C Class/Restronguet

There are several aspects in which they look significantly different, but they do seem to have significant resources over most other teams. The sail, for instance is touching the deck so 100% end plated which must be an enormous aero benefit, even though a pain tacking.
The wing looks different too, to my highly inexpert eyes the leading element looks thinner than most with much thinner spar inside the wing.
I somehow have the impression though that the boat is somewhat conservative taking all current best practices, AC type foils, wing setup etc and putting all of them together for best of breed. Not quite sure how/why I reach that conclusion though and it could easily be nonsense. Clearly v complete package.

Reckon foils are in infancy, much more to go. At least should be uncontroversial in this class - understand have been permitted in rule since 60s.

If some of the folks brainstorming ideas on the beach can get budgets together for projects - big ask of course - could see some very exciting stuff in the future. Moth style active control of foils (banned in this AC) is an obvious area to explore. Reckon it ought to lead to even lower takeoff speeds, but there are a lot of subtle complications with the multi platform against the Moth which will take serious brainpower to resolve. But if the Cs can maintain momentum from this look forward to sensational stuff over next few years. And it can't really be more expensive than some of the big keelboat campaigns can it?

To put it crudely (and with no claims of accuracy), from what I gather the Hydros chaps have focussed everything on foiling and their hulls are quite big so not as good at displacement sailing. Whereas as far as I can see Groupama looks like a more all round approach with a good platform and good foiling performance. Of course I could be talking utter mince...

OK, here's some snaps for you...

Hey, I didn't know you got the sun in England...
The big feature of a C event is all the tents. Everyone has to have a huge tent big enough to take the wing...

Canuck mark rounding...

Groupama setting off down the run on foils

Edited by JimC - 26 Sep 13 at 8:46pm

Now isn't that a special sight??


The sort of thing you routinely see round the dinghy park. This is a rudder head fitting on one of the Canadian boats, its fabricated from flat plate, and I reckon there are about 10 pieces exquisitely fitted together, and there are two of these on each of their boats...

Edited by JimC - 26 Sep 13 at 8:51pm

The weather hasn't improved since I was there then!!