Solo Specific 2015 the National Solo Class Magazine by Members, for Members

DECEMBER Solo Specific 2015 The National Solo Class Magazine by Members, for Members

The N.S.C.A is Sponsored by

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Solo Specific Contacts N.S.C.A. Officers and Committee 2015-2016

Title/ Name Address Telephone Email Address

President 74 Tumulus Rd, Saltdean, 01273 304421 [email protected] Will Loy East Sussex, BN2 8FS

Vice President vicepresident@solosailing Vacant .org.uk

Hon.Treasurer 8B Huggins Lane, North 01707 259665 [email protected] David Walford Mimms, Hatfield, Herts.

Membership 6 Tor Bryan, Ingatestone, 07802 484103 membership@solosailing Phil Sturmer Essex CM4 9HJ .org.uk

Hon. Secretary 4 Snowberry Court, 01376 347366 [email protected] Robert Lawrie Braintree, Essex, CM7 9FT

Chief Measurer 98 Norwich Rd, Chichester, 01243 789162 [email protected] Gordon Barclay West Sussex, PO19 5DF

Technical Adviser 17 Shaggy Calf Lane, 01753 529170 Jim Gates Slough, Berks, SL2 5HL

Newsletter Editor 74 Tumulus Rd, Saltdean, 01273 304421 Will Loy East Sussex, BN2 8FS [email protected]

Coaching 93 Eaton Rd, Appleton, 01865 863595 [email protected] Tony Thresher Abingdon, Oxon, OX13 5JJ 07729104117

Midland Area Rep [email protected] Nigel Davies

Northern Area Rep 5 Field Hurst, Barkisland, 01422 820212 [email protected] Nick Hornsby Halifax, HX4 0OJ

Eastern/T Valley Rep 28 Bassett Gardens, North 01992 523262 [email protected] Godfrey Clark Weald, Epping, Essex. 07713 871802 [email protected]

Western Area Rep Vacant in 2016 [email protected] Nick Fisher

Southern Area Rep [email protected] Alex Powell

Sea Series [email protected] Andrew Thompson [email protected]

Webmaster [email protected] Paul Dowman

Championship Venues 53 Seaview Avenue, West 07919 171493 [email protected] Steve Ede Mersea,Colchester, CO58BY

Committee Members [email protected] Chris Brown [email protected] Claire Clark

Scottish Area Rep Crab Apple Neuk, Sea 07939 062156 kevangibb@ardnastangestates. Kevan Gibb Rd,Drumeldrie, Upper co.uk Largo, KY8 6JD

Welsh Area Rep Vacant

GM and Vet Rep 16 Abinger Avenue, Cheam, 020 8224 7624 [email protected] Peter Fryer Surrey, SM2 7LJ

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Solo Specific Contents

In This Issue Advertisements

3. Officers and Committee 2. Sailboat.co.uk 4. Contents 4. Winder Boats 5. Preditorial 6. Paintcraft 8. Treasurer’s Report 7. Rooster Sails 10. 60th Anniversary Event 8. Rain and Sun/ Kevin Gosling Dinghycraft 12. Solo 6000 14. Edge sails 13. Major Events 2016 25. North Sails 15. The Invisible Muscle by Jon Clarke 28. P+B 18. National/ Nation’s Cup 15 30. Creation Covers 24. North Sails Super Series 15 32. Clamcleat 35 Milanes Foils 26. Lightweight Tips part 2 by Brenda Hoult 38. Boatyard at Beer 27. Mr Blue Sky goes to Scotland by Malcolm Mackley 46. C2 Marine 29. The Salcombe Experience by Paul Playle 47. Noble Marine 32. Harken Inland Championship 15 48 HD Sails 34. Northern Area/Team Trophy 35. Thames Valley/Eastern Area 36. Coaching Matters 37. Midland Area DISCLAIMER 38. Western Area The views expressed in this magazine are 39. Gold Rush by Andy Davis those of the contributors and not necessarily 42. EOS 15 those of the Officers and Committee of the 43. Another Season by Pete Mitchell N.S.C.A 45. Plastic Refurbishment by Nick Bonner

Contributions to: [email protected]

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Solo Specific Committee Preditorial Welcome to the fifteenth edition of Solo Specific, the N.S.C.A magazine for Class members. I had to double check my fingers and thumbs old school while calculating the number of issues we have produced since the change from A5 to A4 format. Many thanks to all contributors of those and this issue, one of the greatest strengths of the membership is the ability to share your experiences and knowledge gained from sailing the National Solo.

I was lucky enough to be voted in as your Class President at the annual A.G.M in late July and as the title suggests, now hold the two most influential positions on the committee (evil laugh). That said, the treasurer holds the keys to the N.S.C.A vault so I guess he holds the power. You may have seen my posts on the website on my views and targets prior to the A.G.M, these were my own views and not those of the committee, I just wanted to give the membership a chance to understand the direction I would like to steer the class. I also hoped that others would come forward with their own ‘manifesto’, I am always happy to support ideas better than my own. While the clubhouse at East Lothian Y.C. North Berwick was packed to the rafters there was no repeat of the scene from the 1960 Stanley Kubrick epic when everyone stood up and claimed they were Sparticus. At this point I must thank Roger Gravatt for all his efforts over his term as President and wish him well on his return to normal life! While I acknowledge that I now sit at the top of a pyramid that is the N.S.C.A there would be no ‘point’ if there were no foundations and these bolders are the fleet captains, the regular club sailors, the open meeting attendees and most importantly the committee volunteers who devote much of their own time ensuring that the class runs smoothly. I would not have put my name into the hat had I not had the confidence in the ability, skill sets and enthusiasm of the ‘team’. I thank you.

We have dealt with a number of issues at committee level and these I outline below. Website Progress Roger Gravatt did the hard work on this and with Paul Dowman, the website builder volunteering to stay on as Webmaster we have some guaranteed support system in place. We did not want to go live with the site until those committee members that need to input info were completely happy with usage. Paul promises that the user friendliness for members will be a significant improvement on the old one with more benefits than I can mention or comprehend. Strategy Meeting Your committee will be attending a ‘strategy’ meeting in February to discuss objectives, targets and cunning plans to ensure the NSCA is ahead of the curve, pushing the envelope and all that sort of thing. if you have had that ‘Einstein' moment when all becomes clear and the way forward for the Class is as clear as ODL without the fibre, then please feel free to discuss on the forum or with any committee member. Rule Observance We now have our Class Judge in the guise of Steve Watson. if you have attended any of the ‘majors’ this year and pushed the limits on rule 42 you may have met him personally. Steve is actually a very friendly chap and only to pleased to advise on any rule related question you may have. It is hoped Steve will be in attendance at most of next years big events and the education that he imparts should make racing fair for all. Coaching Tony Thresher is your co-ordinator and has at his fingertips an abundance of coaches that can be utilised to ensure you get the most from your Solo. Get together with some club members and arrange a training day at your club, I guarantee you will all learn at least one useful nugget of information which could project you to the front of the fleet, at club, open and even national level. Nationals and Nation’s Cup This one is for the strategy meeting but we are hoping to have a stronger connection with our Dutch friends so we can co-ordinate Nation’s Cups at some fabulous venues including Garda and Quiberon which have been widely praised by those that have been there. Age categories I had hoped to adjust the age criteria and titles but after some considerable discussion I saw the light and agreed to no change. There will be Rooster rash vests for Veteran/Grandmaster and junior event leaders at 2 day events next year. We are also discussing a change to Junior age criteria which may be reduced to 18 and a heavily reduced entry fee to promote growth of the youth element of our Class. International Presence As you will see in the news item on page 6, there is some interest in the Solo in Portugal. It will be interesting to see how the fleet grows in Lagos, a lovely venue for sailing and maybe a future Championship venue? 60th Anniversary Events Next year is our 60th Anniversary, a fantastic achievement and Jack Holt would be a very proud man, if a little bemused at how popular his baby had grown. The main celebration will be the 60th Anniversary Party at Draycote Water in August. More on this on page 10. Solo 6000 Following lengthy discussions it was decided that the Association should give something back to the members to thank you all for making the Class so successful and for keeping it at the forefront of UK singlehanded sailing. There were several ideas punted including a burgee for every member. This was quickly discounted when we counted the number of times Chris Brown loses one per season. We then discussed a commemorative coaster which would be easily posted with the magazine but Gordon Barclay still uses his 1985 Pevensey Bay one so would not need a spare. Nick Hornsby mentioned that we have given Solos’ 4000 and 5000 away so why not 6000. This was agreed by all, so all paid up members of the N.S.C.A in 2016 will be entered into the free draw for National Solo 6000 see page 12 for provisional details. Apprentice Chief Measurer Nick Hornsby has kindly volunteered to become understudy to Gordon Barclay and eventually take on the role of Chief Measurer. This is a huge undertaking and the committee are chuffed to bits. So if you see Nick, give him a pat on the back and a fiver if you want your boat to measure. Finally, you will note that this edition is 48 pages, my intention is to produce three 48 page editions of Solo Specific in 2016 and an online PDF of the Yearbook in future. I have run out of room so have a safe and warm Winter and see you all at Chew Valley in February. Will Loy

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Solo Specific News

Nation’s Cup 2016 Solos’ in Portugal Medemblik will host the premier event on the Dutch calendar in April We have had communication 2016. with Chico Veloso about This is an outstanding venue and the interest in the class in Dutch hospitality is legendary. I fully Portugal. Chico is based in expect a very large UK contingent to Lagos and a small fleet of make the journey to the flatlands and Solos’ race out of Clube de the Dutch will be no pushovers on Vega de Lagos mainly in a handicap fleet at present. their home water. The event is run in They are very keen to promote the Solo and we as a conjunction with their Spring Cup and committee feel we should support them in any way we there will be a number of other classes can. The town is very pretty and has all the benefits of on the water but it is so large there will be room for all and great a holiday resort with bars, restaurants and plenty of apes sail. For those of you that have never experienced the Dutch accommodation. The club are a professional outfit and evenings then you must! The date to remember is 22-24 April an event there would be relatively cheap to run. I guess the down side is the inevitable journey involved. Eddy Boon also informs us that ONK, the Dutch Nationals will be Championship organiser Steve Ede has done some held on 2-3 September at Aalsmeer. ground work and it seems there are regular cargo ships that go to that area, albeit with a short road transfer, You may have noticed the Dutch logo in the righthand corner of cost per boat would be approx £375 based on 10 Solos’ this article. We hope that the Dutch Class Association will adopt this per container. My view at this time is that there are and with the Portuguese on board with their own, will help bond other venues that offer better value for money for a our associations and strengthen the class. Nation’s Cup venue, are nearer and with a guaranteed healthy entry from the UK and Holland. That said, we I now have to contact the Australian fleet who I believe still race in should promote the class at any outpost, no matter that neck of the global woods. how distant. I would like to see some kind of long weekend event, held out of season with coaching from a team of experts, some UK entries (possibly subsidised) and some end of weekend races to boost interest over there. Ideally some professional input from our builders with some trial boats for the locals to test? Just my thoughts but as a committee we will do our best to further the interests of the class abroad. Realistically we do not have the clout of the likes of RS or Devotti and I would not want to spread ourselves too thinly financially but what we do have ( will have by the time you read this) is a fab website with masses of information, videos and a forum that provides a wealth of answers. We are looking at an “Over seas” membership which will allow access to our member section and regular mag pdfs and reduced entry to our majors.

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Solo Specific

Treasurers Report

Another brief financial update from your Treasurer From a financial perspective currently matters are relatively quiet ahead of the annual membership renewal process as we fast approach 2016. 2015 has been another year where we have managed to keep the annual membership fee unchanged. I do anticipate that to support the future plans within the NSCA a small increase will be required and agreed at the 2016 AGM.

Membership numbers remain more or less unchanged from that in 2014.

2015 has been another year where gradual investment has been made for the benefit of all within the NSCA. This was required to fund the Association's website rebuild at circa £6,000. To date progress on this has been slow and this in turn has been frustrating to all NSCA members. Please be assured that our website will be relaunched shortly and going forward we will all benefit from the enhanced look / functionality / design. To coin a phrase ' If something is worth doing it is worth doing properly irrespective of how long it does take ' Further investment during 2016 is currently being discussed at Committee and I will update you all early next year.

On the sailing front another successful year with all Series completed and apart from the Eastern Series all prizes have been presented. Congratulations to all.

For me personally Endurance Solo 5638 was finally collected by myself from P & B in Northampton in early September.

Subsequently I have not raced in her much due to knee injuries ( Mrs W says old age ! ). I am also in the process of tweaking her to my liking. We have also had weed at FGSC although I am glad to report that this is now disappearing. The Winter series is now ahead which for me at times I do prefer with good winds / bright days. All together good to blow away the frustrations and challenges faced during my working week.

My boat will now remain at FGSC until our Winter Championships at Chew in February 2016.

Catch up again on the water in 2016.

Dave Walford Solo 5638 Endurance

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Two angles of Olly Wells working his P+B Solo to windward at WPNSA

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60th Anniversary Event A Celebration of the National Solo Dinghy

National Solo Vintage Championship Venue; Draycote Water Sailing Club Date; August 20-21st (provisional) Eligibility; N.S.C.A Member Equipment; Any Solo with the sail number lower than 4269 !"#$%&'((&To be finalised )($*+,-*."¬ required. Race Format: 2 races Saturday, 2 races Sunday. /$01(&2#$3,#3$(4&There will be prizes for race winners and overall positions but the large proportion of the prize fund will be allocated over the weekend to those who enter into the spirit of the event by racing older, 'most authentic for Chris Gillard would qualify in his era' Solos'. old Solo

Why no new boats allowed? There are National Solos' up and down the land that sit idle in the dinghy parks. Stones', Lovetts', Willetts, Seamark Nunns' and Jack Holts' are some of the examples we would like to see at the event. Wood, composite, fibreglass and Old composites Welcome foam sandwich examples all fall into the allowable criteria as long as they were built before the year 2000. The emphasis of the weekend is to celebrate the birth of the National Solo in 1956 and the different eras of hull form, good and bad! Mountifield, Batt and other vintage sails will be very warmly welcomed. That said, there are many fine examples of Goslings’ Crawshaws etc that we hope to see. Modern rig and laminate sails can be retro fitted too.

Why have we have purposely dis-allowed the most modern Solos'? The majority of sailors that travel to our 'big' events are seasoned open meeting regulars and it would be these that would turn up to this event in their regular Solo. The purpose of this event is to embrace the history of the Class, re-juvinate some of the older National Solos' used/ unused at club level, incentivise club members to hitch up their old Solo and come and join the party. What about the open meeting regulars? No need to bring certification to the event releases you to get down to your local club and beg or borrow an older National Solo. Our hope is that open meeting regulars who know the joy of racing at other venues and mixing with other Solo sailors will motivate the stay at home sailor to hitch the boat up and join the party. Why not organise a tuning day at your club and do not forget to include some towing tips. This is the chance to impart some of your knowledge to the club sailor. It would also be great to see our finest Solo sailors, Sims, Davis, Cumbley, Tunnicliffe and Mitchell get the best out of an old Solo. Club Champion Nominate a 'champion' who will fly the colours for your Club. With over 100 affiliated clubs in the UK, we could have a great competition. This does not stop you turning up as well though! Social First race 12pm Saturday 20th August followed by race 2 back to back. Target length of each race being 1.5 hours. Off the water for interviews, showers, appetisers and free beer. From 5.30pm, live music, food and guest speakers. 8.30pm organised mini buses to accommodation, club bar open till 9.30pm. Sunday First race 11am followed by race 2 back to back. Target length of each race 1 hour. 3pm Prizegiving Tony Thresher will qualify in his own Solo 4pm Safe journey home. 10

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Solo Specific Archive

The Yachting World Solo Designed by Jack Holt High Performance Single handed Racing Boat A little reminder of how far the National Solo has evolved in 60 years

Dave Mitchell beats to windward in the new breed of National Solo

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WIN National Solo 6000

PRIZE DRAW 2016

This is your chance to win a brand new National Solo. Simply join the N.S.C.A as a full member by 30th June 2016 to be included in the free draw.

Benefits of being an N.S.C.A member include; three Class magazines per year, packed full of articles, photos’ and information. Free coaching days at your club, a fabulous website with members area, organised Class racing across the UK and in Holland.

Full details on the winners package to Follow

THE DRAW WILL TAKE PLACE AT THE INLAND CHAMPIONSHIP SEP 17-18

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HAVE YOU GOT THE FACTOR ?

NEXT YEAR IS THE NATIONAL SOLO’S 60TH ANNIVERSARY

Thriving Open Meeting Circuits 100 New Builds per Year EVENTS 2016 Active Coaching Sessions Winter Championship FRP/Wood and Composite Construction Chew Valley 20 Feb Rig Choice to suit all Weights Spring Championship On-the Water Umpiring Draycote 9 April

www.solosailing.org.uk Nation’s Cup Holland Medemblik 22-24 Apr

Nigel Pusinelli Trophy WPNSA 18-19 June

National Championship See the Video Pwlheli 17-22 July https://youtu.be/IvP-QZw0pBI The N.S.C.A is Inland Championship Sponsored by Rutland 17-18 Sep

EOS Championship Oxford 29 Oct

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Solo Specific Feature THE INVISIBLE MUSCLE

Improvement from Within Jon Clarke EDGE SAILS Pic; Mike Wilkie Mike Pic;

Easy Places – No Investment Required Some of you may know me but just in case – my name is Jon Clarke and I have been racing Solos for more years than I care to remember. I also make sails - Edge Sails. For the last two years, courtesy of the National Solo Class Association, I have been delivering coaching courses to interested groups at sailing clubs around the country and had some interesting experiences with group of differing levels of ability. I have been surprised that some of things I take for granted can be fairly easily articulated and shared and can really make “If you have a difference to a developing sailor. sailed a stinker of After all, it’s not just about the top 20 Solo sailors, it’s a race as about the thousands of Solo sailors who want to everyone does improve their racing results. So I have put pen to paper to summarise some of the key points which seemed to occasionally, don’t be really relevant for sailors working up to a big event. dwell on it for too When I visit various clubs for racing or to deliver long - you have to coaching sessions, it is gratifying to see the force yourself to commitment shown to the sport – demonstrable by the look for the number of brand new, shiny boats out there with all of the latest hardware, pristine fittings and the empty positives” wallets…. So what’s next? The only thing left to work is you – not the biceps and the sit ups – I am assuming that you will keep yourself

I am talking about your heads, the grey matter, the invisible muscle. And more specifically your ability to cope and manage when things do not go to plan…..

What I am touching on here is the psychological aspect of our sport. My introduction to this subject came when I was about 8 years old and was crewing for my Dad in his GP14 at Rugby SC. I was a keen crew (in my mail order home made wetsuit nappies which those of a certain age will remember fondly) and always wanted to try and make a difference to improve our overall results (which were not generally impressive). One thing that has always stayed with me was the telling off I would get for looking behind us. My Dad would say “Don’t let the opposition catch you looking at them – they’ll catch us up quicker!” and, baffled, I asked how on earth that could happen and Dad’s explanation was that it made us look worried and therefore vulnerable but he added “If you do have to keep looking back there, then smile!” For a single handed sailor, being left alone in his boat with only his own mind for company can be a dangerous thing – let’s look at a few scenarios.

Dave Nixson stares out the opposition at the Inland training day pic; Mike Wilkie

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Solo Specific Feature

The Start This is for mid fleet and back enders – pay attention my friends! Following your agonised deliberations over pin end or boat end and finding the transit, if you then find yourself in the middle of the start line and all of sudden Davis / Cumbley sidles up alongside you, don’t kid yourself you must have picked a superb starting location. A good sailor will pick a friendly rabbit who won’t defend their turf and then drive over them to get a good wide lane - you know the rules, so don’t let them. Don’t get psyched out. If you see this sort of situation developing, either get out of there or sort it out. This is a great example of where your positive mental strength must rule supreme. You must clearly express your intent, shout for your rights and close the gap. You’ve paid the same entry fee as every other boat on the water and it’s your race too. If you subsequently make a poor start, it’s not a problem as you were about to make one anyway and next time the cheeky champ may think twice and pick a less toothy rabbit. I will reiterate the fact this does take courage as taking a hotshot over the line is a noisy thing to do but you will probably only have to do it once and lots of other sailors will want to buy you a pint in the bar later. If you want a list of sailors who I would recommend that you can practice your toothy rabbit manoeuvre on, please call me for a free list (including last known sail number). So, now you’re out of the start like a scalded cat, leaving Chris Brown and Mike Sims locked together and head to wind, and you’re heading nicely up the beat … suddenly you realise you’re doing quite well, in fact very well indeed. In this scenario “Oh brilliant!” is sometimes swiftly followed by “Oh dear!” as you realise that all of those great sailors who usually beat you are behind you and looking really scary with big pointy teeth – this is normal and is commonly known as an outbreak of the Pecking Order Disorder syndrome.

On the start line “You must clearly express your intent”

Pecking Order Disorder If you want to, you can enjoy it for a few minutes and then sail safely back to your normal place in the fleet? I have seen this happen so many times over the years and heard the stories in the bar afterwards (myself included I hasten to add) “I was 10th boat at the first mark but then 38th home” – it’s a great story but you can make it even better. This is the exact moment when you must FOCUS hard because usually your mind turns from friend to foe at this point. Everyone has different techniques for staying focussed at this juncture and however you do it, this is when you need to do it.

Jon with a bevy of beauties, drowning his sorrows after another poor show

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Solo Specific Feature

Focus For example, our august editor (newly elected president Will Loy himself) used to talk to himself to really focus his mind and I have overheard him regularly muttering “Keep it going, come on just keep it going”. Personally, I’ve tried a few things and one of my favourites was writing a word on my boom (both sides) that I could use to keep the demons away and make sure I zoom into what I am doing – sailing the fastest and best course I can. As you learn to manage yourself and maintain that focus, your self confidence and self belief will increase dramatically and you will climb the fleet. If you get a chance to observe a good helmsman at work, you will note that he / she sails with almost impenetrable focus. They are very difficult to rattle. You guys are all better than you think you are – you just need to heed some of this advice and put it into practice – largely because it’s so much nicer not to mention easier near the front where the air is clear and there is plenty of space – you will learn to love it! Your own personal route to maintaining focus is critical in so many situations when perhaps things have gone wrong for whatever reason. You may have picked the wrong side of the beat, picked up a 720 or whatever – but when you arrive in that ‘bad place’ you can do one of two things (i) dwell on why it always happens to you and berate yourself or (ii) emergency focus to make a plan and execute it. So, let’s assume you’re mid fleet where these errors will really hit you hardest (in terms of number of places lost) and so let’s assess what consequences a positive or a negative outlook will do for you. The focussed and upbeat sailor has the chance here to only lose 3-4 places as they are more likely to get back on their game so much faster whereas the more negative sailor is very vulnerable and therefore slow to execute any mitigation which can mean losing out to a dozen boats or more. So, don’t flap, maybe two tack it to clear your lane and settle down as quickly as possible.

Let’s march on through the race. You’ve had a good start, avoided a few potholes up the beat by sticking to the happy sailor headset and you’ve arrived at the windward mark in a good position – phew! This is a great time to take a few seconds and look around and admire your good work, you can assess where you are relative to your besty mates and check your position in the fleet overall … NO, NO, NO! I have seen (and done) this so many time and it’s a total loser – you need to use your focus technique to get round the mark, choose your course (low if you can, high if you have to) and get away from the mark.

Let’s leave the race there. The point I am trying to make is that having met and coached a number of Solo sailors recently, you are all a lot better than you think you are and with some tiny mind adjustments and a harder attitude (without becoming

a horrible competitor) your sailing performance and enjoyment of our sport can increase exponentially. Pic; Anne Marie Coyle Marie Anne Pic;

Remember - pretty girls cant resist a good sailor. (Hydon, Loy and Clark with the ravishing Maud Maestracci at Cowes Week 2014

Don’t Worry, Be Happy One last thing to remember if you have sailed a stinker of a race as everyone does occasionally, don’t dwell on it for too long - you have to force yourself to look for the positives. I remember coming off the water after the last race at the Inlands in 2014 and my girlfriend, Anne-marie, met me ashore and just as I was about to give her my boo-hoo story about the race, she said “That looked so cool, you’ve got the biggest gang of sailing mates ever and do you think I think could sail a Solo next year!?” It shut me up – not all bad really is it?

Wishing you all good sailing!

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Solo Specific Championship

National Championship and Nation’s Cup 2015 East Lothian Y.C. Scotland Sponsored by SELDEN

It has been 6 years since the Class last visited the quaint picturesque town of North Berwick but as a Nationals venue it is right up with the best. After the race briefing, ably directed by PRO Ted Hill, the fleet were released onto the water.

Day 1 Race 1 and the fleet of 70 National Solos’ were away first time, the light to moderate easterly giving a nice beat towards Bass Rock. The fleet would normally have started the week with a recall but the tide had other ideas and some found themselves well behind the line at the start. Nick Bonner had a blinder at the committee biased end and headed off right with the majority of the fleet following. Cumbley had started slightly late but tracked right, tacked on a perfect layline and led round with Mike Sims a close second. Bonner, Tunnicliffe and Pete Mitchell were also in the hunt and the 65 other competitors filed round in orderly fashion. There was not much action and rule 42 observance was adhered to impeccably. Mitchell moved through to third by mark 3 then took a small hitch up the unfavoured left side to round second, behind Cumbley but ahead of Sims, Tunnicliffe and Andy Davis. The PRO shortened at the leeward mark so this was the finishing order for the top five. One unfortunate Solo had sustained damage in a port /starboard collision and retired to shore to effect repairs.

After a short delay the start sequence for race 2 began but with cloud and warm air filtering from near the harbour entrance the wind was veering hard. The start was recalled as there was too much bias and I doubt there was a single sailor who was surprised. The breeze then swung 75 degrees east and the course was re-laid with the top mark in line with Bass Rock. Local knowledge decreed that if you can smell the Gannet poo then it is a sea breeze that blows. Unfortunately with the wind refusing to settle the PRO abandoned racing for the day. So after 1 race it is the current National Champion Charlie Cumbley that holds a slender lead over stable mate Pete Mitchell with Mike Sims third, Andy Tunnicliffe fourth and Andy Davis fifth.

Day 2 is promising much more breeze and some swell to make things interesting for both competitors and cameraman.

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Solo Specific Championship

Day 2 After being belted by strong winds and rain overnight the fleet awoke to skies as blue as the Mediterranean and a totally inappropriate air temperature of 20 degrees. Fortunately, Selden’s generous sponsorship deal had allowed the NSCA to provide the entire fleet and race officials with a T shirt each, much to the relief of those with only drysuits and jumpers in their suitcases. The breeze was at 12-15mph with some healthy gusts as the fleet prepared to launch. PRO Ted Hill was on station and with a sudden increase in pressure to a steady 28mph with gusts in excess of this events limit of 30mph, made the decision to delay racing. The fleet sat ashore in the lee of Berwick Law and fidgeted with rig settings. Two hours passed and with gusts recorded from the race area of 43mph and no indication from the Met office of a reduction in the near future, racing was abandoned for the day. The fleet made off to local restaurants, golf courses and distilleries to drown sorrows, celebrate abandonments and dissect the PRO decision process. Only 20 minutes had passed when the white horses that had adorned each and every wave in the bay, disappeared, to be replaced by a steady 15-18mph. The lofty position of PRO really sucks when that happens. I myself heard nearly 70 different weather forecasts and predictions and the anguish and frustration etched on the race teams faces as they came off the water was easily recognizable. Robbie Wilson went out to play and his highlights are included with this brief report.

So with only one race completed so far and strong breezes forecast for tomorrow the decision has been made to possibly re-schedule racing for an earlier start time and add an extra race per day to the two race format. Tonight attention turns to the Annual General Meeting and also the SELDEN raffle with the chance to win a new boom, courtesy of SELDEN. When racing does resume it is Charlie Cumbley who will be wearing the event leader rash vest, sponsored by Rooster Sails. The traditional ‘Tour de France’ yellow has been ditched for a very fetching blue version, another ground breaking National Solo Class first! Day 3 The forecast issued by the Met office was foreboding, other wind and weather stations are available. The fleet sat ashore while PRO Ted Hill mustered his troops and ventured out into the deep blue. Up until 10.30am the conditions had looked manageable but as the minutes and hours clicked by, various garments pegged to a nearby clothesline flickered to attention. The assembled sailors stood by as Ian the beach master waited for his walkie talkie to crackle into life… Out on the racecourse Ted and the team were being battered by the might of the southerly winds. As the tide turned and headed towards land the crests of the breaking waves materialized like hundreds of Gannets returning to the surface with their catch. The handheld two-way radio had it’s moment in the spotlight and relayed the news that racing was cancelled for the day. The fleet disbanded quicker than a manufactured boy band and headed off to go-cart tracks, golf courses and eateries. The forecast for the rest of the championship is promising so there is still opportunity to complete a further 9 races.

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Solo Specific Championship

Day 4 Race 7 After enduring two days of not being able to race the fleet were finally released out onto the playground. The wind was from the south at 195, well south-ish and was expected to reach 20mph at it’s peak. This proved accurate depending where you were on the course. The scheduled race 7 was away after one general recall, compliments of Mr. Hopwood who dragged the fleet over about 40 seconds too early. The sight of 70 National Solos’ splitting tacks in the building breeze, comforted the PRO. The beat was true. At the top it was Andy Davis, coming in from the left who rounded first with David Sword and Charlie Cumbley, sporting the ‘Event Leader’ vest, sponsored by Rooster, in pursuit. By the bottom of the triangle Cumbley had broken through into second and he and Davis proceeded to extend away from third placed Mike Sims to the finish. Pete Mitchell and Andy Tunnicliffe completed the top five.

Race 8 The conditions were conducive to a prompt turnaround and the fleet were away with only three called over early. They continued the good fight once they had dipped the line. After a beat of 0.6 of a mile it was reigning National Champion Cumbley who led the fleet with Robbie Wilson second and Andy Davis once again in the “Hunt’ in third. The fleet were well disciplined as they filed off down the substantial reach, the influence of the jury boat having the same effect as a speed camera on the A3. Davis broke through Wilson and set off in hot pursuit of Cumbley. It was halfway up the third beat that he made his move, holding out to the right slightly longer and finding a shift and some extra puff to get him to the front. Cumbley was unable to counter down the final two legs so this was how it stayed with Wilson third and Mike Sims fourth. Andrew Wilde was showing some good form and collected fifth.

Rescheduled Race 2 The third race of the day was started after a general recall under the black flag. There were no casualties, which was a surprise to myself, and some of the lucky fellow’s in Solos. The pressure across the course had dropped but this did not seem to bother Davis who once again rounded first with Wilde, Wilson, Nick Bonner and Anthony Osman all in the mix. The breeze was proving as choosy as a hormonal bride picking a dress as it flip-flopped from one side of the course to the other. With the race shortened to a triangle – sausage and the wind finally dying, it was Olly Wells who collected the spoils. Ewan Birkin Walls, Robbie Wilson, Andrew Wilde and Nick Bonner completed the top five. Davis was in sixth and Cumbley had sorted his discard.

So, after four races and sailwave showing one discard available it is Charlie Cumbley who leads the SELDEN Solo National Championship and Nation’s Cup by just two points from Andy Davis. Mike Sims sits ready to pounce in third with Andy Tunnicliffe fourth and Andrew Wilde fifth.

Windguru is predicting 13-21mph from a more dependable westerly direction and with three races scheduled and a 1pm start time (11am on Friday), the championship is hotting up.

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Ray Collins working hard at North Berwick

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Solo Specific Championship Day 5 Race 9 The fleet had just about recovered from the three back to back races the day before and with a forecast of around 12-16mph and another three races planned, the athletes donned lycra and neoprene and made their way onto the course. Conditions were a perfect 16mph from 270 degrees or west in old money. The fleet were away after a few general recalls and it was Kevan Gibb who stole the limelight with Cumbley, Tunnicliffe, Sims and Wilson in pursuit. The fleet revelled in the perfect planing conditions, the old fashioned triangle sausage course is hard to beat on a day like today. Cumbley had a healthy lead by mark 3 and worked the middle while Davis hit the left. Cumbley and Gibb were neck and neck at mark 4 but Davis had moved through to third. Sims and Tunnicliffe were the right hand losers. Up the third beat and Davis again went hard left but this time Cumbley kept an eye on him and at the top he had extended his lead. Gibb finally relinquished second at the gybe mark so the top five were, Cumbley, Davis, Gibb, Wilson and Sims.

Race 10 The fleet were a little bit over zealous and it took several attempts and two black flags to get the race away. Tunnicliffe and Steve Ede two of the casualties. The fleet divided up the beat and I strained my short vision eyesight to try and find a biblical figure walking down the middle but alas there was no bugger. Cumbley was on fire and rounded ahead of Wilson and Davis. I swear I heard Cumbley humming “anything you can do’’ as he roared down the reach. Davis passed Wilson at the gybe mark and set off after the reigning champion. There were a number of capsizes but no hospitalizations as the Solo sailors piled down, around but not through the building wave patterns. Cumbley secured the bullet, Davis second, Wilson third, Sims fourth and Andrew Wilde fifth.

Re-scheduled Race 3 This was proper Man testing stuff, therefore, incredible respect for the one lady competitor, Katie Masterson who completed all three races. The wind increased to a healthy 18-24 and with a tweak to 255 degrees and a course adjustment by Ted and the team, the rescheduled race 3 was started. Clean away and with a few OCS casualties with something to prove it was big Jim Turner who gained the bragging rights with Cumbley second and Nick Bonner who had calmed down after a difference of opinion with Chris Brown at the start of race 9, third. As the newly installed President of the N.S.C.A I plan to introduce the naughty chair for transgressors of the racing rules of sailing. The reaches were epic. I was called away to shore so could not cover the race but at the death of an awesome race it was Cumbley who secured his third bullet of the day from Davis, Sims, Tunnicliffe and Turner. So, as the fleet dragged their boats and themselves up the soft Scottish sand it would be Cumbley with a healthy five point lead over Davis with Sims a further nine points back. Tomorrow is forecast lighter and with a possible further three races and a start time of 12pm, the SELDEN Solo Nationals and Nation’s Cup is not over.

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Solo Specific Championship

Race 11 Day 6 dawned sunny and warm, Scotland has delivered lovely weather and conditions to suit the lightweights, the heavyweights, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I made my way onto the East Lothian rescue rib with the sure footedness of a tightrope walker with vertigo and set out to Sea. Bass Rock jutted from the clear blue water, it’s surface sprinkled with what looked like icing sugar. On the rock, pure white Gannets looked on in dis-interest at was about to unfold in front of them. There are 3 races planned, 2 discards coming into effect after the first race of the day so plenty to play for. The racers completed their routine practice beats, timed runs to the line and sat dry mouthed as the minutes ticked down. The breeze was from 295 and ranged between 8 and 10mph with more breeze on the right and less tide on the left. It was Nick Bonner who rounded just ahead of Cumbley and Pete Mitchell to give him something to shout about at the bar for the next 12 months. The reaches were tedious and that was from my position on the committee boat, on the course it must have been painful. Cumbley took control and extended to win comfortably and put one mitt on the cup. Andy Davis had again worked miracles and finished second from Pete Mitchell who was still in the mix to top five overall.

Race 12 The course was re-aligned at a new angle of 275 degrees and Ted looked out pensively towards Craig Leigh. There was still more pressure on the right of the course but with the tide on the turn, the correct strategy would be pivotal. Cumbley and Davis were towards the pin with the majority of the fleet in tow but at the top it was Mike Sims, a committee boat starter who got the pat on the back for sound tactics. Andy Tunnicliffe, Chris Turner were next and as I looked back, back, back, it was Cumbley and Davis who were buried. This race was as tense as an end of season soap opera and at one point, with the leaders approaching the bottom mark there was confusion as to whether Ted had shortened course but alas, there was no flag hoisted. Mike Sims was already on the way up the final beat and with his nearest rivals implying he should head for the line, ducked towards it. Fortunately Mike is smarter than the average cat and headed back up on the correct course with no major loss of distance. At the gun it was Sims, Turner, Tunnicliffe, Olly Wells and Pete Mitchell. Cumbley recorded 14th and Davis got a discard in with a 20th.

Re-scheduled Race 4 With only 1 race remaining and 29 minutes until the time limit would be met to halt any further racing for the day, the tension was at DEFCON 3. The fleet were too keen and with 3 OCS including Bonner, the start sequence was re-booted. The cheerful demeanor was replaced with sobriety as the seconds ticked down. Cumbley sat to leeward of Davis and with a raft of starboard tackers engulfing them was able to tack clear of Davis’s shadow. The scores on the doors meant that if Davis could restrict Cumbley to 14th or worse he would win the Championship. At the gun both sailors were in clear air and tracked up the beat in close company. From my lofty position on board the committee boat it looked like Cumbley had been able to force Davis to tack off onto the unfavoured left of the course. But, I was 300 yrds downwind with dodgy vision and an over enthusiastic imagination. The breeze was holding at a fickle 9.4 knots and it was Tunnicliffe, Craig Williamson, Wilson and Sims around first. Cumbley was 5th and although not home dry, had made the title his to lose. The reaches were long drawn out affairs, yesterday’s awesome downwinds just a warm and distant memory. The second beat was processional, the penny had dropped and the sailors went hard right. The unremarkable run towards the leeward mark is hard to put into words, it was dull, but for the sailors with much to lose or gain it must have felt like the longest run they have ever done. Ted and the team, spotting the elongated faces upped anchor and headed to the top mark for a shortened course finish. Tunnicliffe secured his first win of the week and fourth overall. Chris Brown was 2nd to finish with Andrew Wilde 3rd, Sims 4th and third overall. Charlie Cumbley finished 5th and this was enough to take the title of SELDEN Solo National and Nation’s Cup Champion 2015. Andy Davis was second overall and had come incredibly close and the championship could have gone either way. Mike Sims goes into the RS400 Nationals next week with the confidence that he is up with the best. Pete Mitchell completed the top five and is sure to feature at the top of this and other classes very soon. Dave Mitchell in 9th was first Veteran, Nick Rawlings (26th), first Grand Master and Alex Corby (18th) the Junior Champion. I could mention all 70 competitors but special mention to Katie Masterson in 56th for her skills on ‘Big Thursday’, Peter Middlemiss who was nearly always last but was full of enthusiasm and to Gerry Goodfellow’s new bride who allowed him to race on their honeymoon.

Thanks to SELDEN for their very generous sponsorship, NOBLE MARINE for continuing their support of the N.S.C.A and special thanks to the race team, headed by Ted Hill who were brilliantly well organized and always eager to please the Class.

Will Loy

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Solo Specific Series North Sails Super Series

Ten 'major' events down and it is Andy Davis that closed the National Solo 2015 calendar with another win to claim the inaugural North Sails Super Series title. Andy has sailed supremely well this year and his wins at the Springs, Welsh, Scottish, and Inlands and EOS as well as seconds at the National Championship and the Winters are quite an achievement. Mike Sims finishes second overall with a strong finish to the season with third at the Nationals, third at the Inlands and now second at the EOS to go with his fourth at the Springs. Pete Mitchell takes third with the win at the Winters, second at the Southerns and fourth at the Springs his best results. With over 270 sailors competing in the ten events and an average of 51.5 per event, it has been a great success. Some big players just fell short of the qualifying criteria, Cumbley and Tunnicliffe to name just two. North Sails have kindly offered to continue to be our title sponsor for 2016 and their generosity is very well appreciated by all of the NSCA members and committee. The prize giving was a blur of raffle ticket numbers, smiling faces and laughing and crying. Well, not everyone could win. HARKEN, who had sponsored the EOS provided a big box of goodies including wet bags, rucksacks and sweat shirts. There were also loads of 'bags for life' carriers with HARKEN emblazoned on them, the must have in the shopping mall darling. Thank you HARKEN. The main Super Series draw was dramatic. Anticipation and excitement with a daub of greed of was etched on the qualifiers (38) faces as the first name was revealed. The winner would collect a brand new North SK2, still to be cut from the new 2016 laminate. Graham Wilson was the lucky winner and there after followed the prizes of a lovely Phil Milanes Rudder Blade which went to Andrew Wilde, a beautiful Winder Boats Rudder Stock and Carbon Tiller which was gratefully accepted by Dave Mitchell, some super Rooster Supertherm Sailing Apparel, two gorgeously constructed C2 Carbon Nitesticks, one of which went to Kevin Gibb, two stunning Ronstan Clear Start Watches, one of which was won by Steve Denison, a Creation Covers Undercover which was won by Davis who ironically works in the same premises as Creation's Chris Gould, two £50 discount vouchers from our class sponsor NOBLE MARINE and a new SuperSpar Boom, won by John Webster. Some of the winners names has eluded me but you get the gist. Many prizes, so thanks to ALL our suppliers.

Will Loy

Graham Wilson (right) collects his new North SK2 from North’s Charlie Cumbley.

Andy Davis showed a clean pair of heels to the fleet at the EOS

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Power to Perform

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A4Advert2 22 January 2014 16:39:31 26

Solo Specific Feature

Lightweight sailing Part 2 by Brenda Hoult 1 Boat choice – the Solo The Solo gives me the opportunity for regular fleet racing, firstly in the midlands at Bartley SC and latterly at Hayling Island SC. The Solo is a challenge I don’t seem to be able to give up (not to say I haven’t sold one or more in a fit of ‘never again’ over the last 15 years). The Solo has enough rig options to enable a wide weight-range and age-range of sailors to have their day with the right rig, pulling the right bits of string. The B-plan sail option enables me to have an absolute hoot at windy Nationals days rather than sit out the apparent champagne (i.e. terrifying to me with a full-sized sail) sailing conditions. 2 Hull choice The lighter helm can choose a boat with less rocker than a heavier helm – for this reason I have always liked the Winder Mk.1. This shape appears to have no foibles and the Winder build quality is legendary. My favourite boat of all time though would be my Andy Miles built wooden Solo which I have owned three times! I’m convinced that the double- floored wooden boats can be competitive with later FRP hulls IF they are updated with modern rigs and foils. 3 Fit out choice The Solo is slow but sure to evolve – doubtless crucial to its continuing success. Likewise I have been quite stubborn about accepting new fittings and systems on my boats since my first basically fitted out Harris, 2938. I have always used a traveller – to lesser or greater extent depending upon rig, but with time have added mainsheet jammer, adjustable inhaul and most recently continuous control lines. I believed that adjusting the control line tails to avoid running out of travel was all part of the charm until it was pointed out to me the secondary advantage of cleating the leeward control line. This has now been developed to a state that the leeward cleating on 5432, my recent Winder (Winder fit-out), was sublime. A carefully thought-out development that is just as applicable to older boats – 17yr old 4157 is now being fitted with a version of the system. 4 Rig choice Unfortunately I don’t have the luxury of time to experiment with different rigs so decided 2 years ago to stick with the known and trusted Sleeved C, for now. Inland I have sailed occasional races with an M7 / Cumulus / D+ and the power is a marked change from my softer rig. I considered limiting my wind range and using one more regularly but with sea breezes and long harbour legs I would be very limited to what my competitive wind range was. I tried both a Wavelength and a Bristow and had moments of immense speed; together with days I didn’t seem to get the boat to do anything I wanted. I had heard that the Wavelength inspired rigs take some getting used to but I sadly haven’t got time at the moment. Again, all that is great about traditional one-design classes – choice without obsolescence, giving everyone that opportunity to have their moment of speed. But that’s another essay altogether.

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Solo Specific Feature Mr Blue Sky Goes to Scotland

North Berwick is a long way from my home club at Salcombe in Devon and I now appreciate the distance Scottish sailors travel when they come South to compete in places like Mounts Bay, Hayling Island and Brightlingsea. I also now appreciate that the air temperature in Scotland can be a touch lower than us Southern sailors are used to, however the sky was generally blue and there was wind! Persuading my wife, Margaret to come North too was not easy, however we were greeted with friendly people and a charming location. North Berwick, known to some as the “Scottish Riveria” is a small coastal town, forty miles East of Edinburgh and surrounded by golf courses. It is a one street town with plenty of “useful” shops, restaurants and a wonderful car parking system. Evidently a few years ago parking was controlled by the police. The Council then appointed a traffic warden company that subsequently went bust. Since then parking anarchy has prevailed where parking everywhere is “free” and the police ignore parking restriction signs. The whole system seems to work perfectly! The East Lothian Yacht Club (ELYC) is situated next to the small enclosed harbour where about thirty boats were jammed into the harbour like “Arbroath Smokkies”. The club itself received lottery funding for extensive refurbishment in what must have be an ancient listed harbourside building. The club has a copious dinghy parking space, but we were located on an extensive grass area in front of a sweeping sandy beach leading at low tide to a very precarious section of water that took us to the sea. ELYC is the largest dinghy sailing club in Scotland and they seemed well equipped to deal with the seventy Solo sailors who attended. I am guessing that about twenty of the seventy entries were from Scotland and of course most of the hard core top English Solo sailors were here too. Low tide launching was challenging. ELYC rescue boats patrolled both sides of a narrow channel and we were chaperoned out to the unrestricted sailing area. Well nearly unrestricted. There were two small offshore islands, uninhabited by humans but inhabited by zillions of sea birds. The whole area is a paradise for bird watchers and Bass Rock in particular created a dramatic backdrop for most of our sailing.

Day one was offshore medium wind strength, day two and three too windy to sail. Wednesday was I recall two races, or was it three? Then windy Thursday arrived. What a day; fantastic sailing in challenging wind and waves. Superb full on sailing where I was just pleased to get round the course. One capsize and quite a few “tack arounds” rather than gybes. I do remember gybing on a few occasions and feeling very pleased to have survived. The final day gave the lightest conditions for the week and on balance we seemed to have a bit of everything. Three Championship races in a day is a lot, but the race committee did a fantastic job to get a good number of races in, even having lost two days sailing. The OOD was spot on and he set what seemed like massively long lines. There was a small tide effect but his perfect lines meant that about two thirds of the fleet arrived at the windward mark essentially at the same time and the key was where you were placed in the queue to go round the mark. From my own perspective I felt rule observance was good. I did not see or hear any naughty incidents and in general the wind was too strong for the stand up rock and rollers to come to the fore. It is difficult for me to report what went on at the front of the fleet as I was not there, however from a distance, it seemed that Charlie and Taxi were generally in a league of their own. Their ability to get the first beat right so consistently was remarkable, particularly in a fleet where boat speed differentials are so close.

This was my third Solo Nationals and I am slowly getting to know a few faces. Solo sailors seem to be a bit of a reserved lot. If you approach them and start a conversation then it’s usually fine and it is generally easy to find some sort of common ground. I found other competitors were very happy to share their advice on Solo set ups and techniques. I tried a few tweaks but they didn’t seem to make any difference to my performance. The one area where there seems to be the greatest difference of opinion is in the use of the mainsheet traveller. With current high power kicker systems in use, I am not sure that the traveller position is that important? Maybe that was why I never got a sniff near the leading pack? Was it a good Championship? The answer has to be yes and well done ELYC and the Solo Association for getting it right.

Mr Blue Sky. Solo 5183. Malcolm Mackley

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Solo Specific Feature Sailing at Salcombe By Paul Playle (A Nancy pond sailor)

I have just returned from the South West champs at Salcombe and can honestly say it was one of the most enjoyable events I have ever attended. My first experience of Salcombe was our annual holiday when my dad used to race Fireballs there in the late 70’s to early 80’s. As a child, Salcombe memories will be with me forever, golden beaches, Ice cream shops on every corner, a sailing club that had a Walrus’s head above the door, and a fantastic model of a ship in a huge glass case. To this day I always wonder what happened to the back half of that Walrus. Pic; Malcolm Mackley So as a child my dream was to follow in the footsteps of my father, trying desperately to keep up with the locals but always never quite making it. I have now been completely hooked by the Beautiful launching from the sandy beach Salcombe bug and I am becoming quite a regular at Solo events. Salcombe usually runs the following events that I try to attend. Spring and Autumn Open Meetings, Town Regatta and the Yacht club regatta. The Open events usually take place over a weekend, and the Town and Yacht club events are run over a week (One follows another in differing orders) The Town regatta is often a more low key affair and can be good fun entering before you go for the full blown Yacht club regatta. For anyone that has not sailed at Salcombe before, there are a number of challenges that an inland pond sailor will need to get their head around. Racing is normally carried out using the estuary racing marks, but occasionally the race officer might elect to send us out into open water. Open water sailing at Salcombe is very different from the estuary racing, once you sail out beyond the bar it all gets very serious. Steep cliffs either side, jagged rocks and a big swell. As long as you are sailing within your abilities this can be huge fun, but if any doubt you are advised to use your discard. Sailing in open water in these conditions presents different challenges, more often than not tide will still have a huge factor, and the quick way around the course will often take you in close to the cliffs, the sound of the swell crashing against the rocks can seem a little daunting to the fainthearted. Your tacking technique for one has to be spot on, with timing being an important factor, tacking at the bottom of a wave and being hit sideways is not an option. More often than not the racing will take place within the estuary and this will have a completely different set of skills and hazards to contend with. A quick peek at Google earth will soon highlight the fact that you will have to weave your way through hundreds of moored yachts, taking into account the tidal factor transit routes need mental calculation. Keeping out of the tide will also mean you need to keep in the shallows, your tacking technique will quickly show if you are up to scratch or not, tacking up the banks in the shallows can be extremely tiring, especially if you are in a close duel with another competitor. One of my favourite marks at Salcombe is Gerston (7). This is used predominantly if there is sufficient water. If you have a nice Southerly sea breeze you will more often than not be treated to a long screaming broad reach all the way down. Rounding Gerston (Depending on the course) will take you back in the opposite direction, rounding the mark requires quite a bit of skill and if you do not get it right many boat lengths will be lost. Again, depending on the course you will now typically have a very long close reach all the way back. If you are doing well and you are up the top half of the fleet it will now get extremely bumpy from the boats heading in the opposite way, the reach is a little closer, so you will usually be hiking at 100 percent. By the time you get near the bag your thighs are screaming for a bit of relief. At Salcombe you will often hear the locals talking about the bag, the bag is area where races are won and lost. I would love to let you

into the secret of getting through the bag with success but I can honestly say I still have not sussed it out, one day you can try one Pic; Andrew Reed Andrew Pic;

Paul (5466) comes in from the right at this tricky venue. thing and it pays off, the next day you do the same thing again and you lose out. One thing I can say about sailing at Salcombe, is that if the wind is light never give up the race if you have had a bad start. Never have I ever sailed at a venue where you can gain and lose so much on the downwind legs. Many times I have had a good first half of the race and pulled out a sizeable gap to the mid half of the fleet, for them to catch the breeze and sail straight past you from being 200 yards behind. This is great if you are mid- fleet but if you are up the front with the leading pack it can drive you absolutely mad. One bit of advice I can give anyone sailing at Salcombe for the first time. When you know what the weather conditions and wind direction is going to be the night before, study the course map and the tide table. You obviously do not know what the course is going to be, but experience will give you a few scenarios to think about. Come up with a plan AND STICK WITH IT!

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Solo Specific Feature

Pic; Malcolm Mackley

The Solos’ cheating the tide at Salcombe

I have to keep reminding myself about this, it is so easy to fall into a trap of looking at the fleet split direction when racing and then try to follow the pressure when the split gets it. All you find yourself doing is crossing the tide and getting to the pressure after it has passed. More often than not, you glance over your shoulder to see your original position get the next wave of pressure and sailing off into the distance. I think it would be almost impossible to write a column on how to sail at Salcombe, there are just too many variations with weather, tide and course. I am afraid you are just going to have to find out the hard way yourself. The locals are very friendly and I know they really appreciate visitors coming along, sailors come to sail here from all over the country, and come back year after year. So it is not only me who loves this place. Why don’t you try it out for yourself? Anyone would like to contact me regarding my experiences at sailing at Salcombe, please feel free to contact me on the following e-mail address. [email protected] I hope to see you on the start line next year.

Paul Playle

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Ian Hopwood flying downwind at WPNSA

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32 33

Solo Specific Championship Day 2 I awoke from my slumber with the sun peaking over the hills of Graam and illuminang the village of Perry and my south facing Volvo 850. Sailors emerged from camper vans and 'one pole' tents, did their best to stretch their ancient muscle fibres and headed for breakfast. Graam really is a lovely locaon and with camping 'on site' offers all you need for a perfect racing event..if it does not require wind. The 99 competors prepared to launch with varying degrees of gusto, some already kied out, others sll in 'civvies'. There was a faint ripple on the water and the PRO set out at 9.30am to assess the situaon. Necks strained and eyes squinted towards the flag staff for a postponement but none was raised. The majority of the fleet were on staon at the far west of the lake by 10.30am but fortunately for the 30 or so who were not, the postponement went up. I was lucky enough to be filming on the jury rib with Steve but when the radio crackled in to life with the news that we were to pick up photographic God Nick Champion, my throat went dry. I quickly holstered my Fuji S1 and concealed it, not wanng Mr Champion to fall overboard with laughter. We made it back to the racecourse in plenty of me, 2 hours in fact! On the commiee boat Peter the PRO stood, pensive but resolute, looking east for breeze, white horses or even one would have been too good to be true. The word on the boat was that we would have breeze by 1pm but with the club fleet becalmed at the other end of the water it looked remote. Nick Champion may have wished he had stayed in Whitstable and some of the fleet must have wished they had stayed in the bar but amazingly, at 12.55pm the windward marker radio sprang into life and proudly announced that 5-6 knots would be with us shortly. R4 Aer only one recall the fleet were away and it was Vince Horey, coming in from the le who rounded first, with Shane Macarthy and Mark Lee on his tail. Davis was in a solid posion and his grip on the championship looked vice-like. The fleet split gybes on the downwind, each looking to seek some clear air away from the shadow produced by 90+ laminate sails. The wind remained light, Horey held on for a good win with Macarthy 2nd and Davis in 3rd. Ewan Birkin Walls finished in 4th just ahead of new Solo sailor Marn Honner, who had had a stormer of a race. R5 Andy Davis had done enough to secure the tle but the draw of big fleet singlehanded racing and the knowledge that he was champ fresh in his mind, stayed out to play some more. The breeze was now threatening to make double figures and it was Steven Graham, who was already having a great regaa who popped out of the middle of the start line and smashed the fleet to the top mark. Steve held a healthy 100 metre lead over man of the moment, Horey and Pete Mitchell who was on a one race glory mission following a BFD in R1 and a misunderstanding over a general recall decision in R3. Graham held his nerve to record a memorable bullet (and Nick Champion was there to record it) from Horey and Mitchell. Kevin Gibb who along with Keith Milroy had made the journey down from Largo Bay was 4th which would make his trip back home that much more enjoyable and Andy Davis completed his regaa with a 5th. The 3.00pm deadline passed so there was no me for race 6. The full results are listed below but congratulaons also to the following;

Keith Milroy who ﬁnished 1st in the Plate Series Vince Horey, 1st veteren (50-59) Brian Holland, 1st Grand Master (60-69) Brian Fisher, 1st Sepmus (70+)

Many thanks to HARKEN for their generous sponsorship which will be presented at the EOS at Oxford (24 Oct), thanks to Noble Marine for their connued and valued sponsorship of the Class, to Graham and especially the race team with Peter Saxton as PRO. Thanks also to Steve Watson and Bill Brockenbank for their judging and to Nick Champion for his photographic brilliance.

One of his shots sll adorns my living room wall and to have a 'Champion' is a must have in yachng circles.

Will Loy Andy Davis models the Rooster “event Leader” vest

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Solo Specific Series NORTHERN AREA TRAVELLERS SERIES 2015 Kindly Sponsored by WINDER BOATS

Andy Tunnicliffe wins the series, with Steve Denison second and Innes Armstrong third.

Before the summer break, the series continued at Port Dinorwic SC where local sailor Stephen Owen took the honours ahead of Andy Fox. The weather conditions and distance putting off some travellers combined with saving themselves for the Northern Championships the following weekend. That event at Hollingworth Lake produced a good turnout and some decent weather on the Saturday, but the Sunday was a little lighter for wind. Innes Armstrong though took full advantage and won 2 races on the Sunday to take both the Travellers event and the Northern Championship, reported elsewhere. Steve Denison and Martin Honnor followed up. After the summer break a huge turnout at Leigh & Lowton were greeted with little or no wind and half hour postponement. When the wind did fill in it couldn’t make up its mind and was a nightmare for the race officer. Eventually after several hours on the water three races were held and Patrick Hamilton won with two firsts, closely followed by Innes and Tony Wright from Delph back on the podium after a quiet period. The series was now close as Innes or Steve Denison could catch Andy who had a poor day at L&L and was aiming to close out the series. Two wins at the last two events. As it happened, the event at RWYC was held in next to no wind and was won by myself, followed by Oliver Whitehead, both from Hollingworth, and Innes in third. A steam rally and a Vulcan fly past really didn’t substitute for some wind, although the setting was beautiful. Steve D didn’t turn out and hence scuppered his own chances for overall victory. Sailing at Budworth, was again postponed and looked like it would be a repeat of 2014, but some wind did fill in and three races followed with Steve Denison winning from Alex Taylor and Lee Tennant. So without sailing in the last two events Andy Tunnicliffe won the Northern Travellers title for 2015, closely followed by Steve Denison and Innes Armstrong. The full series results are posted on the website but overall 18 boats qualified by doing 5 out of 12 events (up from 13 in 2014).

Prizes were presented in the Budworth Sailing Club bar, for both the days Open Meeting and with prizes from Winder Boats, and from the Solo Association much appreciated by all recipients. Every qualifier also got a special printed T shirt which I hope will be worn with pride (as seen on the EOS video)

Look forward to seeing you on the water in 2016.

Nick Hornsby Northern Rep

NORTHERN AREA TRAVELLERS SERIES 2015 TEAM TROPHY As in 2014, a Team Trophy was presented to the Club that had the three boats with the lowest aggregate score, counting five results from the 12 events. This added competition did ensure that several clubs got their best Denison in action. sailors on the water; the result was neck and neck right up to the final event at Budworth. Hollingworth took a slender lead after the Northerns held at Hollingworth, but with good results at Leigh and Lowton and in the last two events last year’s Champions reined again, but this time but a very much reduced margin. The winning team of Innes Armstrong, Patrick Hamilton and Lee Tennant, collected the Team Trophy at the Prize Giving at Budworth in October. Runners up were Hollingworth, with Steve Denison, Oliver Whitehead and Chris Massey very close behind on points. Third place went to West Kirby who were consistently there and had 4 qualifiers in the end, but the best three were Bob Mosedale, Paul Dowman and Steve Ferrington.

Although Burwain had it their own way again in 2015, there are a number of clubs trying to muster an even better team in 2016, (or I will have to change the rules) and we look forward to the contest.

Nick Hornsby Solo Northern rep

Steve Denison Innes Armstrong

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Solo Specific Series Eastern and Thames Valley Areas Well, once again the season has come to an end, well almost, as we still have the final event at Fishers Green to race for. Steve Ede was once again right up there but this year Mark Maskell has really gone all out to win the region and has one hand on the trophy as I write this. He has a one point lead over Steve with 3 wins a piece and Vince Horey another point adrift. All this would be more public had I managed to get this on the website but with the new website expected to arrive in July there was always tomorrow to get those results up and out there. I hope the lack of results this season hasn’t undermined people’s interest as most people like to browse online and work out the magic numbers for themselves. The same is true of the Thames Valley where we had an early winner in Vince Horey with three or four skippers fighting over the other podium places. All was finally decided an unusually poorly supported Papercourt final heat, with Andy Boyce taking the runner up spot. At risk of repeating last year’s comment, it has become a rare treat to read about Solo open meetings on Yachts and Yachting with only four Eastern events getting a mention and five on the Thames Valley. It only winds me up when I read previews, actual views and reviews of Lightning 368 events and wade though 20,000 words about how great the RS Aero events are! Looking forward, we’ve had a trial event at the Royal Harwich YC but I have not heard how it went yet?……I’ve also had an approach from Dabchicks SC on Mersea Island so it’s all interesting on the east coast and we should be well able to flesh out the Sea/Tidal Series if there is any shortage of events. Regards to all Godfrey Clark

Eastern Area Series (provisional, pending FGSC) Thames Valley Series 1 Mark Maskell 5455 Blackwater YC 1st Steve Ede 5225 West Mersea YC 2 Steve Ede 5225 West Mersea YC 2 Andrew Boyce 5115 Papercourt SC 3 Vince Horey 5475 King George SC 3 Tim Lewis 5168 Littleton SC 4 Jarvis Simpson 5406 RYA 4 Godfrey Clark 5540 Fishers Green SC 5 Godfrey Clark 5540 Fishers Green SC 5 Mike Dray 4932 Littleton SC 6 Peter Mathews 4700 Waveney & Oulton Broad SC 6 Horatio Playle 5466 Island Barn SC 7 Richard Christmas 5273 Hunts SC 7 Phil Sturmer 5373 Royal Burnham YC 8 Robert Laurie 5134 Tollesbury 9 Alan Bishop 5497 Girton SC

The Foils that just keep on Winning!

35 36

Solo Specific Coaching Training Matters

2015 has seen the usual steady number of training requests from Clubs some of which we have been able to fulfil. Our traditional pre Inlands Training Day went ahead on the Friday before the Inlands with over 30 sailors participating. Thanks to all the coaches who helped on the day and to Grafham Water S.C. for making the day easy to run.

Some Clubs have arranged coaching for their fleet directly with coaches and others run training days internally. A recent example of this was the coaching provided by Charlie Cumbley and Pete Mitchell before the Westerns at Salcombe. It is my view that this is the way forward.

Arranging a get together of your Club fleet for some training is a great way to get everyone together with the specific intension of transferring information between sailors. Most fleets I would imagine have someone who is perfectly capable of setting up some basic training exercises and there is much literature to give guidance and suggestions on how to do this. Please feel free to contact me and I can send you an easy to follow coaching pack which I'll have available towards the end of November.

It is also my intension to run a coaches day for sailors who think they can and would like to organise training for their local fleet. This will most likely take place at West Oxfordshire S.C. at the beginning of next season in March or April if there is enough interest.. It will be free for NSCA members. So that I can gauge the viability of such a day please can you contact me in the next month or two to indicate you are interested.

For those Clubs and individuals who would like to benefit from an experienced coach you will find a list of coaches who have indicated they are happy to be approached directly and run coaching days. Some names will be familiar and you may well have their contact details, others not so. Please contact me and I will put you in touch.

Tony Thresher email [email protected] Tel. 01865 863595

Training at Graham pics; Mike Wilkie Southern Series 2015

The 2015 Solo Southern Series, sponsored by the Boatyard of Beer, has drawn to a close. Its been a fantastic season, with great venues, friendly people and excellent racing. The total number of entries was slightly down on last year, with 176 participants instead of 206 participants in 2014, although this year did see a greater number of qualifiers, from 5 in 2014 to 11 this year. Special mention should go to the top 3 finishers: Andrew Boyce had a very strong end to the season scoring a 1st and 2nd in the last two events, which gave him third overall. In second, and a new face to the Solo circuit, Martin Frary NSCA Coaches List showed great form and won the Southern Area Championships in Gordon Barclay nd RYA class coach and Chief Measurer difficult conditions and securing 2 overall. Jon Clarke James Ross showed excellent speed and consistence all season RYA class coach and Edge Sails taking 1st place. You know you’ve had a good series when you’re Charlie Cumbley able to discard 2nd and 3rd places! North Sails With preparation for the 2016 well underway, I hope next year Godfrey Clarke will be another successful year. RYA class coach Graham Cranford Smith Alex Powell Steve Ede RYA class coach Andy Fox Northern Area and RYA class coach Ross Harvey RYA Laser radial squad coach Matt Howard Ex national champ. and olympic coach Derek Jackman RYA class coach Paul Kimmens RYA class coach Mark Lee Jamie Lea Ex National Champ. and professional coach Pete Mitchell RYA class coach and North Sails James Ross blows the Tony Thresher Long in the tooth coach Portchester Trumpet and wood Solo builder Pic: Brian Beavis

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Solo Specific Series

That’s it for another year, the 2015 Rooster Midland Series has finished. Well done to Stuart Hydon for winning and well done all who qualified. We have had a good year with some good winds and well run Opens. I'm please to report that we saw an increase in the numbers attending our open meetings and a big increase in the number who qualified. Stuart Hydon won the series with a very impressive display of small lake sailing; I believe he is the best small lake sailor in the country, well done Stuart. The first person over 60, Grandmaster was won by Keith Lancaster .

The final series results were; 1st Stuart Hydon Shustoke 2nd Chris Brown Draycote 3rd Ian Ingram Earlswood Lakes 4th Nigel Davies Draycote 5th Kev Hall Northampton 6th Keith Lancaster Hollowell 7th Kevin Andrews Notts County 8th Brian Fisher Notts County 9th Kevin Hopkins Midland 10th Ian Hopwood Leigh and Lowton 11th Tony Hanan Chelmarsh 12th Jonathon Woodward South Staffs 13th Graham Wilson Northampton 14th Tim Gray Staunton Harold Pic; Nigel Davies 15th Nigel Pybus Draycote Water 16th Clive Gimson Notts County 17th Dave Day Redditch 18th Peter Warne Northampton

All the qualifiers have received a £20 Rooster voucher to spend. If your name is above and you haven’t Stuart Hydon received a voucher via email please let me know.

A very big thank you to Dave at Rooster for supporting the region and creating the e-vouchers for us. Rooster not only support the Midland region by providing prizes but also give us sailing advice, currently there is an interesting blog on the EOS at Oxford by Steve and advice on Buoyancy aids, all well worth a read and can be found on www.roostersailing.com . The number of qualifiers was far higher than what I had expected at the start of the year and Rooster very kindly increased their support so that all qualifiers received a meaningful prize. Their support really enhanced the series, I very much hope we can work together next year and build on what we started in 2015.

In addition to the vouchers the Solo Class has brought prizes of Beer and Wine. These will go to the first 5 and there is a small team prize. Those who attended the EOS have received their prize for those not there I will try and hand them out at the start of the 2016 season.

A few statistics for the year, average attendance per Open was 22.5, last year we had 13.8, Number of Qualifiers this was 18, in 2014 we had 5, the total number of people who entered our Opens (not including Springs) was 230, in 2014 we had 138. This has been the best year for attendance since 2010 (I only have records going back to 2010). A big thank you to the fleet Captains for organising the meetings and a big thank you to the sailors for turning up. A special thanks goes to Notts County and Northampton for the number of people they sent to opens this year.

I started a team prize this year, it was worked out on the final series position of the top 3 qualifiers from each club added together, eg if Notts county had sailors finishing 3 , 6 and 9 team score would be 18. In the end there were three clubs who had 3 qualifiers, Notts County, Northampton and Draycote. It was Draycote who snuck in at the final event to both qualify for and win the team prize. I have to thank Nigel Pybus for turning up at the final event and thus qualifying for the series and enabling Draycote to win the team prize.

For next year my intention is to have ten or eleven events with four to count. The final number of events is yet to be finalised as we may have a new venue and not all clubs have requested dates for 2016.

The Midland events are posted on the Solo web page and on Facebook group ‘Solo Midland Area’ so please take a look and come and join us, we are in the middle of the country so none of you have far to travel!

Nigel Davies.

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Solo Specific Series

Western Area Report

This will be my final report as the Interim Western Area Rep, l am standing down again and there has been no response from anyone to take over as yet. I am in the process of completing the Open meeting list for 2016 and am awaiting two clubs to get back to me. I will produce a poster and forward to the relevant Fleet Captains and Solo Magazine. So, I again appeal to one of the Western Area sailors to step up and take on the Rep’s position. The main part of the job is to arrange the open meeting list (almost completed) and to compile the results for uploading to the website, the sailwave file for this I will produce when the open dates are finalised. In addition attending the odd committee meeting, if possible, and maintain contact with the committee members otherwise. Note the new website should be up and running very shortly. The season has been very mixed with good turnouts at Salcombe 41, Chew 25, Frampton, South Cerney and Dittisham with a dozen or so each. Sadly Clevedon was not well supported, probably due to being on the same weekend as Teign, and have decided to opt out next year. Bowmoor, a long time supporter of the Western Area, have decided not to continue, due to diminishing Solo sailors within the club. Andy Miles was the overall winner of the series, with Guy Lonsdale in second. Vernon Perkins came in a very creditable third, beating Keith Hill into fourth. Our final qualifier was Paul Whybrow from Tamar lake, a stalwart supporter but unable to make many Sunday opens due to work commitments. The prizegiving was conducted at the EOS Champs at Oxford, where entrants to that event were treated to a variety of generous sponsor’s prizes that were given out by Will Loy using a raffle system. If you weren’t there for the prizegiving another number was drawn. With next year’s opens reduced to eight I am considering adding the Winters (Chew) and the South Western Championship (Salcombe) and the Pusinelli (Weymouth) to be included, this does mean that two club are entered twice but maybe this will encourage a few more travellers overall. Let me know your feelings, politely please! Finally, all Fleet Captains, please encourage your fleet to venture out the confines of their home club and do a few opens, l fear that the Western area will diminish further, as can be seen by the fact no-one is willing to take on the Rep’s position, so far.

Nick Fisher Outgoing Interim Western Area Rep [email protected] 0777 586 3972

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Andy Davis talks through the HD Sail GOLD RUSH Development and his 2015 Season

After the 2014 season I felt it was time to try some changes to the Solo. We had been closely watching the Finn fleet since the 2012 games and the Golden sails that were being used certainly caught our eye.

Last winter I spoke with Dave Winder and decided to buy two Mk2 bare hulls and fit them out myself. I wanted set one up with standard kit (Complete Winder boat with HD Radial Laminate mainsail) and the other with modifications. This way I could get a real understanding by two boat tuning of what was working and what wasn’t.

The first idea was the sail. I had noticed over the last fews years, the growing number of Gold looking sails in the Finn fleet and decided to do a bit more research. These sails are built by a company in Finland and the general consensus was they were very quick in the light to medium airs and also lasted better than the Black Technora sails we use. The laminate is called Maxx and is made from Kevlar, hence the golden look. It is stronger than Technora but doesn’t have the flex like the Technora yarn. When comparing the weight of the two cloths, the Maxx cloth is slightly heavier. This, along with the yarn being stronger is the reason why Finn sailors are finding it to be longer lasting.

The fibres in Maxx cloth are laid at varying angles, so that the sail forces are distributed evenly over the cross-cut panels. The result is superior longevity and control of the sail profile over a wide range of wind conditions. The Maxx cloth was looking like the way to go. Not only did it look different and stand out, but I can build a smooth crosscut mainsail with less seams than a radial and more accuracy in the shape. We called Contender, who make the Maxx to discuss our idea. We needed to be sure that the cloth would work for the Solo, as it was produced specifically for Finn sails. The data from the Maxx cloth showed it would be a reliable, versatile cloth. We could make a more powerful sail than the radial sail, that would be more responsive and easier to control and de-power when needed. Shape wise, we decided to start with a similar overall depth to the radial, sail as this was a good proven starting point.

The first event was the Winter Championships at Chew Valley. I was excited about trialling my new sail and having a new boat that I had fitted out myself. At Chew I found that I had an edge in the light airs. Exactly what I’d been looking for. Even though I led every race it, didn’t go my way and I finished on the same points as Pete Mitchell.

Next up was the Spring Championships at Draycote. Finally the weather forecast was looking a little better and I could use the sail in a bit more breeze. I didn’t have a good windward mark rounding as I was being more conservative on the start line. I did however find some really good pace and sailed through into the lead. When the wind dropped I seemed to get further away. Again, I managed to be consistent and win the Spring Champs. On reflection I came away from Draycote still wanting more. I felt a bit vulnerable in the just hiking conditions and thought that I was lacking in power, so I decided to make the next sail fuller.

Off to the Welsh Nationals at the end of May with the next version of my Solo sail and a prodder kicker. The Saturday was light and there were some tricky conditions with big shifts. Straight away the setup felt great, I was certainly hiking sooner and matching the light weights off wind. Sunday arrived with a force 4-5 and some great surf. A great opportunity for some heavy weather practice. I struggled to windward but was ballistic off wind. Upwind the boat felt unresponsive, it was hard to steer over the waves and I was using a lot of mainsheet. It didn’t feel right. I’d over cooked making the sail fuller, but I was also asking questions as to whether the prodder kicker was working correctly and was it working against me? Thankfully we had leeward finishes all weekend, and I managed to scrape by and take the win.

Back to the drawing board again and this time making steps to go in between where I had come from, to where I was now.

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Solo Specific Feature

It was only a couple of weeks until I was going to the Scottish Solo Nationals at North Berwick and I had some pre-planned training with some of the Scottish lads a few days before the event. Robbie Wilson and I had a day two boat tuning. We used a variety of kit, swapped boats and noted down what we found out. We were both convinced that the Maxx sail was the way to go and with the latest change were very close. Maybe still a bit too full in the base though. Unfortunately the Scottish Nationals was blown off and postponed to September. After the Scotland trip I sent Gordon Barclay some pictures of my Prodder kicker just so that I was clear that all was ok before heading to the Nationals. My kicker was pretty much the same as Gordon’s. I had an extra purchase system running from the end of the prodder to the goose neck. This enabled me to control the amount of forward movement that the kicker produces. I chose to go for this system so I could sail with a straighter mast whilst reaching and generate more power.

The Nationals were looming and time in the boat was short. I only had a few Wednesday evenings at Blithfield that I could practice and finalise the sail shape. It was only small changes now and a matter of getting used to the sail.

During the first 6 months I had received a lot of interest in the sail. But it wasn’t until the beginning of July, when I was happy with the design that I decided to let some out of the loft.

Beginning of August, North Berwick arrived and I was feeling unsure how it was all going to pan out. I hadn’t sailed against anybody since the training in June. 1st day out and all seemed fine, I didn’t feel particularly quick, just holding my own. The course felt one sided due to tide so it was a bit 'follow my leader' and not much chance for passing. 2 days off followed, which was nice, and then we managed to get three races in on the Wednesday. We had all sorts of weather, but it was mainly shifty. The boat felt great and I had plenty of speed upwind and down, I also led the last race, but again being conservative upwind didn’t pay. A large right shift came through on the inside of me and I managed to get a few boats back down the last run, having the best day out of everyone with two firsts and a sixth.

Wednesday certainly gave me a confidence booster as I was able to sail away from some of my opposition, purely on straight line speed. As the wind increased through out the week, I found myself with plenty of boat speed, certainly off wind on the reaches, but I gave myself too much work to do at the windward mark. I can certainly hold my hands up and say that my downfall at the nationals was my starting and first beat. I struggled to start and get off the line cleanly every race on the Thursday. Charlie was rounding the windward mark 1st every race and I was just about scraping in to the top 10. Thankfully my boat speed helped me out and by the end of the 35 minute races I was only a few boat lengths from Charlie at the finish. Three second places and again Charlie and myself were a long way ahead of the fleet. Friday and the breeze was fairly light. My plan was to start near Charlie and try to make things uncomfortable, there were only 5 points in it and I had better discards. The only problem was we were both quicker and both ended up first and second. Still I had better discards, so it could go either way. The penultimate race we both put our discards in, a 14th for Charlie and a 20th for me. Down to the last race then.

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Solo Specific Feature

A few general recalls on black flags, and one recall we were both certainly very close if not over, but two boats were caught just to windward of us so we were covered. The race got away and I’d like to think I made it uncomfortable for Charlie, but I’m sure that he would say otherwise. I didn’t do the job, but at the finish both of us failed to have guns so it left doubt in both our minds as to who had won. Any way it was congratulations to Charlie, he sailed a great series. I was actually very happy with the outcome. Yes it would be great to win but it was also nice to know that I felt I had upped my game as far as boat speed was concerned. I still need to put more hours in though, just to get my starting and first beats up to scratch.

A last minute decision to do the Scottish Nationals at the beginning of September, which were now being held at the home of golf, St. Andrews. Derek Gibb kindly lent me his boat thanks to the organisation of his brother, who we all know and love Kevan. St.Andrews is quite a tricky place to sail but with big waves we certainly had some fun, most of the weekend you could just hear Ian Hopwood howling down the reaches like a kid with a new bike! I took my sail with me to use on Derek’s boat. We had good close racing but I managed to win all but one race and this was down to me sailing through the start and finish line downwind, which in Scotland is a no no. I would have done it again in the penultimate race but the very nice Mr Kevan Gibb shouted me not to go through it. I’ll blame the red wine on Saturday!

The weekend after the Scotland trip was the Solo Inlands at Grafham. The forecast was looking like a mixed bag, but we would certainly have some good breeze on the Saturday. Before the weekend started I had an email from the RYA on Friday saying that my prodder kicker wasn’t legal, (I thought ‘ Great timing! Why has it taken this long for a response and why less than 24 hours before a big championship!? I had dialogue with Gordon at the Nationals and all seemed ok! What I didn’t know until after the event was that someone else had enquired about the legality of it.) At the time, I didn’t contest I just changed it and got on with the weekend. Saturday appeared with some fruity conditions. After a few general recalls we started and in the windy conditions I certainly had a boat speed advantage upwind and downwind. Tight reaching seemed to show the most speed and I think the leech of the sail opens and closes much quicker than the radial sail. Sunday was very light but I was feeling confident with my kit, all I had to be was consistent and make sure that I had two good results and the job was done. Thankfully we had to wait for wind and this meant we were only going to have two races so I just needed to get one result. Again, like at the nationals I had good boat speed in the light airs and managed to come away victorious.

Since supplying the sails to customers we’ve had an excellent response and great feedback. Every Championship after the Nationals I have delivered sails to the events and everyone who has put one up feels it has made a difference to their speed. As a sailmaker it’s a great to hear positive feedback. Usually when something is fast we rarely hear anything. The customer just goes away happy and our job is done. But with this sail customers have been more than happy to tell us how great its’s been and that is fantastic.

The EOS at Oxford was good as boat speed was key, I seemed to carry on where I left off at Grafham. I slipped up half way up the first beat in the first race. I got on the wrong side of two shifts and found myself round the windward mark in the early teens. Before in light airs I thought there would be no way back, but I kept plugging away. I didn’t hit any corners up the beats, I just sailed for clear air and tacked when I felt a good shift. My boat speed did the work and I found my way slowly working through the fleet, to the

Davis cleaned up at the EOS

front. After lunch, in the second race, I had a better first beat and rounded first. This time I just made sure I kept myself between the mark and the next boat. What was great to see and really made my day was Bob Taylor with the sail we made to fit his Wavelength mast. During lunch I handed him his new sail and we set it up on his boat. Through out the second race Bob was sailing round and pushing for second and third place. The sail had an instant effect. A slight shift at the end of the last beat cost Bob, but he managed to finished fourth.

My conclusion for the year is that I’m delighted with the outcomes. The research and development paid off and I feel that we have something special. The comparison between the radial and the Maxx sail is they both have very good stability in keeping the leech straight but where I think the Maxx gains slightly is it’s ability to change shape. It isn’t as stable as a radial sail in the luff and I think this enables us to build the sail deeper, because it will distort more, it will flatten off for when it’s windy. I have certainly found a noticeable shape change when you start pulling controls.

Andy Davis [email protected] 0121 356

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Solo Specific Championship HARKEN EOS CHAMPIONSHIP

A star studded field of 60 Solo sailors contested the final "major" of the season, fittingly at the HARKEN End of Season Championship. Oxford Sailing Club provided the venue and with inclemently mild temperatures, 8-12mph from the west and rain from above, racing commenced. Pro Peter Bickerton had warned the fleet that he was having none of the nonsense that plagued day 1 of the Inlands. On that occasion the recall flag was hoisted more times than Ben Ainslie has gold medals, such was the enthusiasm of the sailors. Peter went for the old fashioned one minute round the ends rule, hoping this would give some of the punchier sailors a 'get out of jail 'option rather than bring the whole fleet back. There was some initial confusion when the 4 minute flag was hoisted before the 5 minute one, looks of consternation and bewilderment were two a penny, but normal service was soon resumed following a hasty abandonment. R1 I looked on from the bow of the goose spattered committee boat with an air of nervous anticipation. I need not have worried, the fleet nailed the start, just one offender who may or may not have gone round the end to exonerate himself, that was for the race team to sort. There was some port bias but the PRO anticipated the wind swinging around to the north, which it did (at half past five). At the top mark it was P+B's Olly Wells, from Rooster Sails Steve Cockerill, Chris Brown, National Champion Charlie Cumbley 4th, Dave Mitchell and Mike Sims. Current Super Series leader Andy Davis (HD Sails) was 9th with work to do. The fleet stretched out down the two short reaches, the leaders able to sink low and extend but Cumbley was sucked into the 54 boat shadow and was lucky to round the bottom mark with the loss of only a few positions. There was variance in wind speed and direction and at the top mark Cockerill had taken a slim lead over Wells with Brown holding 3rd in his brand new Winder, Mitchell and Sims. The run was tricky with patches of pressure and the comfortable/uncomfortable presence of Class umpire Steve Watson depending on how far you wanted to push the envelope. Inside the whistle the pea sat idle, much to the relief of the sailors. The third beat was pivitol with a big shift to the left and Davis sniffed it out to round with a slender lead over Cockerill. In third spot was Ewan Birkin-Walls who was also on fire from Wells, Sims, Kevin Gibb and Cumbley. The last lap was largely uneventful, the forecast 14-21mph a million miles away from the real time 8mph. Davis took the race 1 win from Cockerill and Walls and has found himself in a rich reign of form since the removal of his 'Prodder" (can I say that)? The fleet filed to shore for lunch and following some fine quiche and chips made their way out again for two back to back races. The breeze had increased to a nice 10-12mph and to my own personal relief the rain had stopped. I stepped pensively onto the committee boat and took up my precarious perch amid the goose poo, how proud my Dad would be.

R2 The wind was playing silly buggers and after two failed attempts and some animated reactions to the heavily port biased line the fleet finally got away. Unfortunately there were some black flag casualties including Ian Hopwood who must have been using a nearby sheep as his transit. The left end paid and it was Davis who led in to the top mark from Sims and Cockerill. Welsh wizard Bob Taylor had been granted a pass for the day and was in fourth, the rain must have followed him from Cardiff. Tim Lewis and Hopwood rounded but were soon advised of their timing issues and withdrew. The fleet were fully powered up apart from part time Finn sailor Paul Childs who really wanted it to blow. I look forward to seeing him getting down to a Solo fighting weight of 75-95kgs to take these guys on at Pwllheli next summer in the 2016 Nationals. Davis continued to lead from Sims and Taylor broke into the heady heights of third for a time but Steve Cockerill is no pushover and re-took third by the gun with Cumbley completing the top five.

The rain increased and somewhat quelled the wind strength but it did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of the fleet who had several attempts at it before finally starting cleanly. Peter Bickerton was seen huddled on the deck of the luxurious committee boat, surreptitiously smoking a roll up like a school kid hiding behind the bike shed. Small consolation for the days chores but enjoyable none the less.

I had retired to the clubhouse so asked race 3 winner Mike Sims to provide a brief explanation of his win. R3 "I started 1 boat down from the pin end of the start line which was the favoured end, I had a good start which meant as soon as the 1st shift came I was able to tack and clear the fleet. At the top of the 1st beat there was more pressure on the left which favoured those on that side of the course which enabled Chris Brown to round just ahead of me. On the 1st reach I took the lead and although the top three boats of myself, Chris Brown and Steve Denison were never far separated I led for the rest of the race. The race was shortened after 2 laps as the wind had started to more right as forecast". Phil King had a stormer to finish fourth and Vince Horey completed the top five.

So Andy Davis collected the HARKEN EOS title to add to his other major wins, a great year for this sublimely talented sailor. Mike Sims was a very gallant second with surprise entrant Steve Cockerill third. Chris Brown continued his fine form ahead of Winder jockey Steve Denison who had been yellow flagged in race 2. At the time I noted that Steve was sailing down the run with almost no board down which meant the boat was rocking uncontrollably. I did question the whistle and Steve Watson, our class umpire explained that you have to sail the boat in a seaman like way which includes making sure the boat is stable. It is also worth noting that those sailors that have been penalised have been very open to umpiring and the self improvement and education it provides. Many thanks to the race team, headed by Peter Bickerton and to Bob Ashby who had organised the event. Some beautifully engraved crystal and wine, chocolates and mugs were provided for the top five and the Vet/Grand Master/Septimus winners. Steve Cockerill, Phi King and Brian Fisher were the respective champions. The Danny Butler Trophy (Veteran Series) 50-59 Mike Wilkie has kindly organised perpetual trophies for the Vet and Grand Master Series and Peter Fryer compiled the results over the year. Dave Mitchell took the Vet title, this timeless sailor keeps on going at the very top level, no doubt urged on by his talented son Pete, call sign "Maverick". I will expand on the naming of the trophies at a later date. Richard Lovett Trophy 60-69 Brian Holland won the Grand master Series, closely followed by John Webster. Visit oxfordsailingclub.com for full results

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Solo Specific Feature Pete Mitchell ….Another Season Over.

My 2015 has been an eventful one, good successes, a few breakages and as always - great racing in the Solo.

The year couldn't have started better with winning the Winter Championships at Chew Valley. It was a good turnout of 56 and with light winds it proved to be challenging. The first race I had a shocker, having a poor start and first beat I made it hard work for myself but managed to crawl back to 10th. However my dad made it look easy by a taking a well deserved win (at this point I must admit I was hoping it would be the other Mitchell doing the winning!). With the breeze and temperature dropping I had for a split second considered retiring for an early bath! But as it turned out I had managed to pull things around and the event went down to the last race between Taxi and myself. I came out winning the last race and with that the event. This was a particularly important win as it taught me first hand no matter where you are/ how you are doing - never give up.

April saw a trip to Medemblik for the Solo Spring Cup. This was another great event as I got to catch up with friends and of course have a few beers with the Scottish boys ! Not only did we have great weather but also great socials that the Dutch have a great reputation for. For anyone who hasn't been to Medemblik before I can definitely recommend this event! Winning the Spring Cup was another great highlight of my year as this helped me build confidence for events coming up...

However this was to be short lived after breaking my foot whilst at Kiel Woche in Germany. I was out there sailing the Contender whilst Charlie was sailing his OK and Tom Gillard/Andy Couch were there in their 505. The night before the event started I had tripped down a set of stairs (don't ask) which I awoke to what I thought was a severely bruised heel bone. After 4 days racing followed by 3 weeks of limping I decided to get it checked out to find I had fractured my right heel bone. Luckily Charlie was more than happy to pick me up from the hospital to take full advantage of the jokes! This was a set back as I lost 4 weeks and the next time I was to step back into the Solo would be day one of the Nationals at North Berwick. Thankfully the first few days were light-ish winds and I soon forgot about the breakage ! With this in mind I think the Nationals were another success, coming top 10 was my aim for the week given the circumstances and a top 5 would be great, especially with the quality of the fleet today. Plus I won the real the championship - miniature golf...

At the end of August my father and I travelled to Scharendijke, Holland to compete at the Dutch National Champs. We arrived a day early as Norbert Zonnevield had organised me to run a days training for the Dutch - this gave me a chance to wear them out for the weekend ! The 3 day long event saw a combination of conditions and winners. Andy Tunnicliffe had the best start to the regatta posting a 5,1,2 and Michael Sims close with a 1,5,5. Unfortunately we lost the second day due to the lack of wind but soon made up for it with beers and ice cream so all was not lost. All pressure was on for the last day with a number of potential winners. First race of the day I managed to get a good start and control the race from there, taking a win. The last race turned out to be a light one and with me just doing enough to take the overall win. After a quick dunking we were on the road home. Thanks to Norbert and his team in organising such a great event, I am looking forward to this one in 2016.

As I write this Charlie and I have just returned from the South West Area Champs held at Salcombe. We arrived a day early to run a training session for an enthusiastic group of 15 Solo sailors, this would turn out to be one of the best days coaching this year, not only due to the location and the sailors we were coaching but down to the fact that lunch involved a Cornish Pasty on a local beach, topped off with glorious sun - what more could you ask for?! With Charlie having sailed only once in Salcombe and me never, we were rather excited and nervous of what lied ahead. The event was split into 2 races inside the estuary on the Saturday and 2 races in the bay on Sunday. The first race on Saturday started well (what I thought) taking the lead as we short tacked up the shore against the tide only for me to get a little lost not 10 minutes into the race and dropping back to join Charlie in 6th. Once back we managed to pull back into 2nd and 3rd respectively and had the advantage of following a local. For 20 minutes we lost the rest of the main field, and so very wrongly thinking we were home and dry with all we having to do was to round the windward mark and sail downwind with the tide to the finish to take a good result - however this was short lived as not 200m from the windward mark a group of 6 Solos had sneaked up the far bank behind moored yachts to round in front ! Afterwards we had a quick rib ride back to the Yacht Club for lunch and soon back out for the second. With the tide eased, wind building and by now knowing a little more on navigating round we had another great race in the after with another top 10 result. That evening we headed back to Tim and Bernadette Law's house up the hill for to a relaxing cake and hot tub ! Sunday dawned with more sunny skies and building north easterly. We headed out in the bay for the first of two races. I managed a good start and was able to defend again Charlie and Graham Cranford-Smith to take the win. With that and the just how close the previous days racing was the event was to hang on the outcome of the last race with several in contention. I had an awful start managing to go backward which left me too much work, I did et back to the top 10 but it was't enough. Peter Ballentine took the race and with that the overall win which was well deserved as he managed to finish no lower than 3rd in all 4 races. I'd like to say thank you very Tim and Bernadette for letting myself and Charlie stay - the company and the food was great ! I can solely recommend this event next year, the company is great and an all round fantastic weekend.

Over the winter I will be doing the Sailjuice series in my new Scorpion which Kevin Gosling built me earlier this year. It's foam ply construction and pretty much custom built as Kevin was more than happy to try out new ideas. The big change was to an asymmetric chute on the port side. This enabled us to have a lager chute to help with hoists and also bring with the possibility of a pump action kite halyard. My aims over the winter are to improve fitness. I feel that I can add a few kg in the upper body to get to 82kg and help me feel a little more competitive in the heavier stuff, I will go back to doing a combination of cross fit and weights to get the right combination - and the odd half marathon here and there !

Targets for next year are pretty simple - keep building on what I have done this year and hopefully carry on winning. See you all in 2016 !

Pete

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Solo Specific Feature

Pete Mitchell working his Solo to windward at North Berwick.

Pete was part of the coaching team at Graham Water as well as running sessions in Salcombe and Holland. Pic; Mike Wilkie

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Solo Specific Feature Plastic Fantastic Nick Bonner on FRP refurbishment (in a nut shell)

I brought a bare hull that had the gel coat peeling off. In January I started to peel away the infected areas hoping to just fill and fair into them. Whilst I was peeling the vinyl name off with a hair dryer I noticed that the gel was lifting so I had to peel the whole boat using this, the hair dryer and a pallet knife. This took a few days!! I then had to fill and fair the whole boat, building up the bilge keel etc. Next came the primer followed by the top coat. The thwart was damaged so that had to be repaired and glued back down. I then brought all new deck gear, mast, foils and ropes. I was very lucky that I had the help of Jim and George Webb from Casse tete boat builders in Hamble who let me use there shed and materials, as well as there expertise. Also "Toxic" Trevor for the paint and spraying the boat for free. Total cost of the project was 4,500. If it was not for the guys above it would have cost me more than a new boat!!!!

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Nick Bonner racing at WPNSA

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Solo Specific Advertisement

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Solo Championship Winning Designs Made By Solo Championship Winning Sailors

2015 Results

1st North Super Series 1st Inland Championships 1st Spring Championships 1st Scottish Nationals 1st Welsh Nationals 1st End Of Season 2nd National Championships 2nd Winter Championships www.hdsails.com 0121 356 2175