A new class of dinghy?

^ this...

Originally posted by NickA 29er and the original 49er rigs had GRP top sections (the last metre or so I think).  The idea being to have something cheap and flexible at the top, so that the head of the sail blades off automatically in gusts.  "The Automatic Rig" according to the Bethwaite clan.  Carbon I guess does the same if carefully constructed with the right taper; but probably still costs more.

Likewise the old B14 rig.

The mast is supposed to stay in the same, fixed curve below the forestay, above that it responds to gusts.

I had great respect for Frank as a person, but I'm 99.9999% sure he didn't go to higher education, or if he started he certainly didn't finish it because of WW2. Sadly, I understand from someone who knew him better than I did that all his life, he felt that he had missed out badly because of his lack of higher formal education. Perhaps that's why although he had many great insights, he also had a tendency to bend evidence to fit the conclusion he desired.

Julian did a couple of years at uni. As Jim mentioned, his older brother Mark is a (very successful) engineer who actually designed the Tasar's underwater sections and is a major influence on Julian's approach. All very pleasant, well mannered and interesting people.

Windsurfing sails and boards were at the "cutting edge" and usually took design concepts to extremes with (often) marketing led concepts like cutaways and dedicated slalom boards. They often had their merits in less extreme forms but there always had to be a "new big thing' every year to give the marketing guys something to get there teeth into. Luckily not all modern windsurfing sail designers have followed the trend http://www.demonsails.co.uk I used these for nearly all my Raceboard sailing years, I still have my last VG5 7.5. Absolutely brilliant sails, fast and super light. It's interesting that the sailcloth they use is more commonly used in dinghy and small keelboat sails.