Favourite Photos

Some of you lads really dont have a clue what you are talking about.  If you have a boat without a kite you still have to get downwind.  Accordingly you will likely opt for a fuller rather than a flatter mainsail in order to have more power. In order to deal with the power you will get a flexi rig so that you can bend the mast upwind so as to flatten the sail and then sail with a straight mast downwind when you power the rig up.

The main sail on such a boat is the engine both up and down wind and has to be able to cover all wind speeds. 

Think about it.  It is not easy.  A really interesting boat to learn about how and why your rig does certain things.  Also it makes you aware of how beneficial it is to have a rig which can operate at high and low windspeed.  I know it helped my sailing.

This rig looks a lot more right than wrong.

Those overbend wrinkles used to be called "speed wrinkles" by 470 world champ Steve Benjamin and others. In some conditions and boats, they are the fastest way around the course. Sure, you can straighten the mast low down - but that will increase the depth low down, overpower the boat more, and slow you down. Same with extra luff curve.

Lots of classes sail fastest with wrinkles of various sorts. The boundary flow may be so turbulent in those conditions that the wrinkles will have almost no effect on drag, I s'pose.  

 

Abersoch dinghy week 07

 

..Here's the video,

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/sailing+/video/x 13f4_dinghies-a-go-go_sport

 they do look fantastic

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Superb video. I've just watched it half a dozen times. How do the crews keep their footing in such waves? I especially liked the cool dude on the reaching 470 with the blue spinnaker.

The cool dudes on the reaching 470 are Nic Asher and Elliot Willis, going just about as fast as you'd ever want to go in a 470! 
Notice how Nasher is steering - gripping the extension right down at the base for lots of control.