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yellowwelly View Drop Down
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    Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 10:26am
Originally posted by pondlife1736


Ouch !! That hurt!  

really- it's only a toy and someone else's opinion  LOL

BTW- the reason why larger cats aren't allowed at DWSC has bugger all to do with the space on the water, although I agree and Extreme 40 is pushing it, it's about the real estate to leave them when not sailing and protectionism towards the 'cat fleet'- yep, the defunct Dart 15- a singlehander that you can't put the mast up by yourself Confused

There is a bit of hope though... some forward thinking members were considering getting F-16s and the then committee re-wrote the rules around it permitting them to take part.  AFIAK this has not been reversed despite those members following different paths.


Edited by yellowwelly - 24 Feb 14 at 10:27am
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Neptune View Drop Down
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Posts: 1314 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Neptune Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 10:28am
Originally posted by pondlife1736

there's some truth in that- the most popular group within our fast handicap class is the Dart 15... so not only a cat, but a cheap, crap cat at that.

Ouch !! That hurt!  Seriously though, most cats are too big and fast for our pond. 
Didn't notice any 'high performance' boats out with us yesterday, either. At least the Darts gave it a try.
[/QUOTE]

All the cats stayed ashore yesterday at Datchet, the only 15's where FF15.

Was epic fun in the Musto and the 800 was flying too. I think watching the lasers and the like coming downwind that it was probably easier in the musto - especially gybing as we had more speed.
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Posts: 1635 		Post Options Post Options   Quote blaze720 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 10:37am
Cats - Jet Ski's, basically the same thing.

Greame .... I think you  forgot boards in your list ... and the newest of the revised and now inclusive list are ... wait for it  ....   Jet ski's and boards with the motorised ones still the more popular as ever. 

Mike L.

PS - Seriously with recent weather I'm thinking of putting togther a venerable IMCO with what is now a classic max 7.5m rig.  Cheap thrills  etc ... cannot understand when half the world is building retro cars etc someone does not revive a 'no-pumping' 7.5m long board class with retractable centre-board.   Want to boost numbers at Dinghy clubs like in the 80's ?  Got to be done really... Anyone else interested ?  ... not in place of dinghies of course but in parallel.
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yellowwelly View Drop Down
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Posts: 2003 		Post Options Post Options   Quote yellowwelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 10:45am
http://www.konaone.com

No pumping rules... growing in the Dublin Bay area too.  

On a serious note Mike - they are looking for a good UK distributor/agent... let me know if you want the CEO's contact details- he's a really nice bloke.  


Edited by yellowwelly - 24 Feb 14 at 10:46am
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Posts: 6499 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iGRF Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 10:48am
The Kona Class is a quite successful none pumping class, the RYA were not interested even though it was the biggest none Olympic international class at the time we tried to introduce it. Despite that we were selling 50 odd boards a year when we threw in the towel on the rest of the line which wasn't selling quite as well. A shame I do recall taking a leaflet around the dinghy show one year offering 'fleets' of boards at £999 complete with rig which was a very good deal, nobody interested in that either.

It is a sad fact that racing in windsurfing is very low on the agenda, they generally all just seek the thrill of free riding with no rules, other than the influx of dinghy sailors in the late seventies and eighties I'm one of very few exceptions to the rule.
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yellowwelly View Drop Down
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Posts: 2003 		Post Options Post Options   Quote yellowwelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 10:55am
ironic really- I reckon the proposition to take on Kona One (without the exocet baggage) would almost be more viable- certainly it would be something ruled by heart than head, and a passion based business operation.  
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Posts: 106 		Post Options Post Options   Quote pondlife1736 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 11:35am
Originally posted by yellowwelly

Originally posted by pondlife1736


Ouch !! That hurt!  

really- it's only a toy and someone else's opinion  LOL

No worries, cat sailors are used to abuse!!  LOL

 the defunct Dart 15- a singlehander that you can't put the mast up by yourself Confused

You need to get down the gym, my boy! Even at my advanced age, this is no problem.


There is a bit of hope though... some forward thinking members were considering getting F-16s and the then committee re-wrote the rules around it permitting them to take part.  AFIAK this has not been reversed despite those members following different paths.


Yes we have the box rule still. So you can sail F16, Shadow etc, but not F18. Significantly though, nobody has, while the D15 fleet is growing. Why? Well maybe the hiking single sail mode has something to do with it. It makes it accessible to everyone without mastering trapezing-while-racing skills. It's also happier RTC than W/L.
To return to the theme of this thread, I'd be tempted to say we need more 'slow' catamaran classes than 'fast' ones. But I don't mean heavy rotomoulded.  An updated D15 please, lightweight and less prone to nose-diving. Trouble is, even it's out there, I'd be the only one in my club. Same old story.
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yellowwelly View Drop Down
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Posts: 2003 		Post Options Post Options   Quote yellowwelly Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 11:47am
Why?  Simple... I bought a very tricksy, experimental Cherub instead.  Big mistake, but that's another story and no one on here needs to hear again....  but  when then that went south I didn't reach for a Dart 15 instead, no way, not whilst I have some sense of self esteem left (and it was pretty low after the Cherub experience I can tell you  LOL) 

Is the 'fleet' really growing?  It's been a while since I was active in handicap racing there, however I seem to remember the Dart 15 was a proper stand alone fleet not so long ago, rather than bothering the fast handicap monohull fleet?
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pondlife1736 View Drop Down
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Posts: 106 		Post Options Post Options   Quote pondlife1736 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 12:28pm
Maybe. It's certainly grown since I joined 2 years ago. There's usually 4 or 5 D15's out now, so maybe more in the Summer. Not stratospheric but probably the biggest non-fleet fleet in the club. 

BTW, surely any mention of sailing+low self-esteem is incomplete without mention of the Soslow??? Wink
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Posts: 588 		Post Options Post Options   Quote MerlinMags Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Feb 14 at 12:47pm
Originally posted by JimC

I have 1964 and 1984 lists in front of me, and there are more classes, not fewer.


I assume back in the 70s and earlier the dinghy classes were often split regionally in the same way as the local keelboats that have been mentioned.

The only example my poor brain can recall is the southern Merlin and the northern Rocket which merged to give you the...oh, I forget the new name now.

There must have been others, particularly before the advent of decent motorways as few were towing to open meetings. Could that have accounted for the fact that there was a higher number of classes (even if the number of sailors in each fleet was lower in proportion) ??
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