Please select your home edition
Edition
Stoneways Marine 2021 - LEADERBOARD

What was intriguing at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2023?

by Magnus Smith 6 Mar 2023 16:30 GMT 25-26 February 2023
One Merlin Rocket owner clearly has an influential young daughter - seen at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show © Magnus Smith / www.yachtsandyachting.com

Determined not to let moving house (the day before) stop him from working, YachtsandYachting.com's website developer, Magnus Smith, attended his favourite boat show during the last weekend in February.

The first thing to get his heart fluttering was the remote-operated self-bailers on his favourite class, the Merlin Rocket. But wait.... two other classes sported such systems too! Why has this idea made a return after not being seen since 1970?

Jon Turner's latest Merlin seems to be going for extra carbon tube well as the usual string fetish. Across my wrist in the photo below you can see the bar which makes pulling the traveller easier, then my fingers are holding two more, and a fourth can be seen looking after the jib leads at top of picture.

Black carbon tubing is all very well, but I'd prefer a vibrant hue if possible. The Scorpion class delivered.

Sailboat Trailers seem to agree, and are breaking the long-held tradition that trolley wheels must be red... or faded to pink. They now sell them in pink to start with. Hot pink!

Unusual colours catch my eye, as you can probably tell, so I stopped to talk to one National 12 sailor who clearly felt that carbon and wood both deserved a place on his lovely pale sea green boat.

I was also glad to see that the Cadet class, despite moving from wood to plastic in the years since I last sailed with them (sob!) now offer a decent range of colours.

An International Canoe of an unusual colour (white, in this class?!) required a second glance to see exactly where tiller extension ended and jib-boom began.

A second, and perhaps third, glance was also needed for the Thames A Rater rudder, which quite frankly was shocking. I feel the urge to write to Mary Whitehouse. After I've checked it again.

Passing by the excellent range of dinghies for the disabled it was noted that the Hansa class came in more sizes and colours than previously spotted. Although the designer may have forgotten the need for the top of the jib to connect to the mast SOMEWHERE! No?

Nearby, the catamaran section was a shrine for any sailor who thinks two is better than one; although Nacra apparently disagree when it comes to booms. Not only was there only one on the F18 and F16, the class seems to be returning to the bendy boom experimental period of the 1960s.

Experimental ideas also ran wild with the Amateur Yacht Research Society who were displaying a radical new design of one-man sit-down yacht. It wasn't just the delta sail (lateen?) which raised an eyebrow with its mast stepped on the transom, but the hull was deliberately designed to get the skipper's bum wet. Perhaps it solves the issue of installing 'heads' on such a small craft?

I couldn't tell if the above vessel would have taken longer to build than the incredible model GP14, which was alarmingly accurate in every tiny detail. The following photo shows a giant hand adjusting the outhaul.

For those wanting quicker projects than hand-crafting from scratch, I found the answer with the Tideway class. Plastic doorstops are great for stopping centreplate vibrations/damage when towing.

Almost as simple was a Barton product I hadn't seen before, for making halyard falls much neater and less prone to tangling.

Hammond were exhibiting their range of drysuits again, though it seems a little futile when my purchase from them in 1992 is still going strong. Who needs a replacement when the suits last so well?

Beach Perfect had a demo of a new beach mat in from the USA, which seemed nothing short of black magic. No more fighting a losing battle to keep sand off your towel - it just disappears. How long before they can make shoes out of this stuff too?

The Comet class used a touch of humour to draw the eye towards a great campaign to raise awareness of prostate cancer. The boat name was enough to make me scan a QR code and see the owner's Facebook page, and from there to prostatecanceruk.org/risk-checker to check my own risk level.

Another cancer charity had representation from an RS Aero sailor who declares his intention to become the first ever singlehanded dinghy sailor to go around the 250 islands of England and Wales; all in aid of Cancer Research UK. See his website at yodare.co.uk now, because before summer is over he will have made it!

The Bainbridge stand had a lovely land-yacht which made me wish there was more of this sort of thing at a WATERsports show. Yes, seriously!

But I must get back to being silly again. Let us continue...

I didn't enjoy eating the free snacks put out by The Green Blue so I went to a Greek stall (that must have been run by some sort of filo pastry marketing board) and had the most mind-blowing experience of the show: a vegetarian quiche that tasted NICE! Not only that, it wasn't insanely overpriced.

Since you don't want a photo of me eating, I'll end with Harken's illustration of the size of their product range, well worthy of a chuckle. There is a small block suspended inside the larger block, if you look closely.

Related Articles

Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted today at 5:39 am
Project FEAR is in the final few days
Charity circumnavigation almost over, in record time, with a record total raised Jazz Turner is expected to reach home (Brighton Marina) on Monday 30th June or Tuesday 1st July. She has sailed round the British Isles - all round Ireland and the Shetland Islands - without any assistance in 27 days so far. Posted on 28 Jun
Funding for clubs transforms sailing opportunities
During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from UK clubs about their experiences During the latest RYA Participation Webinar we heard from a range of UK clubs, walking through their case studies, and then heard from experts in finance who talked us through the opportunities and pitfalls of acquiring funds. Posted on 26 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Project FEAR turns southwards
Charity circumnavigation progress report from the Shetland Islands Last month I didn't even know that Muckle Flugga existed. Yet today, the very name of the island brought tears of emotion to my eyes, as I heard Jazz Turner scream it out in victory, in a video she took when passing the lighthouse. Posted on 22 Jun
The Big Bash
Every summer the tournament rolls into town. A short format of the game. Fun and excitement abound. Every summer the tournament rolls into town. Local and international players. A short format of the game, run over a relatively compact six-week season. Posted on 15 Jun
The oldest video footage of Kiel Week
A look back into our video archive at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s In our series of articles looking back in time through our video archive, we visit Germany. Kiel Week is been a crucial event on the world circuit, and here we look back at the Kieler Woche of the 60s and early 70s. Posted on 15 Jun
Jazz Turner's fundraising target is smashed
Already £30k raised for Sailability, so it's time to up the ante Jazz Turner has now passed the northern-most tip of Ireland and is on her way to the Shetland Islands, and at the same time her fundraising total of £30,000 has been smashed! Posted on 15 Jun
The X-Yachts Gold Cup Experience
A celebration of sailing, of X-Yachts and, most importantly of all, people Having just returned from Haderslev, Denmark - which is the home of X-Yachts and played host to the X-Yachts Gold Cup 2025 - I was left wondering if this was a racing event, a rally or a social celebration amongst close friends. Posted on 10 Jun
Jazz Turner is now nearing Ireland
Fundraising circumnavigation almost hits the £30k target after just 8 days afloat As at the 10th June Jazz is 8 days out from Brighton, and starting to near Ireland. Jazz had hoped to be further along than this, but the winds have been forcing her to stay close-hauled ever since she started. Posted on 10 Jun