RYA Suzuki Dinghy Show 20qy

Any news on the Dinghy Show this year?

Well other than a few errands I had to run picking up bits for the Alto, I have to say this year is the worse I've ever attended for lack of 'vibe' and generally a rfwot. The whole thing is beginning to border on being a rip off, at 16 quid I have to say, not exactly money well spent.

As you walked in, there was none of the usual pazazz, just a lonely 49er chucked out with the pillar you can sign to wish them luck, I think it had a couple of signatures and one of them read 'your mum and dad'.

Nothing much new, of particular interest to me, I had a look at the Hadron, asked a couple of dumb questions of the designer wondering why he'd perched the mast up on top of the deck then had to put a bit more mast between the deck and the bottom, why not just punch a hole through, would make rigging easier single handed if nothing else, i always think they look more vulnerable up there and merlins do pop the odd mast I've noticed, other than that, lots going on for those concerned about their knees and who don't mind self balers, which totally turned me of an otherwise cool boat.

I had my cake and ate it on the Solution stand has it been ten years already, that flew by, hell it'll be ten years next year since i bought my Alto. He of the brandy and baby sham was totally bottle free, no fizz, no fizzle it was all eyes down sell boats on the Devoti stand, as much as I tried to divert Russco with a hand drinking pint gesture, he wasn't moving, he even ignored the tongue hard in cheek suggesting a carrot or similar long object in ones mouth, even Brianne of Tarre had left the armour behind grown her hair and curled it for the occasion and other than suggesting she was ahem 'gagging for it' when i suggested envy of my yuogslavian freedom fighter sheepskin gilet, it was all business.

So I left for once actually content with what I'm already sailing and with no desire to change, I did have a little twinge looking at the blue sail on the blu D-Zero, but it'll wait another year, got lots to do this season and seeing the minisail listed as 1248 on the RYA list made up for the irritation of hearing the Laser is another 4 points slower, hell how much of a bandit has that boat got to end up, all those improvements over the years and now its slower still, you couldn't make it up never mind write it.

So if you're ambivalent about going tomorrow, i wouldn't bother, it's not worth a tenner never mind sixteen quid.

Edited by iGRF - 05 Mar 16 at 5:36pm

It's grossly expensive now, for the actual classes and only those that get some support from builders can warrant it, and the more I think about it, i want to actually sit in them you know, try them on for size, touchy feely, lift them up, stuff like that, try hauling some around on actual trailers, we do need an on the water dinghy class show that doesn't cost the earth, either to show, or attend and personally if the RYA were not there it wouldn't worry me one iota.

Originally posted by Peaky I really enjoyed. For classes which don't realistically expect to sell any boats there, it must be getting difficult to justify. I'm not sure about an on the water show, it would be logistically very difficult. I would quite like a nostalgia show though, where classes which still exist but no longer attend the show, or those that have died off, can get to exhibit in an affordable manner. A sort of museum for a weekend.

Drop into a cvrda event some time!

Could Y&Y support an event for a few keen classes in the same way that Classic boat supported (supports?) Beale Park? I can see something where classes and builders without the clout of the big boys could get together, swallow egos and have a lovely weekend showing off their wares.

It was pretty quiet today, though. Mother's day, daft idea to run it then.