Performance step changes.

Foiling and weight reduction, are these the final steps for dinghy sailing? Have we reached maturity?

Originally posted by 423zero Foiling and weight reduction, are these the final steps for dinghy sailing? Have we reached maturity?

No, not by a long chalk, but I think we need to quantify what we mean by performance, performance in terms of speed? Or performance in close quarter tactical dinghy racing in which the helm can just focus on the racing, not wrestling with an uncontrollable old hulk which falls over, leaks, bits break off, has a restriction on controls, requires a crane to launch and recover and which user manual was written in 1953?

To me the best things recently have been the D0 and Aero, but such a pity there were near misses of that ultimate goal. Had the Aero just been 20 cm longer, with a retracting cb and the D0 rig. Had the D Zero had some grip upfront, a retracting cb, a bit more nose (or tail)rocker and some better self baling solution.

I've sailed lots of stuff now in my quest for perfection and still it eludes me, but maybe that's part of the attraction?



Edited by iGRF - 02 Nov 21 at 2:52pm

I’ve seen K1s capsized on at least 2 occasions and required some additional weight on the ‘keel’ to right it

I was mark laying for a Waszp event the other week. Volunteered as I thought there would be fast and photogenic sailing. Hmm, not really; when it's windy enough to foil, they just fly along splash free and so smoothly they don't look especially quick. When it isn't, they are just very wobbly and quite slow displacement boats.

The thing that did impress me was the work rate of the better sailors; "bouncing" the boat on its foils to get the hull out the water, then sheeting and steering.like mad to keep it foiling.

But I'd miss the feel of the boat bouncing and crashing over the water.

Not sure foiling is "the future of sailing" .. but possibly does count as a significant step change in a particular direction. And note that the fastest windsurfers are, ultimately, still the non foilers .. the foils have more drag than a board that's planing.

Well talking of 'foiling' the latest step change is the advent of 'Wing foiling' which has been gathering momentum this last couple of years. This involves holding an inflatable 'wing' which can either be used to propel a SUP or something smaller with a foil beneath it.

So what I hear y'all groaning, well 'what' is that some inland waters have opened up to the use of wing foils with the resulting influx. Kites have never been permitted inland, but Wing foils have no lines to tangle around overhead power lines or around the propellors of rescue boats and travel at the moment at slower speeds.

There are naturally growing wing foil race championships which I have to say visually look far more comfortable andf stylish than the kite foil racing arena that has foolishly adopted none water relaunchable foil kites and has a technique requirement off the scale compared even to windsurfing and windsurf foiling.

Wing foiling is also way cheaper and more accessible than wind or kite foiling, so expect to see more of it and if I were an inland club looking for more young members doing something visually different and potentially exciting, I'd get ready to embrace the activity which in skilled hands I've even seen carried out in marinas amongst the moorings as it's suitable for gusty shifty wind because of the high amount of created wind used in the application once pumped up onto the foils.


Edited by iGRF - 04 Nov 21 at 9:45am