Silver sailors needn't capsize!
by Marion Edwards 3 Apr 2016 18:37 BST
3 April 2016
Challenger UK Championships at Rutland © Richard Johnson
While David Henshall's recent article Silver Dream Racer highlights the problems experienced by silver sailors there was one dinghy missing from his discussion: the Challenger.
Before muttering about it being a "disabled boat" and reading no further, consider just two points: a boat designed by Rod MacAlpine-Downie cannot be dismissed lightly, and how many capsized sailors (silver or otherwise) suffered the indignity of having a Challenger romp past them during the windy 2015/16 SailJuice Winter series?
For sailor's whose knees, hips, wrists and back are not what they used to be, the Challenger may be the solution. Yes, the boat was designed for disabled sailors but it is an open class and we welcome anyone. True, the boat will not appeal to everyone but it can give extra-silver sailors (65+) a new lease of competitive sailing life.
One of the newest members of the fleet is Jack Alderdice at 75 years young. He came to Challenger after sailing a range of dinghies and keelboats, and achieved 36th place in the SailJuice series. And anyone thinking they will have an easy job getting passed extra-silver sailor Val Millward and Red Jester frankly has another think coming (24th in the SailJuice series).
The Challenger has many advantages for extra-silver sailors:
- Freedom from capsizing. Capsizes can happen but fewer than ten have been recorded in the boat's 35 year history, and one of the prerequisites is a gust of at least F7 (when all sensible sailors are safely in the clubhouse).
- The boom passes neatly over the head of the tallest sailor removing the need for any ducking and diving.
- Why kneel when there is a seat?
- The stability of the boat allows the sailor to focus on getting the best out of the boat and keeping their head out of it, rather than trying to avoid a capsize or another physically taxing tack.
The Challenger provides much more than armchair sailing for those heading into their dotage. The maximum recorded speed is 13.7 knots (and there is an elite "13 knot club" with two members - more are welcomed!).
The Challenger is a "Laser with stabilisers" with the same sail controls and similar sailing characteristics (the cognoscenti read Paul Goodison's Laser Handbook). Quite often clubs with a no multihull rule are willing to waive it for the Challenger, simply because it isn't really a multihull, and with a PY of 1150 it is most at home in the slow handicap fleet. The Challenger is very much involved in the hurly burly of the club racing fleet, fighting it out with the Lasers (and quite capable of upsetting them by beating them on the water).
As noted by David Henshall there is no single ideal dinghy for silver sailors, and not even the Challenger's staunchest advocate would claim it is a light wind boat - but it is not as bad as you might think, and regularly features at the top of the dinghy series at Rutland Sailing Club. Nor it is the lightest boat, but it comes with a decent launching trolley, and silver sailors will be able to launch and recover themselves.