (2016hansaworlds.com) FURTHER INFORMATION: There are over 130 Liberties sailing in 16 countries. It’s an International Sailing Federation (ISAF) class with a full international and UK racing programme.

Twin rudders ensure directional stability. The 72kg ballasted centreboard and roller reefing makes it an ideal performance craft for club participation and racing programs that include sailors from a broad range of ages and abilities. Used by many Sailability groups and can be fully servo-controlled.

(Hunter) Formula One

Three or four-person one-design lift-keeler made of GRP Kevlar composite DESIGNER: Stephen Jones LOA: 6.70m BEAM: 2.43m DRAUGHT: 1.44m WEIGHT: 940kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 13.93 JIB: 12.4 SPINNAKER: 30.6 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £4,000; GOOD £5,000 CLASS WEBSITE: hunterformulaone.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 12 2016 NATIONALS: Rutland SC, 17-19 June FURTHER INFORMATION: The largest fleet of Hunter Formula Ones is at Rutland, with other active fleets at Windermere, Falmouth and in the Solent.

PN NUMBER: 1065 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £5,000; GOOD £6,500 PRICE NEW: £7,590 CURRENT BUILDER: VanderCraft and KX Sailing CLASS WEBSITE: k1sailing.com NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 16

J/24

One-design balsa-core GRP finkeeler for four to six crew DESIGNER: Rod Johnstone in 1977 LOA: 7.32m BEAM: 2.64m DRAUGHT: 1.22m WEIGHT: 1,270kg CREW WEIGHT: 400kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 12.68 JIB:12 GENOA: 18.4 SPINNAKER: 18.9 PN NUMBER: 935 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £3,000; GOOD £8,000–£12,000 PRICE NEW: £30,000 CURRENT BUILDERS: J Boats (ITA), US Waterline (USA), J Boats Argentina (ARG) CLASS WEBSITE: j24class.org.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 19 CLASS SPONSORS: Pantaenius Yacht Insurance, FS Composite Design, Sandbanks Yacht Co and Marine Tax Cafe 2016 NATIONALS: Parkstone YC, Poole, 28–30 May 2016 EUROPEANS:Plymouth RWYC, 13–19 August NEXT WORLDS: Japan, 19-23 September, 2016 FURTHER INFORMATION: The UK fleet is active all along the south coast and is home to the reigning world champions and European champions.

J/70

PHOTOS: J/70, J/80, J/88 RICK TOMLINSON; J/24 TOM GRUITT; K6 BOARDER PHOTOS

Illusion

Singlehanded 12ft GRP version of longkeel 12 Metre yacht Lionheart DESIGNER: Jo Richards and Neil Graham LOA: 3.65m BEAM: 0.83m DRAUGHT: 0.69m WEIGHT: 240kg CREW WEIGHT: 100kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 3.53 JIB: 2.41 SPINNAKER: 4.18 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £ 1,500; GOOD £3,500 PRICE NEW: £5,800 CURRENT BUILDER: A M Structures CLASS WEBSITE: bembridgesc.org 2016 NATIONALS: Bembridge SC, 27–28 February FURTHER INFORMATION: With 350lb (158kg) of lead in the keel, Illusions have raced in Bembridge Harbour in winds in excess of 50 knots in the past as well as in blinding blizzards.

SPORTSBOATS

GRP fin-keeler with a lead bulb crewed by up to five; the J/70 is the fastest-selling sportsboat ever DESIGNER: Rod Johnstone LOA: 7m BEAM: 2.25m DRAUGHT: 1.5m WEIGHT: 794kg CREW WEIGHT: no weight limit SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 14.5 JIB: 9.8 SPINNAKER: 45 IRC NUMBER: 0.971 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £25,500; GOOD £34,000 PRICE NEW: £40,000 including trailer, sails, engine and VAT CURRENT BUILDER: J Composites CLASS WEBSITE: j-70.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 30 2016 NATIONALS: Royal Western YC, Plymouth, 2-4 September 2016 EUROPEANS: Kiel, Germany, 21–26 June NEXT WORLDS: San Francisco, 24 September–1 October FURTHER INFORMATION: The J/70 is ISAF recognised, with almost 1,000 hulls built since 2012. With over 60 boats now sailing UK waters, the 2016 programME will include a new Grand Slam Championship.

J/80

ISAF asymmetric sportsboat crewed by four or five, raced as a one-design globally DESIGNER: Rod Johnstone in 1993 LOA: 8m BEAM: 2.81m DRAUGHT: 1.65m WEIGHT: 1,495kg CREW WEIGHT: 338kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 17.41 JIB: 13.6 SPINAKER: 65 PN NUMBER: 876 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £20,000; GOOD £30,000 PRICE NEW: £40,000 CURRENT BUILDER: J Boats CLASS WEBSITE: j-80.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 15 CLASS SPONSORS: Raymarine, Race Yacht Services 2016 NATIONALS: TBC 2016 EUROPEANS: Spain (date TBC)

J/88

29ft mid-size family keelboat (five or six crew) with stability, style and sailing comfort DESIGNER: Al Johnstone LOA: 8.9m BEAM: 2.9m DRAUGHT: 1.98m WEIGHT: 2,200kg CREW WEIGHT: N/A SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 24.63 JIB: 19.75 SPINNAKER: 95 IRC NUMBER: 1.036 PRICE NEW: £115,000 inc VAT, electronics, sails CURRENT BUILDER: J Composites NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 8 2016 NATIONALS: J-Cup, Royal Southern YC, Hamble, 8-11 June FURTHER INFORMATION: Light enough to plane, and transport on a road trailer, the J/88 was the winner of the sportsboat class at Cowes Week 2015.

Two-person lifting-keel dinghy DESIGNER: Paul Handley in 2013 LOA: 4.7m BEAM: 1.6m DRAUGHT: 1.15m WEIGHT: 155kg CREW WEIGHT: 70-200kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 9 JIB: 3 PN NUMBER: 1050; 1030 with asymmetric spinnaker PRICE NEW: £7,790 with main and jib CURRENT BUILDER: VanderCraft and KX Sailing CLASS WEBSITE: k2sailing.net

Two or three-person keelboat with asymmetric spinnaker DESIGNER: Paul Handley LOA: 5.8m BEAM: 1.97m WEIGHT: 260kg CREW WEIGHT: 160-190kg SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 13.2 JIB: 6.5 SPINNAKER: 29 PN NUMBER: 903 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £7,000; GOOD £10,000 PRICE NEW: £17,000 complete with sails and trailer CURRENT BUILDER: Rondar Raceboats CLASS WEBSITE: k6class.org

NEW IN

K8 Sports K1

Singlehander with a lifting bulb keel DESIGNER: Paul Handley in 2009 LOA: 4.7m BEAM: 1.3m DRAUGHT: 1.15m WEIGHT: 125kg CREW WEIGHT: 60-110kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 7.8 JIB: 3

2015

Three or four-person lift-keeler with semi-rigid wing sail DESIGNER: Nicolas Goldenberg for G Yacht Design, 2015 LOA: 7.99m BEAM: 2.55m DRAUGHT: 2.1m WEIGHT: 900kg CREW WEIGHT: 340kg SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 29 JIB: 12 SPINNAKER: 78 IRC NUMBER: 1.119 (provisional) PRICE NEW: €95,000 (c£67,500) ex VAT

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SPORTSBOATS

DESIGNER: Assorted from 1969 onwards LOA: 7.3-8.5m CREW WEIGHT: 420 kg IRC NUMBER: 0.900 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £5,000; GOOD £25,000 PLUS PRICE NEW: N/A CLASS WEBSITE: quartertonclass.org NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 24 CLASS SPONSORS: Coutts 2016 NATIONALS: Cowes, 15-17 June FURTHER INFORMATION: 2016 will mark the 12th year of the Quarter Ton resurgence – the class is as popular as ever with a class growing in Holland as well.

Melges 24

Four or five-person one-design liftkeeler with asymmetric spinnaker DESIGNER: Reighel-Pugh in 1993 LOA: 7.32m BEAM: 2.50m DRAUGHT: 1.52m WEIGHT: 794kg SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 21 JIB: 12 SPINNAKER: 55.9 IRC NUMBER: 1.024 (one-design) PRICE SECONDHAND: GOOD £22,000+ PRICE NEW: POA CLASS WEBSITE: melges24.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 10 2016 NATIONALS: Haven Ports YC, dates tbc 2016 EUROPEANS: Hyeres, France, 2-9 September 2016 WORLDS: Miami YC, Key West, Florida, 26 November-3 December FURTHER INFORMATION: Over the past 12 months the UK Melges 24 class has gone from strength to strength. The 2015 Nationals attracted teams from across the UK and Holland and around 15 teams are expected for the 2016 event. With a Melges 24 Super Series running on the east coast, Europeans in Hyères and Worlds in Miami, there couldn’t be a better time to join.

RS Elite

Modern one-design three-person performance racing keelboat DESIGNER: Phil Morrison in 2003 LOA: 7.4m BEAM: 1.72m DRAUGHT: 1.1m WEIGHT: 925kg CREW WEIGHT: N/A SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 15.8 JIB: 7.3 SPINNAKER: 25 PN NUMBER: 1020 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £10,000; GOOD £19,000 PRICE NEW: £27,500 CURRENT BUILDER: RS Sailing CLASS WEBSITE: rselite.org NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 28 2016 NATIONALS: Strangford Lough YC, Northern Ireland, 21-24 July FURTHER INFORMATION: RS Elite has just had its 10th anniversary as a class, and boat number 100 is about to be launched this winter.

Quarter Tonner

Five or six-person keelboat/IRC class with examples in wood and GRP. Various dimentions and rig sizes

High-performance three or four-person asymmetric sportsboat with lifting bulbed keel DESIGNED BY: Tony Castro in 2002 LOA: 6.2m DRAUGHT: 1.5m WEIGHT: 685kg CREW WEIGHT: 270kg max SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 18 JIB: 9.3 SPINNAKER: 46 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £7,000; GOOD £10,000 PRICE NEW: £21,995 ex VAT CURRENT BUILDER: Sportsboat World CLASS WEBSITE: sb20class.com NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 25 CLASS SPONSORS: Stormforce Coaching, Spinlock, Sportsboat World 2016 NATIONALS: Torquay, 30 September-3 October NEXT WORLDS: 2016 Cascais Portugal FURTHER INFORMATION: It’s been a strong year for the SB20 class in Europe with a 92-boat Worlds. We are also building towards a UK Worlds in 2017. Used boats are becoming rare, with prices as little as £6K for a secondhand 21ft keelboat. a

Sandhopper

Shoal draught two-person keelboat DESIGNER: Oliver Lee in 1970 LOA: 5.79m BEAM: 1.87m WEIGHT: 700kg CREW WEIGHT: 150-180kg SAIL AREA (SQ m) MAIN: 8.64 JIB: 7.14 SPINNAKER: 15.5 PN NUMBER: 1193 PRICE GUIDE: BASIC £3,500; GOOD £6,500 PRICE NEW: £21,500 CURRENT BUILDER: Rondar Race Boats CLASS WEBSITE: sandhopper.org.uk

SK2

Two or three-person glass and epoxy sandwich sportsboat with fully retractable canting keel DESIGNER: Ignacio Oliva-Velez LOA: 7.6m BEAM: 1.7m DRAUGHT: 1.27m WEIGHT: 230kg CREW WEIGHT: 290kg SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 12.35 JIB: 6 SPINNAKER: 27.06 PN/IRC NUMBER: PN 929/IRC 1.034 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £19,000 incl VAT ex sails, covers, trailer/trolley; GOOD £10,000-£12,000 PRICE NEW: £24,290 including VAT, sails, top cover, trolley and trailer CURRENT BUILDER: Synergy Marine CLASS WEBSITE: sk2sailing.com 2016 Europeans: Lake Konstanz (date TBC) FURTHER INFORMATION: The SK2 is steadily building up a fleet with boats in UK, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway, Brazil and Portugal.

SKUD 18

Seascape 18

Mini Tonner

Three or four-person fin or lifting keel yacht. Smallest of the old level-rating IOR classes. Dimensions and sail areas vary DESIGNER: Various one-offs and production boats LOA: 6.4-7.2m PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £2,000; GOOD £5,000 CLASS WEBSITE: minitonner.com

SB20

One-design three-person sportsboat with a GRP hull, carbon mast and boom and 125kg cast-iron centreboard DESIGNER: Sam Manuard in 2009 LOA: 5.5m BEAM: 2.4m WEIGHT: 470kg CREW WEIGHT: 100-270kg (class max) SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 14.5 JIB: 8.5 SPINNAKER: 32 PN NUMBER: 1025 PRICE NEW: £18,500 CURRENT BUILDER: ISSA d.o.o CLASS WEBSITE: seascape18.co.uk 2016 NATIONALS: Plymouth Regatta Week, 15-17 July 2016 EUROPEANS (AND FRENCH NATIONALS): Grand Prix Ecole Navale 2016, Morgat, France in May FURTHER INFORMATION: The Seascape 18 is the fastest growing one-design sportsboat class in Europe with a huge number of class events available throughout all of mainland Europe. 65 new boats in Europe and five in the UK.

Two-person ‘Skiff of Universal Design’ (SKUD) can be sailed by people with all levels of physical ability DESIGNER: Bethwaite/Hansa (previously Access) Sailing in 2004 LOA: 6m BEAM: 2m WEIGHT: 380kg SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 10.5 JIB: 5 SPINNAKER: 19.2 PRICE NEW: £20,000 CURRENT BUILDER: Hansa Sailing Systems - UK Agent is SS Marine CLASS WEBSITE: skud.org

Solent Sunbeam

Classic two or three person day-racing keelboat with spinnaker. New boats in wood-epoxy and GRP DESIGNER: Alfred Westmacott in 1922 LOA: 8.1m BEAM: 1.8m

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

PHOTOS: QUARTER TONNER, SK2, SOLETN SUINBEAM RICK TOMLINSON; SKUD 18 ONEDITION

CURRENT BUILDER: Advanced Wing Systems CLASS WEBSITE: k8sports.com FURTHER INFORMATION: The K8 features the world’s first production wing sail – the Semi Rigid Wing (SRW) but has been designed with ease of sailing in mind to attract a wide range of sailors. The modern hull design is easily driven to planing speeds, upwind and off the breeze. It is optimised to take full advantage of the wing sail and this delivers a fast, yet highly stable, raceboat.

RACING CLASSES

SPORTSBOATS

DRAUGHT: 1.2m WEIGHT: 1,850kg SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 19.5 JIB: 8.0 SPINNAKER: 14.5 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £18,000; GOOD £20,000 PRICE NEW: £58,500 CURRENT BUILDER: GRP - Advanced Marine Structures, Sandown IOW CLASS WEBSITE: solentsunbeam.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 18 2016 NATIONALS: Cowes Classic Week, 11–15 July FURTHER INFORMATION: 95th anniversary in 2018

Soling

Three-person GRP fin-keeler. Former Olympic class one-design DESIGNER: Jan Linge in 1966 LOA: 8.15m BEAM: 1.91m DRAUGHT: 1.30m WEIGHT: 1033kg SAIL AREA (SQ M) MAIN: 15.6 JIB: 8.1 SPINNAKER: 45 IRC NUMBER: 0.930 SECONDHAND PRICE: BASIC £1,000; GOOD £5,000 PRICE NEW: £33,000 +VAT CURRENT BUILDER: Borresen, Petticrow CLASS WEBSITE: britishsolings.org.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 8 2016 NATIONALS: Rutland SC, 17-19 June 2016 EUROPEANS: Traunsee, Austria, 2-6 May NEXT WORLDS: Kingston, Canada, 10-17 September FURTHER INFORMATION: A strong boat designed for any wind and sea conditions that is fun to sail. Boats built in the early days still sail beautifully and some are still in competition (more than 30 years after being built).

PHOTOS: SONAR, SONATA, SQUIB, VICTORY, VIPER 640, VX1, XOD RICK TOMLINSON; SWALLOW MARY PUDNEY

Sonar

23ft four-person day-racer. ISAF approved status and current paralympic class DESIGNER: Bruce Kirby in 1980 LOA: 7m BEAM: 2.4m DRAUGHT: 1.4m WEIGHT: 950kg CREW WEIGHT: 350-400kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): Main: 14.1 JIB: 9 SPINNAKER: 22.8 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £8,000; GOOD £17,000 PRICE NEW: £24,000 CURRENT BUILDER: Rondar Raceboats Ltd CLASS WEBSITE: uksonar.info NEXT WORLDS: 2018 FURTHER INFORMATION: World Championships raced in Falmouth, Massachusetts 2015.

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Sonata

One-design fin or lifting keel racer-cruiser DESIGNER: David Thomas in 1976 LOA: 7m BEAM: 2.6m WEIGHT: 1,115kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 13.38 GENOA: 13.75 JIB: 9.16 SPINNAKER: 28.13 IRC NUMBER: 0.823 (one-design) SECONDHAND PRICE: BASIC £3,500; GOOD £6,500 CLASS WEBSITE: sonata.org.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 25 2016 NATIONALS: Poole YC, 21-24 July FURTHER INFORMATION: 2016 is the 40th anniversary of the Sonata class.

SECONDHAND PRICE: BASIC £5,000; GOOD £18,000 PRICE NEW: £35,000 CURRENT BUILDER: Composite Craft (Cowes) CLASS WEBSITE: itchenorsc.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 20 2016 NATIONALS: Bembridge SC, 8-10 July FURTHER INFORMATION: The class racing programme includes over 100 races every season at Itchenor and Aldeburgh with more than 30 active boats, trophy weekends and a ‘Points Week’ of racing in the summer, plus weekend and evening racing (some two-handed).

VX1

Victory

Squib

Two-person GRP fin-keeler DESIGNER: Oliver Lee in 1968 LOA: 5.8m BEAM: 1.9m DRAUGHT: 0.9m WEIGHT: 680kg CREW WEIGHT: various SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 9.2 JIB: 5.8 SPINNAKER: 13.5 PN NUMBER: 1142 SECONDHAND PRICE: BASIC £2,500; GOOD £7,000 NEW: £20,000 CLASS WEBSITE: squibs.co.uk NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 48 CLASS SPONSORS: Hyde Sails 2016 NATIONALS: Weymouth, 25 June-2 July 2016 EUROPEANS: Lac Cazaux, nr Bordeaux, France, 8-11 September FURTHER INFORMATION: The new Rondar-built boat is to make its debut at the Dinghy Show in March 2016.

Three-person long-keelers now being built in FRP DESIGNER: Alfred Westmacott in 1904 LOA: 6.32m BEAM: 1.78m DRAUGHT: 0.76m WEIGHT: 1,290kg CREW WEIGHT: Open SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN AND JIB: 18.12 SPINNAKER: 17.4 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £1,000; GOOD £10,000 PRICE NEW: £30,000 CURRENT BUILDER: David Heritage Racing Yachts CLASS WEBSITE: victoryclass.org.uk CLASS SPONSORS: Look Marine Insurance Services, KB Dry Stack, Portsmouth Sailing Club, Royal Naval Club & Royal Albert Yacht Club, Gleeds, Vail Williams FURTHER INFORMATION: The introduction of GRP boats has released several older wooden boats for new owners to join the class. Every two years the Portsmouth and Gibraltar fleets race for the ‘ashes’ of the boat that was used to create the new GRP mould and in 2016 this takes place in Gibraltar.

Day racing three-person planing keelboat DESIGNER: Tom Thornycroft in 1946 LOA: 7.7m BEAM: 1.7m DRAUGHT: 1.0m WEIGHT: 1,022kg

Two or three-person epoxy sportsboat with a full carbon rig and lifting keel DESIGNER: Brian Bennett LOA: 5.8m Beam: 2.2m DRAUGHT: 1.3m WEIGHT: 260kg sailing weight CREW WEIGHT: 180 – 220kg recommended SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN & JIB: 19.97 SPINNAKER: 26 PN/IRC NUMBER: 840-860 /1.008 PRICE SECONDHAND: GOOD £18,000 PRICE NEW: £24,450 inc combi trailer, covers +VAT CURRENT BUILDER: Ovington Boats CLASS WEBSITE: vxone.org NUMBER OF BOATS AT 2015 NATIONALS: 8 2016 NATIONALS VENUE: Royal Forth YC, (date TBC) FURTHER INFORMATION: Highlight of 2015 was an epic Scottish Series, which the class is looking to attend en-masse in 2016. Plans are underway for a 2017 International Championship at Lake Garda.

X One Design

Viper 640

Swallow

CLASS SPONSORS: EFG BANK 2016 NATIONALS: TBC FURTHER INFORMATION: Fifty-three boats attended the 2015 North American Championship held at Larchmont YC, New York. The 2016 NA’s to be held at the America’s Cup base in Bermuda, with a 2017 European event in Riva Del Garda.

High performance three-person asymmetric keelboat DESIGNER: Brian Bennett LOA: 6.4m BEAM: 2.5m DRAUGHT: 1.4m WEIGHT: 350kg CREW WEIGHT: 225-300kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 15.5 JIB: 7.5 SPINNAKER: 40 PN NUMBER: 894 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £12,000; GOOD £18,000 PRICE NEW: £24,000 complete with sails and trailer and VAT CURRENT BUILDER: Rondar Raceboats CLASS WEBSITE: viper640.org

Three-person classic wooden long-keeler DESIGNER: Alfred Westmacott in 1908 LOA: 6.31m BEAM: 1.8m DRAUGHT: 0.9m WEIGHT: 1,304kg SAIL AREA (SQ M): MAIN: 12.1 JIB: 5.0 SPINNAKER: 10.2 PRICE SECONDHAND: BASIC £4,000; GOOD £14,000 NEW: Not known CURRENT BUILDER: Whittle Marine CLASS WEBSITE: xonedesign.org.uk

CLUBS & CLASSES Don’t forget, submit your event reports throughout the year to club@yachtsand yachting.co.uk

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

The National

Swallow Class At Itchenor Sailing Club

UK J24 CLASS ORIGINAL ONE DESIGN SPORTS BOAT

You’ll struggle to ﬁnd a friendlier and more competitive ﬂeet with great opportunities for international racing UK EVENTS ACROSS THE SOUTH COAST EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Swallow is... • A 26 foot, one-design, three person, classic racing keelboat

13 August 19 August 2016 PLEASE SEE WEBSITE FOR FURTHER EVENTS

• Lightweight, with a large spinnaker offering exciting performance

Get your team ready for the Europeans in Plymouth

• Has been described as the ‘Dinghy sailors keelboat’

UK J/24 Class Association

The Fleet offers...

NATIONAL SONATA ASSOCIATION

• Active racing with class starts at Cowes weeks • An annual National Championship • Wonderful Keelboat sailing in a friendly Class At Itchenor Sailing Club we offer... • Class racing in Chichester Harbour with 25+ active boats • 100 club races each year, not tidal dependent • Trophy weekends and a ‘Points Week’ of racing in the summer • Weekend and evening racing, some two handed

PHOTO: Mike Millard

Affordable, competitive one design racing. Want to know more? Visit sonata.org.uk or email chairman@sonata.org.uk

• A sponsored Swallow available for racing sailors to try

Contact: isc.swallow.capt@gmail.com to come and join this exciting fleet

CLUBS & CLASSES

Submit your event reports to club@YachtsandYachting.co.uk

CLUBS & CLASSES Too much or too little wind towards the end of the season saw limited racing at a number of events, while Britain’s first named storm, Storm Abigail, led to the postponement of the Ovington Inlands. PAULA IRISH reports

CHUNKY PICS

Ospreys at Rutland

Survival at the National 12 Inlands Despite a forecast of 40-mile-per-hour winds, a healthy National 12 fleet turned up at Northampton SC for the conclusion of the Gul series and Inland Championship. Steve and Joanne Sallis led race one but in the gusty conditions, survival counted as much as speed; after two laps they succumbed to an almighty puff, while the

rock-steady sibling pair of Jon Ibbotson and Charlotte Stewart took the win. The wind dropped to 15 knots for race two and this time the Sallis team made no mistakes. However for race three the breeze was back up to ferocious. Team Sallis fell in and went in, joined by most of the fleet, while Ibbotson/Stewart took their second win.

Contender Inlands

In more benign day two conditions, Sallis won race four and needed to also win the last race for the title. Ibbotson/ Stewart decided to match race; Sallis escaped but was then sailed out to the right and out of contention. Ibbotson/ Stewart took the title with Jeremy and Luke Hartley second overall and Steve and Joanne Sallis third.

Twenty Contenders made their way to Rutland for their Inlands and final open of the season, and in the fluky conditions the overall winner with a 3,2 was Highcliffe’s Gary Langdown, just a point ahead of Weston’s Robert Angus, with Tony Brooks, of Oxford SC, in third.

Solo End of Seasons

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

OK season finale

also claimed the North Sails Super Series title. Dave Mitchell took the veteran title, with Brian Holland winning grand master. MIDLANDS SOLOS Stuart Hydon won the Rooster Midland Series in an impressive display of small lake sailing; the first grand master was Keith Lancaster and the team prize went to Draycote Water.

WILL LOY

Sixty solo sailors contested the Harken End of Season Championship at Oxford SC, with 8-12mph westerlies and rain. Blithfield’s Andy Davis took the first two bullets from three races sailed, collecting the title to add to his other major wins of the season. Mike Sims was second and Steve Cockerill third overall. With 10 ‘major’ events down – and more than 270 sailors competing – Andy Davis (pictured)

Seventeen Ospreys made it to their end of season jaunt at Rutland, which was held over the Hallowe’en weekend in ghoulish conditions. Despite anticipating enough wind to blow the cobwebs off, the fleet ghosted along. Terry Curtis and Pete Greig, having already won the Wilkinson Sword Series, continued their form like men possessed at the front of the fleet, with the Hartleys and Martin Cooney/ Peter Frith for company, in second and third respectively overnight. With no racing possible on day two, as the sun came up the teams vaporised for another year to await the new moon of the Mk 5 Osprey.

Nick Craig won the OK dinghy End of Season Championship over a breezy weekend at Northampton SC, having worked hard to count a consistent set of firsts, with Richard Burton second ahead of Dave Bourne. Burton also won the Travellers Trophy and the inaugural Grand Tour gold fleet.

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

CLUBS & CLASSES

Streaker 40th Anniversary Travellers

SBG FILMS

The Northern and Southern Streaker Travellers series were keenly contested as the class celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2015. Ian Bradley had a terrific start to the Pinnell & Bax sponsored Southern Paddle series and by midsummer had a comfortable lead, until Veronica Falat closed the gap later in the season. After 12 open meetings, in which a total of 42 Streakers took part, Ian was the series winner by one point with Veronica second and Mark Langston third. Ian was also busy on the Northern Paddle Circuit (pictured below), sponsored by Sail Register. He was the early leader but Steve Blackburn gradually got into his stride and the whole series depended on the final open at West Riding. Steve came to it with a narrow points lead but Ian was still set to beat him if he won all three races; as it turned out, Ian won the first race but Steve won the third and with it the series. Ian was second overall and Ian Priest third. Eighty-one boats figured in that final end of season results table.

BEN FALAT

RS Aero UK Series round-up

Bumper turnout at RS400 Inlands With a rather spicy forecast on the cards, 42 boats arrived for the last event of the Magic Marine RS400 championship tour at Queen Mary SC. The Inland and Last Shout Championships saw racing plans abandoned on day one, while day two provided a meaty and very shifty Force 3-5. On a tight racetrack with some vicious gusts, racing was fast and furious, with many spontaneous slot gasket inspections and some impressive leeward mark handbrake turns. Locals Howard Farbrother

and Dan Martin counted three bullets from the four races to take the title, with Jon Gorringe and Nicki Bass second overall on countback from Paul and Mark Oakey on seven points, just one ahead of Josh Metcalfe and Jack Holden. The Magic Marine Championships Tour prizes were also presented. In third place were Ding and Bex Brown, with Jon Heissig and Nicky Griffin second. In a birthday bonus, first place and winner of a brand-new jib courtesy of RS Racing was taken by Howard and Dan.

Sprint 15 Catparts series National champion Paul Grattage from Shanklin had wrapped up the Sprint 15 Catparts Summer TT series before the final event at Grafham, leaving the rest of the fleet to scrap for the minor places. Local man Stuart Snell, on winning the inland title, was able to overtake Thorpe Bay’s Chris Tillyer to clinch second place overall in the TT series.

A whopping 123 sailors competed over the four-round Magic Marine RS Aero UK 2015 Series, including 13 ladies, 15 youths (under 19) and 24 masters (55 and over). Matthew Caigar (Sevenoaks) retained his lead in the RS Aero 5s by decisively winning at the final event, the Inlands at Bowmoor, pipping Cathy Bartram (Chew Valley) on a tie break for the series, with Archie Hainsworth (Alton Water) third. In the RS Aero 7s Peter Barton (Lymington Town) had done enough early on to seal the top spot. Peter Townend (Chelmarsh) was second ahead of Paul Robson (Reading).

In the RS Aero 9s, it was a close series finish with Richard Watsham (Starcross) winning from David Rickard (Gurnard), with Matt Thursfield (Chelmarsh) third. RS AEROCUP IN SPAIN Thirty-seven sailors from nine countries took part in the first-ever RS Aerocup over four days in Barcelona, Spain (pictured). Success for the Brits came in the RS Aero 9 fleet. Dave Lynall took the win, with class manager Peter Barton in silver. Nigel Rolfe, the senior member of father and son duo ‘Team Rolfe’, was pleased to take bronze, but even more pleased to beat his son!

RORC season’s points winners The 2015 RORC Season’s Points Championship had 13 races and 579 yachts competing over 3,000 miles of racing in European and Caribbean locations. The overall winner was Géry Trentesaux, campaigning his latest Courrier, a brand-new JPK 1080, Courrier Du Leon; best yacht in IRC Overall and winner of IRC Three, his astounding year culminated in winning the Rolex Fastnet Race. The IRC Canting Keel category was won by Mikey Ferguson’s Open 60, Artemis Ocean Racing, while Piet Vroon’s Ker 51, Tonnerre 4 won IRC Zero. In IRC One, past RORC commodore Mike Greville’s Ker 39, Erivale III, narrowly beat vicecommodore Steven Anderson’s Corby 40, Cracklin Rosie. Vincent Willemart and Eric Van Campenhout’s MC34, Azawakh, won IRC Two, ahead of a trio within a point of one another: Patrick Ponchelet in Exception; Peter Newlands in Anticipation; and RORC admiral

Andrew McIrvine in La Réponse. IRC Three was dominated by the new JPK designs and the French, with Courrier Du Leon followed by Arnaud Delamere and Eric Mordret’s Dream Pearls, Pascal Loison’s Night and Day, and Louis-Marie Dussere’s Raging Bee. In IRC Four, victory went to Noel Racine’s JPK 10.10, Foggy Dew, pushed hard by Jonathan Rolls’ Swan SR 38, Xara, and Christopher Spray’s classic yawl, Stormy Weather of Cowes. Raging Bee won the Two-Handed class despite being beaten in IRC Three by Night and Day. The MOCRA Multihull Class was won by Peter Aschenbrenner’s Nigel Irens trimaran, Paradox, from Lloyd Thornburg’s record-breaking MOD 70, Phaedo3, and Tony Lawson’s MOD 70, Concise 10, skippered by Ned CollierWakefield. Also from Tony Lawson’s Team Concise came the top two in the Class 40 division: Concise 8, skippered by Jack Trigger, narrowly beat Concise 2 skippered by Phillippa Hutton-Squire.

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

CLUBS & CLASSES

The Grafham Cat Open

A total of 93 boats took part in the Grafham Cat Open. Many classes used the event – the biggest 2015 catamaran open in the UK – as a last traveller of the summer or inland championship. The Sprint 15s were the largest fleet with 29 entries for their inland championship. Local sailor Stuart Snell won with a 3,2,1,1,3 scoreline, from Thomas Sandal, also of Grafham, with Jim Bowie from Thorpe Bay in third. The Fast Double handicap class had 17 entries including 10 Formula 18s. The F18 of Grant Piggott and Adam May from Weston were the winners (1,1,1,3,2) from the F18 of David White and Arron Reynolds from Thorpe Bay. The Spitfire Inlands meanwhile had 14 entries, mostly of the youth fleet. Jack Butters and James King (Parkstone/Brightlingsea) won all six races. Weston’s Olly and Ben Harris took second on countback from Alex Philpott and Jess D’Arcy of DWSC. It was the finale of the Spitfire Travellers Trophy Series, with Jack Butters pipping Olly and Ben Harris to the post. Third went to locals Will and Megan Smith. The Dart 18 Inlands had 14 entries, won by Mike Gomme and Sara Stones (2,1,1,1,2) of RBBSC.

RYA/PAUL WYETH

RYA Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing

At the RYA Eric Twiname Youth and Junior Team Racing Championships, held at Oxford SC, victory went to Team West Kirby SC and The Sailing Assassins. In light winds, racing in

Fireflies, West Kirby SC Alex Colquitt, Hollie Marston, Octavia Owen, Amber Riggs, Henry Hughes and Hannah Owen dominated to become the youth team racing champions. Racing in Fevas, The Sailing Assassins - Matt Beck, Henry Chandler, Drew Wright, William Heathcote, Ellen Main and Hannah Roberts-Straw – lived up to their team name to take the junior championship title.

K1 Nationals at Cardiff After two days of lights airs for the K1 Nationals at Cardiff Bay YC, the championship concluded with a Force 3-4; Matt French was almost untouchable on just eight points, while the second and third placed boats, Keith Willis and Jonathan Johns, were tied on 16 points, with Mike Commander just four points behind. Races seven and eight saw Olton Mere’s French taking his fifth bullet and the title. Willis from Lymington Town SC succeeded in finishing second overall while Mike Commander from Teign Corinthian YC climbed to third. Mike Deane of South Windermere SC won the traveller’s series title.

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

Going into the final day of the 47th Etchells World Championships at the Royal Hong Kong YC, USA entry Aretas held a five-point lead over compatriot Scimitar, with a gaggle of boats in prime position to step up on to the podium in third place. In a nail-biting finish on the final beat, in spite of Steve Benjamin’s Scimitar taking their third bullet of the series, Aretas advanced two places to finish fourth, enough to see celebrations on board as Jon McClean, Skip Dieball and Jeff Eiber crossed the line as Etchells world champions. Third overall was Graeme Taylor’s Magpie (AUS), with Phan (GBR) in fourth, sailed by Jeremy Thorp, Stuart Childerley and Mark Andrews.

GP14 End of Seasons Ian Dobson and Andy Tunnicliffe won the GP14 End of Season Championship with a perfect score line, and a succession of closely placed boats following over a weekend of varied conditions at Hollingworth Lake SC. It was the final event in the GP14 class Grand Prix series, sponsored by Craftinsure, with a 27-boat fleet that included other

Martin and Lucy Preston, who counted four race wins after making good decisions on the water, not the least of which was to then head home and miss the last race drift. The first four races for the 24-boat fleet had a decent racing breeze, unlike the fifth and final one; a consistent run of second places gave Joanna Wright and Tom Brophy a solid second overall, while a win in the last race salvaged third overall for Tim Saxton and Nicola Groves.

Lymington XODs

The Lymington XOD Autumn Series was won by Rory Paton’s X48 XL, ahead of Paul Woodman and Oliver James’ X32 Ibex in second, with X178 Beatrix - William Norris, Bill Dunsdon, Stuart Jardine and James Meaning - following in third. In the Autumn Series Handicap results, the top spot was taken by Nik Froud’s X72 Venus, with Roy Froud and Robert Young’s X57 Red Coral second overall and Rory Paton third.

Merlins at Blithfield

Champ of the Alde

Thirty-one Merlin Rockets contested the GKN trophy at Blithfield SC, with testing light airs building to 8 knots over the day’s three races. Andy Davis and Alex Warren took the win on countback from Steve and Gill Leney, with Mike and Jayne Calvert finishing third on countback from Nick Craig and Chloe Martin. This result gave Matt Biggs and John Hackett the Silver Tiller.

Aldeburgh YC’s season finale, the Championship of the Alde, had a diverse fleet of 26 boats covering a course of over 15 miles, with line honours claimed by International Canoe sailor Alistair Warren followed by former European K6 champion Ian Robson. When handicaps were calculated, Warren was third, Jonathan Christie’s Wayfarer claimed second, and Ian Robson and Sandy Johnson’s K6 was first overall.

Byte Travellers

The Byte travellers series had 39 entrants at nine events in 2015, with a surge of interest in the Byte as a suitable boat for juniors, ladies and lighter men. The series concluded with 17 entries at Bowmoor SC; there were numerous new Bytes built by Hartley

Tynemouth Open

HUGH BRAZIER

NICK CHAMPION

Etchells Worlds

strong contenders such as Lawrence Creaser and Andy Hunter, who following on from several recent successes finished second overall. Third were Sam Watson and Andy Thompson.

RS200 Inlands

The RS200 Inlands at Island Barn Reservoir SC saw a comprehensive win for Ian

Boats, including two with the smaller C1 rig. Louis Saunders was unable to attend but had already secured the travellers’ title at the previous event. Rick Whitehouse won the open to finish the series second overall ahead of Ryan Bush and a fast-improving Andrew Sant.

Tynemouth SC hosted the annual winter open on the tidal river at Newburn, west of Newcastle, with tidal flow being a deciding factor over three races in a light south-westerly. In the National 12s, Philip David and Caroline Clarke from Yorkshire Ouse climbed through to the lead in all three races. A similar display of light weather skill saw David and Jackie Gebhard win the Enterprise fleet. In the Laser fleet Tom Steavenson was first on countback from Alex Sharp. Solo sailor Cliff English won the handicap fleet trophy.

Gul Final Fling

The Gul Final Fling at the Royal Plymouth Corinthian YC had one epic breezy race on day one followed by a complete contrast on day two, with a variable breeze of 5-12 knots and plenty of shifts to catch out the unwary over three short

races. In the Larks, Nigel Hufton and Adam Owens took three wins and overall victory, while in the Handicap class it was a day for the slower boats, with the Bosun of Dave Adams and Roger Irvine winning from Tasar sailors Steve Mitchell and Polly Newman, who tied in second place with Harry Briddon and Adam Kenny’s 505.

ISO Inlands

The ISO Inlands at King George SC in north London had a gusty Force 3 on the Saturday and next to no wind on Sunday. The six-race series saw the title going again to John Gill and Juliet Daniels from Stone SC, counting seven points to finish three points clear of Calshott’s Colin Snook/ Alison Revitt and locals Bob Ladell/Zoe Bailey.

Cherubs at QMSC

The Cherub Inlands at Queen Mary SC started in light to medium breezes with locals Andy and Jill Peters in Usagi proving the quickest of the day, posting three firsts. More breeze on day two for three more races saw Andy and Jill adding a 1,2 to become inland champions. Challenging hard were Jonny and Alex Harris in Ronin, counting a string of seconds to claim second.

Marblehead Mermaid A record 27 boats entered the Marblehead Mermaid Open run by Guildford Model YC, with 22 racing at Datchet. First was Peter Stollery ahead of Graham Bantock and Rob Vice.

3000 Nationals

The Noble Marine 3000 Class National Championship at Rutland SC was won by Matthew and Peter Wolstenholme from Bough Beech SC.

J/70 Europeans

It was an all-Mediterranean podium at the J70 Euros in Monaco (pictured, right). Sixty teams from 11 nations competed.

yachtsandyachting.co.uk

CLUBS & CLASSES

Light airs for Laser Inlands

NEALE FULLER

Thirty-nine Laser Standard sailors made their way to Grafham Water SC for the Noble Marine sponsored Inlands, with just two races in very light airs on day one, and racing abandoned on day two amid thick fog and a lack of wind. This meant Anthony Parke with a 6,1 scoreline took the event on countback from Alistair Goodwin, counting a 1,6. James Skulczuk was third overall counting 12 points, with Sam Whaley, first youth, just a point further back in fourth. The 77-strong Radial fleet managed just one race so no trophy was awarded. Chairman Ken Falcon gave prizes but with two fleets racing – providing two race winners, two second places – the ties were broken with the toss of the coin, the important toss being won with Joseph Drake taking the glass for first from Lijia Xu, whose only mistake of the weekend was to opt for ‘tails’.

Haven Series on the east coast

Italian Luca Domenici (Notaro Team) took the title. In the Corinthian rankings, UK’s Baby J finished fifth overall.

29er Eurocup

Bartley SC’s Crispin Beaumont and Tom Darling won the 29er Eurocup at Riva del Garda after holding the Slovenian team of Peter Janezic and Anze Podlogar. Just a point separated the teams after 12 races. GBR’s James Grummett and Daniel Budden finished 5,3,1 to finish fifth overall.

RS100 Inlands

A keen fleet of RS100s gathered at Chew Valley Lake SC for three races

in different wind speeds and directions; on the Sunday, Ian Gregory took the inland title with his 4,1,2 topping Clive Eplett’s 1,3,3 on countback. The Frensham Pond boats shared the podium with Port Dinorwic’s Greg Booth, two points back.

London Youth Travellers The London Youth Traveller Series concluded at Queen Mary SC with four events, and 78 participating. Winners were: Topper, Leila Moore (Docklands Watersports); Laser, David Lim (Hillingdon Outdoor Activities Centre); RS Feva, Emanuele Nardini/Jack Hurst

(Hillingdon); Tera, Ben Lythgoe, (Hillingdon & WHBS); Inner Topper, Leila Moore (Docklands).

by local Peter Ballantine ahead of Hayling’s Peter Mitchell, with another local Tim Law in third.

Fireball Finale

Wayfarer Circuit Finale

Draycote Water hosted the last Fireball open of the year. HISC’s Tom Gillard and Richard Anderton counting two race wins and a third, won. Second were Matt Burge and Viv Townend.

Western Solos Thirty-seven sailors had a contrasting weekend of light winds followed by a breezy day two at the Western Area Solo Championship at Salcombe YC, with first overall claimed

The Hartley Boats National Circuit Series ended at Bough Beech, won by Michael McNamara and Simon Townsend. The Travellers’ was won by Brian Lamb and Sam Pygall.

Poetic RS300 Inlands inspires

Steve Bolland was inspired by National Poetry Day to write about the Gul RS300 Inlands at Alton Water SC in rhyme: “The wind was just right and never too hairy, The reaches were fun and the runs not too scary, At the end of the day when all races were run, The top three were split by only point one. So ahead of the Sunday all became clear The title would go to who laid off the beer.” Day two saw Sam Knight take three bullets to leapfrog Steve Bolland and take the title, with Luke Pepper in at third. Bolland, second, says it will be his last bid to be a published poet.

B14 Flying Circus

The B14 fleet’s inlands at Datchet Water SC saw two races on day one, with no racing possible on day two. First with a 1,2 were Whitstable’s Mark Barnes and Charlotte Jones.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS 1 January New Year’s Day Pursuit, Leigh & Lowton SC nn 2 January Oxford Blue – Oxford Sailing Club nn 9 January Bloody Mary – Queen Mary SC nn 30 January Steve Nicholson Memorial nn Trophy, Northampton SC

ELA MILLER]

Class 2 was a close affair with last year’s winners, M Fuller and I Theobald’s Projection 762, White Lightning, taking victory, and Haven Series class chairman Des Cowan’s Contessa 33, Eclipse, second overall. The first passage race, to Ostend, Belgium, was won by the Baltic 37 Cosmic Dancer, sailed by R Walker; the passage to Ramsgate was won by T Merewether’s Sunfast 3200, Amazon; and the final passage race to Lowestoft by I Kirkpatric’s X-37.

STEFANO GATTINI

Just under 30 boats took part in the Haven Series IRC Yacht Racing on the east coast in Dovercourt Bay. A wide variety of conditions and yachts made for a competitive 10-race series over 2015. Three passage races were also held starting from Harwich Harbour and finishing in Ostend, Ramsgate and Lowestoft. In the points series, the Class 1 winner was X-332 Blue Beeste (pictured) owned by C Penfold and M Jenkins, ahead of K Moll’s J97 Ickle Jura in second overall.

JOG posts 64 seasons The concluding race for JOG’s 64th season was a decider for the inshore trophies in the central Solent, while the offshore results had been previously decided with the customary last race to Cherbourg, with perfect night-time conditions. The Junior Offshore Group’s Inshore Series winners were: Class 3, Sunfast 3600 Hot Cookie, Neil Martin and Philip Barnes; Class 4, J109 Just So, David and William McGough; Class 5, Swan 38 SR Xara, Jonathan and Anne Rolls; Class 6, Sigma 33 Stan the Boat, Toby Gorman; Double-Handed, Hot Cookie. Offshore Series winners were: Class 3, Humphries 40 Old Mother Gun, Phil and Heather Farrands; Class 4, Arcona 370 Arcsine, Kathy Claydon; Class 5, Dehler 38 Longue Pierre, David Cooper and Paul England; Class 6, Laser 28 Moondog, Peter Pickett; DoubleHanded, JPK 1010 Pincer Movement, Richard and Lucy Searle.

January 2016 Yachts & Yachting

S TA

YAC

NG TI

S & YACH HT

A R AW

SUPPORTED BY

Y&Y GOLD STAR AWARDS noblemarine.co.uk | 01636 707606

Sea Cadet Jade inspires next generation of sailors

C/O SEA CADETS

GOLD STAR AWARDS

Sea Cadet Jade Rickard developed new skills and confidence through sailing and is now enthusing the next generation of youngsters with her passion for the sport. Jade achieved both her dinghy instructor and windsurfing instructor qualifications with the RYA just after she turned 16 and has since been helping other young sailors learn the ropes as a member of Northampton Sea Cadet Unit and Northampton Sailing Club. She was nominated for our Gold Star Awards page by volunteer Chris Read MBE, District Officer for Northants & Leicester Sea Cadets District, who says: “Lots of Cadets get qualifications through the RYA but it’s unusual to become a qualified instructor in two disciplines at just 16. “We are proud to see what Jade has achieved over the last six years as a Sea Cadet. We have seen her achieving many things by embracing the full range of activities with Sea Cadets. She is one of our star Cadets due to her drive and determination – she does not give up easily!”

Jade will be 17 this month and was inspired into the sport by her mother, who sailed when she was younger. She finds that being on the water helps her to escape from the stresses of school and modern life. “Sailing and windsurfing has changed her life in every way possible,” says Chris. “Jade has made new friends, learnt new skills, but most importantly it’s given her confidence. And now she is a qualified instructor, Jade spends her time showing younger Cadets and young people in the local community at her sailing club how to sail and windsurf.” To find out more about Sea Cadets, visit: sea-cadets.org

NOMINATE! If you know of an inspirational sailor, team, club, association or event, visit yachtsandyachting.co.uk/gold-staraward to make your nomination.

RYA ONBOARD SAILORS FLYING HIGH IN GRAFHAM WATER INITIATIVE

Yachts & Yachting January 2016

work and commitment to the sport, and the time they give to their club. They first turned up at Grafham Water Centre six years ago wanting to learn how to sail through the RYA OnBoard scheme, and are now applying for squads. As Ali Butler-Baines, business development officer at Grafham, explains: “It goes without saying that the Grafham OnBoard team are certainly flying high. But none of this would be possible if it wasn’t for the parents who tirelessly bring their young sailors to all the events, and the training sessions each week. Gordy Baines, who runs the Grafham OnBoard scheme and has done for the last six years, has seen many of the sailors develop, not only into young adults, but with their sailing skills.” Some have qualified as assistant instructors and are now helping to

bring on the next up-and-coming group of young sailors. The Grafham OnBoard team also finished second overall in 2015 in the Cambridgeshire Youth League – comprising six sailing clubs – an impressive result when only five years ago they finished last. From starting out with no background in sailing, Ali says, they are now “future stars in the making”.

C/O GRAFHAM WATER CENTRE

Grafham Water Centre’s OnBoard scheme is growing each year and has seen its young sailors go from strength to strength, with many of them now starting to win awards and recognition at local and national regattas. A team of nine, who started sailing through the Grafham Flyers OnBoard Club, took part in the National School Sailing Association (NSSA) National Youth Regatta: rookie sailors Dave Clancy, Max Findlater and Luke Thompson; Max Oscroft and Ross Ellis in the Laser fleet; Abi Clarke and Jack Ellis in an RS Feva; and Tom Bramwell and Jay Lilley in a Laser Vago. Achieving some good results between them, Abi Clarke and Jack Ellis were chosen to represent Cambridgeshire in the event’s prestigious Mount Haes Trophy, making it through to the semi-final and finishing fifth. Then following this regatta, Abi along with Max Oscroft, who won the RYA Eastern Region Youth Champion Award in 2015, were chosen along with 16 other sailors to take part in the NSSA High Fliers Week on Olympic waters at the Andrew Simpson Sailing Academy in Weymouth, having been nominated for their hard

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TECHNICAL DIRECTORY

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To advertise in the new technical section call Sam Spranger on 0207 349 3746 or email Sam.Spranger@chelseamagazines.com January 2016 Yachts & Yachting