Please select your home edition
Edition
Barton Marine Pipe Glands

YachtsandYachting.com Newsletter: AC news, participation webinar, Paris 2024 decisions

by Mark Jardine 10 May 2018 14:00 BST 10 May 2018
Fun in the sun at Eric Twiname Junior Championships © Nick Dempsey / RYA

UK sailing has woken up since our last newsletter! With the cold weather out of the way, hopefully we can now settle into a long, hot summer with beautiful sea breezes and great events across the nation. The key element in my opinion is FUN – a word I'll continue to focus on.

The biggest news in April was INEOS Team UK's challenge for the 2021 America's Cup. Yes, this started as INEOS Team GB, but the BOA pointed out that 'Team GB' is their trademark, so a quick name-change was in order. The dropping of previous sponsors Land Rover and 11th Hour Racing for one of the world's largest manufacturers of chemicals and oil products has raised a few eyebrows, but the £110 million that INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe has committed proved too hard to ignore for Sir Ben Ainslie and his team.

As we've all seen, the new AC75 design is radical to say the least and the research and development is going to be key to a successful bid to finally bring the America's Cup back to the UK. None of this comes cheap, and this kind of funding is what is needed to mount a successful challenge. Now the team needs to learn from the Kiwis, and carefully analyse the rules and design to come up with a winning, and - most importantly - sailable, yacht.

The most striking point about Emirates Team New Zealand's win in Bermuda was how the roles on the boat were divided up amongst the sailors, while all the other teams had put so much into the hands of the helmsman, and I'm sure this division of tasks will be key again in the 36th America's Cup.

On the 1st May I joined Alistair Dixon and Liz Rushall to present the 'The Future of Dinghy Sailing Webinar'. Liz and I both presented talks at the RYA Dinghy Show, which we found complemented each other in findings and approach. Participation in sailing and keeping young sailors in the sport is an ongoing challenge and we addressed many points in the webinar, and had excellent feedback, questions and ideas from the viewers. You can view the webinar here.

Our belief is that sailing needs to adapt to changing lifestyles and ensure that youth and junior events have fun at their core. Many clubs are getting this right, but if we can help all clubs learn from the good ideas that are being implemented, and make sailing more welcoming to all, then we are sure participation can grow.

Sailing is a superb sport which can be enjoyed by the very young, the very old, and everyone in-between. We need to make sure kids are hooked on it early and realise just how much enjoyment can be had on the water.

We are aiming to follow-up with another webinar on 7th June to keep up the momentum.

London is hosting World Sailing's mid-year meeting which starts today at Chelsea Football Club. The biggest point on the agenda is the selection of events for the Paris 2024 Olympic Sailing Competition. The men & women's windsurfing (RS:X), men & women's two-person dinghy (470) and men's one-person heavyweight dinghy (Finn) are up for review. Hard lobbying, petitions and strong opinions have been voiced by those at the top of the Olympic chain down to grass-roots club sailors.

The developed nations can adapt to change relatively easily, due to the money which is pumped into Olympic sport, but for emerging nations change is extremely hard. While I believe sailing does need to adapt in these changing times, I have one point which I believe is very important relating to sailing's place in the Olympics: name me one sport which changes its equipment as often as sailing does? Food for thought as the World Sailing's Events Committee and Council vote in the coming days...

Richard Gladwell has written a superb article on the matter on our sister site, www.Sail-World.com.

Elsewhere there was a nail-biting finish to Volvo Ocean Race Leg 8 in Newport, 32 teams battled it out in stunning conditions at the 69th Wilson Trophy and there was little wind, but a lot of fun, in the Eric Twiname Championships at Rutland. As always there are a plethora of reports coming in from events up and down the county and around the world. We welcome them all!

Whatever you do on the water, remember to have FUN!

Mark Jardine, YachtsandYachting.com and Sail-World.com Managing Editor

Related Articles

You just gotta love a good algorithm
So, I opened up YouTube, and there it was. Could not believe my luck, actually. So, I opened up YouTube, and there it was. Could not believe my luck, actually. The algorithm had coughed up something I really wanted to watch. Yes, I know it means Big Brother is watching and listening.Also, every key stroke is being recorded. Posted on 7 Sep
Carbon or Steel?
Moth Foil Evolution with Alex Adams Foils have been shrinking for years as sailors continually try to reduce drag and increase speeds, but designers were reaching the limit of what they could do with carbon, so the latest foils have turned to steel for some parts. Posted on 7 Sep
Unboxing the Bieker Moth with Kyle Stoneham
A look 'below decks' at the hidden control systems on Kyle's International Moth Why are all the ropes hidden on all the latest International Moths? It's all about aerodynamic efficiency as the boats get faster and faster. As we find out with Kyle, there are also some very clever systems under the carbon covers. Posted on 6 Sep
The Age of Steel in the Land of Rock
The International Moth class is never standing still This week the Moths have gathered in Torquay at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club for the UK Championship, and the discussion is all about steel. Posted on 3 Sep
From vision to reality
The XR 41's journey from sketch to World Champion In 2023 I took part in my first X-Yachts Gold Cup at Aarhus in Denmark. It was a glorious event, balancing fun and competition perfectly, and was a weekend where new friendships were formed with sailors who I continue to chat with regularly. Posted on 2 Sep
Championship winning at 9 years old!
Benjamin Pascoe completes a remarkable 2000 Nationals at Hayling Island The 2000 class have just had a superb National Championship at Hayling Island Sailing Club. 59 boats competed in the ten race series with fresh winds and big waves on the opening day, followed by three days of lighter and shift north easterlies. Posted on 28 Aug
Why we need VMG and VMC
On The Ocean Race Europe Tracker The Ocean Race Europe Tracker has just had an update thanks to PredictWind, and now looks at routing for the boats, but it doesn't yet have VMG or VMC. Posted on 27 Aug
Yet more 'F' word
One of the enduring joys of this gig is circling back One of the enduring joys of this gig is circling back. This is no more especially so than when you get to see the plan unfold. Posted on 25 Aug
Blurring the line between sport and entertainment
It's a simple reality that the voyeur in all of us is drawn to crashes Crashes gain clicks. It's a simple reality that the voyeur in all of us is drawn to situations where things have gone spectacularly wrong. Posted on 18 Aug
Double Trouble during Sassnitz SailGP Practice
Brazil hull collapses and French rudder flies off There was drama in Sassnitz during SailGP practice racing as firstly the French SailGP Team's starboard rudder broke off during a windward mark bear away, and then on the same leg Mubadala Brazil SailGP Team nose dived, with the main crossbeam collapsing. Posted on 15 Aug