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Demise of club level class racing? |
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tink
Really should get out more Joined: 23 Jan 16 Location: North Hants Online Status: Offline Posts: 788 |
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Topic: Demise of club level class racing? Posted: 15 Jul 20 at 11:23am |
My beef with carbon is specific and have already bleated on enough about it in the past so won’t repeat. Carbon is fantastic, but it’s introduction into an established class has to be done with care and yes there have been many classes that have done this.
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Tink
https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
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Gfinch
Groupie Joined: 09 Nov 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 67 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Jul 20 at 9:43am |
The N12 Class Association has been working hard on this over the past few months. 1) We've worked alongside a boat builder to make a retro-fit adjustment system for T-Foil rudders and can sell as a complete package. Some of the older boats (1996 onwards) in the right hands can now give the new boats a run for their money in all conditions. 2) We've been searching for boats and contacting members who haven't sailed recently to dig their boats out of garages and onto the market so new members can begin their N12 journey. A 19 year old Feeling Foolish design sold within 8 hours of the advert being posted online. The above alongside a friendly and helpful class are helping to increase the numbers of competitive sailors when a new boat could initially be out of reach......
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3513, 3551 - National 12
136069 - Laser 32541 - Mirror 4501 - Laser 4000 |
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andy h
Groupie Joined: 13 Mar 12 Online Status: Offline Posts: 69 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 15 Jul 20 at 9:42am |
Tink, I agree with much of your post, but not where you pick on carbon. There are some applications, particularly spars, where carbon could be cheaper than traditional alternatives, engineered to provide no performance advantage and offer equal or better longevity. A regular review of any classes rules can allow sympathetic, evolutionary change without making 80% of boats built obsolete overnight.
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Europe AUS53 & FF 3615
National 12 3344, Europe 397 and Mirror 53962 all gone with regret |
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Guests
Guest Group |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 20 at 8:19pm |
Yup, strong Solo and Laser fleet racing at my club. Usually 10 or so Solos and 20ish Lasers our racing. Flying fifteens too. Restarts this Sunday! Quite a number of 200s as well but they don’t have their own start or fleet status.
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bluefish
Newbie Joined: 16 Oct 16 Location: Chichester Online Status: Offline Posts: 6 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 20 at 7:41pm |
Similar to davidyacht here, a very strong Solo fleet, turnouts are good and racing is tight, the class is well organised and regular training sessions outside of racing keeps everyone interested. I find most of those with more experience will happily help new guys and are generous with advice, after all where is the fun in the same people winning every race easily, better to keep everyone progressing and racing tighter.
We have a mixture of class starts for some series and general handicap racing for the rest. There's been two club handicap races post lockdown and they were both well attended. There's also been a big influx of Firefly's, 17 new boats in the last year or so and almost all family memberships and interested in racing, they now also have their own starts and even an open meeting planned. I don't think we are just lucky, I think a lot of it has been down to the excellent class captains and their enthusiasm and organisation. |
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423zero
Really should get out more Joined: 08 Jan 15 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3406 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 20 at 6:25pm |
Not this year TT
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Robert
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turnturtle
Really should get out more Joined: 05 Dec 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2538 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 20 at 4:59pm |
Well written, and I agree with your general observation, if not the sentiment. I'm always inspired when I see new classes pop up in pockets - Aeros I guess have been the most recent? There were a couple of D-Zero fleets too iirc??? I don't have to hark back too far to remember over 10 RS300s on my then club start line of a wednesday night. Rose tints gloriously foreshortening the times when it blew old boots and I couldn't sail it for toffee.....
Anyway, the initial post was a tad tongue in cheek - it's fairly obvious what davidyacht describes is the wonderful exception to the rule. Surely even the traveller events are rapidly becoming handicap racing these days? Did the Sail Juice summer series thing ever take off??? |
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tink
Really should get out more Joined: 23 Jan 16 Location: North Hants Online Status: Offline Posts: 788 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 20 at 4:22pm |
I do think some class associations make errors, they can focus on the top twenty percent of owners and updating the boat to make it more appealing with the result that the boats the body of the class race become un-competitive. But these guys are the ones that do most of the hard work involved in running a class it is their right, but it isn’t good class. Instead of focusing on how light their boat is or what’s made of carbon it should be twenty year old boats are still competitive and you can pick one up for £XXX and with a bit of graft you will have a decent boat. Apart from the few who have the cash the future is SMOD mainly single handed and then for double handed it is a 200 or 400 The una rig non extreme single handed boats are where the action is, between the Aero7 and the Radial there is only a PY difference of about 80 and 8 active classes. You may only race against a few boats of your class but should get some good boat on boat stuff. |
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Tink
https://tinkboats.com http://proasail.blogspot.com |
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PeterG
Really should get out more Joined: 12 Jan 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 818 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 20 at 11:27am |
No racing here, but I have been out twice and raced informally against a friend in a boat of the same class. Not something that would be very interesting between classes!
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Peter
Ex Cont 707 Ex Laser 189635 DY 59 |
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Mark Aged 42
Groupie Joined: 24 Aug 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 98 |
Post Options Quote Reply Posted: 14 Jul 20 at 9:20am |
Here in Leigh-on-Sea, we have 2 clubs 500 yards apart! Leigh-on-Sea SC has Solos, Essex YC has predominantly Laser Radials and some Solos. The clubs do the sensible thing - on any given day, one club runs the racing. Sometimes its all in, sometimes its fleet starts. This gives an excellent critical mass of boats in the start area, making an excellent spectacle - 35 boats last night for example.
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