Solo Specific

1 Solo Specific

Summer 2015

North Berwick Guide! Spring Champs Report! Top !Tips Super Series Update! Coaching List

The N.S.C.A is sponsored by

Tim Wade going for it at the Inlands 14

1 2

Solo Specific Summer 15 Advertisement

Super Series Sponsor

2 3

Solo Specific Summer 15 Contacts N.S.C.A. Officers and Committee 2014-2015 !

Title/ Name Address Telephone Email Address

President 24, Mundells, West 01992 626377 [email protected] Roger Gravatt Cheshunt, Herts, EN7 6BP

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 [email protected] 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 [email protected] Nick Fisher

Southern Area Rep 07809 761623 [email protected] Andrew Thompson

Sea Series Vacant [email protected]

Webmaster Vacant [email protected]

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

Committee Member [email protected] Chris Brown

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

Welsh Area Rep [email protected] Vacant

GM and Vet Rep [email protected] Vacant

3 4

Solo Specific Summer 15 Contents

CONTENTS ADVERTISERS

4 EDITORIAL NOBLE MARINE 2 6 PREZ SEZ P+B 5 7 FINANCIAL CREATION COVERS 6 8 COACHING MILANES FOILS 8 11 NATIONALS INFO C2 MARINE 7 12 VENUE TIPS ROOSTER SAILS 9 13 WIND AND TIDE GOSLING DINGHY CRAFT 10 14 CHAMPIONSHIP PREPARATION PAINTCRAFT 10 18 SPRING CHAMPIONSHIP NORTH SAILS 17 20 STRIKE A POSE EXE SAILS 23 21 EXE SAILS DEVELOPMENT WINDER BOATS 25 24 MIDLAND NEWS BOATYARD AT BEER 27 26 DUTCH SPRING CUP CB TRAILERS 35 27 SOUTHERN NEWS 28 SOUTHERN CHAMPIONSHIP 30 SELDEN INFO 31 FLEET CAPTAIN TIPS DISCLAIMER 32 NORTHERN NEWS The views expressed in this magazine are those of 33 LIGHTWEIGHT TIPS the contributors and not necessarily those of the Officers and Committee of the N.S.C.A Editorial

Welcome to the Summer edition of the National Solo Class Association. Firstly thanks to all who have contributed to this edition. It has been an emotional season thus far, a number of our fellow Solo sailors have passed away, John Daniels, John Davey, Martin Lambert, Dave Saunders and my Father, Bill Loy. I knew all these men, some better than others but they were all Solo enthusiasts, they all gave much to the Class and all will be sadly missed. It is worth taking a moment to put to one side our personal rivalries and embrace the togetherness that jack’s little boat has created. The relationships we make at club, National and International level will last our lifetimes, I am grateful to !know so many of you. I have just made my way back from Weymouth where the Nigel Pusinelli Trophy was held. I will save the report for the Autumn edition as this one is jam packed with articles. It was good to chat with some Solo sailors in The Cove pub on the saturday and all made their feelings known regarding the rule 42 free pumping scenario I introduced to the website forum. Basically I will not be mentioning this subject anytime soon, my intentions were noble though. Self policing is really the best form of defence against rule 42 offenders, or in fact anyone who breaks any rule. We cannot and should not rely on Jury boats to ensure fair racing, we must all be more observant and back up sailors if they call for witnesses. A by product of my involvement with the top race management team at WPNSA was to realise that a sailor who is hailed for pumping can do two penalty turns and then must inform the PRO after the race of his turns and why and when he did them. In this way, if still protested (if the competitor did not see him do them) the protest committee may well not hear the protest. I need to get 100 % clarification so watch out for a string on !the forum. I must say the fleet were well behaved at Weymouth and it is a very small minority made up mainly of sailors who are mis-informed of what they CAN do opposed to what they cannot do. I need to put some examples on the site !with commentary from a judge. That is my next task. Our President Roger Gravatt has served the class well for the last three years and has had much to deal with. It is a thankless task to oversee such a large membership with VERY FEW volunteers. The committee realise that a great many of you do much for your clubs and other organisations but if there is anyone who has time and is passionate about the Solo, then please let us know. The AGM should be fun, I am putting my name forward for President and there seems many of you who are happy about that. I do believe that they just want me off the water so there is one less to beat. See you on the water or in the boat park. Will Loy

4 5

7 % 0 f f

chandlery & clothing to all solo m em bers V isit w w w .pinbax.com for the latest kit

Ne w fo r 20 15 ‘fu lL’ R a d ia l s a il!

(cut to suit different w eights & spar sections)

Photo by Timothy Olin Steve Nicholson Memorial Trophy 2015. SOLO

made in uk specialists

5 6

Solo Specific Summer 15 Committee THE PREZ SEZ

This will be my final message in Solo Specific as President. I had been on and off the Committee and when approached to take on the role of President I had been not been involved for a time and in order to get my knees under the table, Mike Ball agreed to stay on for a further year whilst I took charge of Vice. I have now served as Prez for three years which was my maximum undertaking at the outset. At the forthcoming AGM I will be somewhat saddened to hand over to someone with fresh ideas because the 3 year period has mostly been enjoyable.

I thank Mike Ball for his support, not only whilst I was VP but also subsequently for his valuable advice - never more than a phone-call or email away. Our previous Honorary Treasurer/Membership Secretary Mike Evans gave me good guidance in the early days but mostly I need to thank Martin Allen who was a superb Honorary Secretary and without whom I would not have survived. Of course all other Officers and Committee Members have played their part - thank you all. It is not just Committee Members and Area Representatives but all NSCA members who matter. Constructive comment from Members is also much welcomed and in this regard I would particularly like to mention David Greening and Chris Gillard. Thank you all.

Highlights from my term of office that I can remember include: - introduction of the P&B discount scheme for all Members - the ongoing and very valuable Sponsorship of the NSCA and the Winter Championships by Noble Marine - please continue to insure boats through them so that this continues. - apparent problems that arose principally with the D+ mast. Whilst this took time to resolve, we we always treated professionally and courteously by Selden and I think that with the help of Chris Powles from HISC a satisfactory solution was found. - Builders Licences. Our Rules require that moulded boats are produced only by RYA Licenced Builders and a complete update has taken place. In the UK we have 5 Licenced builders of 6 different complete FRP hulls ( Winder 1, Winder 2, P&B [JP], Beer Boatyard, Sailboats.co.uk Speed 5.5] and Ovington [Boon]. In addition Kevin Gosling has a licence for a bottom mould which can be built into a composite hull and there is also Bergner in Germany who have a Licence for full FRP construction. The policing of this is the responsibility of the RYA but the next President and his Committee will need to make sure that any future mould modifications etc fall within what the Builders Licences allow. - after a great deal of effort a new website has been commissioned and should be up and running soon. This is a considerable investment by NSCA but the new site should be easy to update and maintain to provide better information to Members and potential National Solo owners. - Sponsorship is very important. I have mentioned Noble Marine above and Harken have sponsored our Inland Championships for many years. This year Selden Spars have generously sponsored our National Championships with various products which Members are/were able to bid for so that event T-shirts etc can be provided.

It just leaves me to sign off, so my best wishes go to the future of the NSCA and all it's members. From now on I will just be plugging away at the back of my club fleet in S4528 - a superb boat, just needs a new nut on the helm, a bit like the NSCA ,

Regards to all Roger Gravatt President (for the time being)

6 7

Solo Specific Summer 15 Financial Treasurer's Report Welcome to another albeit brief financial update from your Treasurer We are half way through 2015 and membership numbers are slightly down when compared to last year. As we get nearer to the Nationals numbers do tend to increase and I will provide a further full financial update in the next Solo Specific magazine. The accounts for 2014 are currently with our accountant and awaiting verification ahead of the AGM 2015 saw the introduction of Web Collect and I am pleased to advise the membership that in excess of 80% of the renewals were completed via this online process. Going forward Web Collect will be used as a means for payment at other Solo Events Away from Solo Association financial matters I recently sold my three year old Solo with the assistance of our website. An advert on the Sunday resulted in a sale within three days. Also within this period four other enquiries were received. One of many attributes to being a member of the National Solo Class Association at an annual cost of only £22. Why would you not encourage other Solo sailors at your local sailing club from joining us ? My new boat has been ordered and ahead of deliver in mid August I have been borrowing our Vice President's boat - thanks Claire. Solo 5012 which is a great boat and after various good results at FGSC my wife was questioning why I !needed a new boat ! Finally and away from financial matters whilst racing Solo 5012 I have been involved in various disputes on the water. This is not to my liking as I sail for enjoyment and not to end up in a protest hearing. My preference has always been to agree matters on the water. Unfortunately others have differing opinions on this and despite retiring on both occasions I have been involved with informal hearings concerning Rule 42 and Rule 18.3. The outcome from both was surprising and learnings to all within FGSC. - If you are protested under Rule 42 it is not possible to exonerate oneself by doing a 720 degree turn. In my opinion a warning ahead of the calling ' Protest ' would seem fairer to all involved. - The incident under rule 18.3 occurred within three boat lengths of a windward mark. Despite changing course onto starboard and remaining clear ahead within the three boat length circle from a windward mark the boat behind has rights for water when rounding the mark. As shown above learnings for all within the Solo fleet at FGSC. Feedback from the membership on either the website or !within the next Solo Specific magazine would be welcome alongside other rule findings that occur in the future. !Catch up soon on the water Dave Walford Solo 56??

7 8

Solo Specific Summer 15 Committee

Training Matters By Tony Thresher

We are well into the season and thank you to coaches who have run training days at various clubs so far this year. I am working on putting in place a slightly different and more user friendly system for booking a training day which will also give sailors an excellent choice of coaches with different backgrounds and expertise to choose from.The way the new system I would like to fully institute next year will work is that Clubs, groups of Solo sailors or individual sailor can contact any of the coaches on the new NSCA list directly to arrange some coaching. Coaches will make their own arrangements with the party including charging whatever fee they wish for their services. Of course they may choose not to charge a fee or ask for any out of pocket expenses. Clubs will be able to claim back any travel and out of pocket expenses from the NSCA paid to a coach by filling in a simple form and sending it to our treasurer.

At the moment we tend to have more training requests from Clubs than coaches are prepared to voluntarily fulfil so I'm hoping that by including some professional coaches on our list training requests will be more able to be met. From my perspective I hope it will reduce the administrative burden I have of trying to put coaches and Clubs together for training days.

As of today this list includes the following coaches: Pete Mitchell, Charlie Cumbley, Matt Howard, Jamie Lea, Ross Harvey, Steve Ede, Jon Clarke, Gordon Barclay, Godfrey Clark, Derek Jackman, Mark Lee, Graham Cranford Smith, Will Loy (video), Paul Kimmens and Tony Thresher. Any other coaches out there please let me know if you would like to be included on the list which I'm hoping will go live after the Inlands in September. In the mean time continue to email me directly if you want to arrange a training day.

Talking of the Inlands we are hoping to secure the services of Steve Cockerill to head up the traditional Friday pre Inlands coaching. There will be no form filling this year but you ill need to let me know by email before hand that you will be attending. Look out for more details on the Forum.

One of my aims in the future is to facilitate coaching programmes at clubs by helping fleets to coach 'themselves'. Most improvement is obtained by practice so where fleets want to they can be encouraged to set up say monthly training sessions run by fleet members. Simple training sessions are relatively easy to run and often the most useful. Good for fleet camaraderie too!

Lastly I'd like to take this opportunity to say how pleased I am Will Loy has put himself forward as a candidate for President. Good luck Will!

8 9

4-WAY STRETCH Experience the total comfort of true 4-way stretch. Unrestrictive, close ﬁ tting and thermally responsive. Thermaﬂ ex® - the ULTIMATE top for ALL Seasons.

FREE Delivery to Mainland UK online at www.roostersailing.com [email protected] | t: +44 (0) 1243 389997 | Follow Us:

9 10

Solo Specific Summer 15 Advertisements

Paintcraft

Thames street Industrial estate Bulwell Nottingham NG6 8HW!

Specialist Paint Finishes for Racing and Exhibition Boats!

The Ultimate Paint job!

Spray varnish Specialist!

Call Nigel PotterTel: 0115 9754302!

www.paintcraft-boats.co.uk!

Accident Damage and Insurance Repairs

Godfrey Clark screams downwind in his Kevan Gosling built Solo at the Inlands 14

10 11

Solo Specific Summer 15 Venue Info East Lothian Sailing Venue East Lothian YC is a mixed dinghy and yacht club, situated just beside North Berwick harbour on a promontory. The historic harbour is complemented by the clubhouse, a 200-year-old listed building, which just last year was thoroughly modernised inside, giving generous changing and social facilities. There is plenty of hard standing for parking large numbers of dinghies close to the club, and for erecting a connecting marquee during large championships. Launching is from the sandy beach to the west, just beside the harbour, and there is a choice of two race areas. One is just to the west, between the islands of Craigleith and Lamb, and the other to the east, towards the Bass Rock, a huge chunk of an island with vertical cliffs and seabirds clinging to every crevice. Both race areas are just a short sail out from the beach of about 15 minutes. North Berwick is on the south side of a wide estuary, the Firth of Forth. The coast faces due north, and prevailing gradient winds are from the west or south-west, while easterlies are the next most common direction. Although North Berwick faces north, the sea breeze comes from the east. The climate is sunny with little rain, so sea breezes are common. Whether the sea breeze develops depends on the strength of the opposing gradient wind, a westerly or south-westerly morning wind of up to a Force 3 is likely to give way to a sea breeze around noon. A stronger westerly is more likely to persist. An occasional weather hazard in the Spring is the ‘haar’ a thick fog which rolls in from the sea, but usually clears by afternoon. The tide floods east-west and ebbs in the opposite direction. Only occasionally does it run at more than a knot and is stronger the further from the shore you are. The tactical question is this: when the tide is ebbing and the sea breeze is in, the tide is with you on a beat, so do you go right for the wind as the sea breeze veers through the afternoon or left to the stronger tide? Or, in a westerly wind with a flooding tide helping you, do you go left to the convergence that exists near the shore or right into the stronger !flow? The answer varies from day to day and from hour to hour. !North Berwick the Town Ashore, North Berwick is one of the best venues for accompanying families. Those with young children will find North Berwick excellent for the simple pleasures of bucket and spades and paddling. Children seeking inspiration for their sandcastle building do not have to go far. Just three miles to the East is Tantallon Castle, a key defensive position a few centuries ago, while two miles west is another venerable castle with extensive gardens, Dirleton Castle. Both are open every day, and info is available online at www.historic-scotland.gov.uk If history isn’t your thing, just take a few steps from the sailing club to the Seabird Centre, to learn all about birds such as the puffins and gannets which nest in their thousands on the Bass Rock. See www.seabird.org North Berwick is also well supplied with shops and eating places, while a host of other nearby pretty little towns, such as Dirleton, Gullane, Gifford, Haddington, East Linton and Dunbar are also well worth exploring. The town also has tennis courts, sports centre, swimming pool, putting greens, spectacular coastal walks and plenty of parkland. Edinburgh is just 40 minutes or so away by car or train, and offers plenty of sophisticated shopping as well as tourist sights, and has a major Festival of arts, theatre and music, starting the second week of August every year. For sporting types, anyone interested in golf will find East Lothian has plenty to offer, with championship courses at both North Berwick and Gullane among a total of 19 golf courses in the county of East Lothian. If that works up a thirst, you can take a tour of Belhaven Brewery, Scotland’s oldest independent brewery, or the Glenkinchie distillery, at Pencaitland, about 20 minutes away. Within five minutes walk of the harbour there is a great variety of places to eat. Just stroll along the High Street to find Italian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, and Scottish restaurants, plus two fish and chip shops and a good number of cafés. Equally close along the seafront is Millers Bistro on Forth Street. Local hotels and pubs are also a good bet for a meal. Try the Ship Inn, The Nether Abbey or The Blenheim. Along the East beach is the Tantallon Inn, while in the West end of the town is the Marine Hotel. As well as the bar at the club house, North Berwick is well served for pubs. Try The Auld Hoose on Forth St, The Ship on Quality St, The County, Golfers Rest or Quarterdeck on the High St or the bar at The !Nether Abbey on Dirleton Avenue. Getting to East Lothian Yacht Club ! The main routes North are either the main M6, or the East Coast route by the A1 which has less motorway mileage, but is more direct and less congested. The A1 comes very close to North Berwick, whereas the M6/A74 comes up the west side of England, so another leg is required from central Scotland. There is a choice of routes from the A74 or M74; pick up either the A7 near the Scottish border, or from Abington take the A702. Both routes head towards Edinburgh, but are somewhat rural. Alternatively stay on the M74 until you are nearly at Glasgow, then take the M8 east. From any of these three routes, pick up the A720 southern ring road, then the A1 into East Lothian, before selecting any minor road which links to North Berwick. Contacts ■ East Lothian YC www.elyc.org.uk - See more at: http://www.yachtsandyachting.co.uk/venue-guides/east-lothian-yacht-club-venue-guide/ #sthash.ITzyGgzK.dpuf

11 12

Solo Specific Summer 15 Venue Info !North Berwick Preview by Jo Catterall For those of you attending the Nationals this year & who haven’t visited before you are in for a real treat. A beautiful bustling Scottish Seaside Town surrounded by magnificent countryside awaits. For those of you who have been there I hope that the following will serve as useful reminders! The journey up from the South is pretty straightforward, Sat Nav wanted to take us across country from Carlisle but we found it much easier continuing North on the M6/M74 & going across Country from Abington, Junction 13 M74. Travel time for Cheshire was 4 ½ hours no traffic. On arrival in North Berwick we followed the signs for ELYC Parking& were directed onto the beachfront area, some 5 minutes’ walk from the club, which is where you will be parked for the event & where we (or rather you all) will launch from. Cars then have to be moved & parked in the town. Whilst in the main there are lots of places which are free, securing a place in Summer may well prove tricky for those arriving later on. There are a number of free public car parks in the town, including the station & plenty of places along the beaches without timed restrictions, though vehicles over 7’6” are prohibited from here. There is lots of accommodation in the town along with Tantallon Caravan & Campsite http://www.northberwickholidayhomes.co.uk/ http://www.coast-properties.co.uk/ !http://www.meadowhead.co.uk/TantallonHome.aspx which has areas for tents, motorhomes, rents statics & even has Wigwams! The site is well catered for being a brisk !20-25 minute walk from the club & just 15 minutes from the Town’s Tescos. The clubhouse is right in the harbour 2 minutes from the main drag, & has good facilities. On the first floor is the most important Bar & on the second floor is the café. There looked to be a good variety of things on the menu, all homemade including fresh cream cake! I am advised that a marquee will be set up for the nationals to accommodate us all but you would need to check with the club on that! Launching is across from the club where the Dinghies will be parked, a jetty makes for easy access to a sandy beach launching directly into the sea reminding me very much of Mounts Bay. The !trolley dollies are certainly going to be earning their beer! Both of the beaches which stretch for miles are great for families & are dog friendly. Golden sands abound & on one beach there is a small Lido which retains sea water when the tide goes out & is great for paddling in. Away from the beach you can keep the kids entertained with a couple of putting greens & playground’s, an expanse of playing fields & a tennis club for the more energetic. The main train line to Edinburgh runs from the town & it takes just 20 minutes to get to the centre. A real shame that our Nationals don’t have a ‘rest’ day as it would be a real opportunity to explore the !area with the family! Facilities in the town are more than adequate for a week’s stay though, meaning you need never venture far if you don’t want to! Tesco’s is a 15 minute walk from the centre, & on the High Street there is a Nisa Local & Co-op along with a Butchers & Bakery all of whom open on a Sunday. None of us will starve as there are a variety of cafes & Deli’s great for lunch & for dinner there are; • Thai Curry House • Indian Restaurant • Turkish Kebab Shop • Chinese • 2 Italians • 3 Pubs ! • 2 Bistros Sadly Brownie will be disappointed as there are no Golden Arches! A famous place for lunch is in the Harbour itself being ‘The Lobster Shack’ which serves local fish & Lobster which is on !the menu at nearly every establishment I looked at! And with the thought of Garda in my head, the local ‘Gelateria Alandas’ serves up a Fab array of amazing flavours for your delight. Having been to visit this weekend I am really looking forward !to my week there in August! The sumptuous East Lothian Y.C. bar which will be busy in the first week of August.

12 13

Solo Specific Summer 15 Venue Info !Andy Davis from HD Sails with Tips on the Nationals’ Venue. !Really happy that we're going back to North Berwick, certainly one of my favourite venues. The sailing club ELYC (East Lothian Yacht Club) are a friendly bunch and put great efforts in to making you feel welcome. The town has plenty of places to eat, probably why I like it. It also now has a Greggs so we'll be able to stuff our faces !with plenty of sausage rolls. Getting down to the business end, the sailing area is superb. It has plenty of scenery so when your not doing so well it can take your mind off it. When the wind blows from the east large waves build enough to lose half a solo in the troughs. This makes for good surfing conditions so make sure your well practiced as good wave sailing can give you a good edge. North Berwick is on the south side of a wide estuary, the Firth of Forth. The coast faces due north, and prevailing !gradient winds are from the west or south-west, while easterlies are the next most common direction. Although North Berwick faces north, the sea breeze comes from the east. The sea breeze will develop depending on the strength of the opposing gradient wind, a westerly or south-westerly morning wind of up to a Force 3 is likely to give !way to a sea breeze around noon. A stronger westerly is more likely to persist. The tide floods east-west and ebbs in the opposite direction. Only occasionally does it run at more than a knot and is stronger the further from the shore you are.

The main tactical questions you need to ask yourself is, when the tide is ebbing and the sea breeze is in, the tide is with you on a beat, so do you go right for the wind as the sea breeze veers through the afternoon or left to the stronger tide? Or, in a westerly wind with a flooding tide helping you, do you go left to the convergence that exists near the shore or right into the stronger flow? The answer varies from day to day and from !hour to hour. There is plenty of space up at the boat park but down on the shore it will be congested. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get out to the race course. Since returning this year the sand has washed away in the bay compared to when we were there last. Large rocks have appeared so keep right close to the harbour wall on your way out. Once you go round the corner of the harbour keep about 25- 50 metres from the harbour and spit, don't stray to far left as again there are large rocks. It's certainly worth taking a look at the beach at low tide and work out where your going !to sail out and come back. Hope you have a good week and look forward to seeing you there. Andy

13 14

Solo Specific Summer 15 Feature

Pre-race Preparation for the Nationals By Charlie Cumbley

There is a lot you can figure out about a venue and what side of the course may pay before you even set !foot in your boat or sail to the race area. !Common things to research are: Forecast - Is there a weather system that will effect the days breeze, increasing/decreasing, backing/veering. !Rain fall - head right into the cold air from above...?, clouds - head towards them.....thunderstorms etc etc localised topography - hills, headlands, narrow channels causing increased current, dark land matter that will warm up quickly and start a thermal seas breeze, water temperature, you only need 2-3 degrees of difference between water !and air temp to start a thermal system going, assuming the gradiant breeze is offshore. !Current - tide times, flow direction and probable location of the race course in relation to this. All these factors you can research before you even go afloat so you can have a picture of which side of the course you would likely be favouring before any localised wind shifts are thought about, in reality 75% of the time I already know !which side of the course I want to go before I hit the race area, whether I am correct or not is another matter! Allow yourself plenty of time to get to the race area, the big sea champs are often held a lot further offshore than regular events/club racing so don’t be afraid to get out there and start learning about the race area. ! I have a routine I stick to for all my event races. firstly I get to the committee boat, often if you are close hauled or running to the race area you can get some compass headings pencilled into the brain. Once at the boat I sail upwind for 10-15 mins tacking every couple of mins to get the variance in headings according to the shifts. This also allows you to get the setup dialled in for the first beat, I then bear away and run back to the committee boat, by this time there is usually a start line laid so I get a good transit, if there is no land behind the pin end then try and get a reverse transit from the pin end to the committee boat, anything to help get your bearings on a long line. I always get a transit and if !there is a general recall repeat the process so its just part of the pre race routine. Once i have the transit I check the line bias, then I can firm up the first beat strategy, if I want to go right but there is pin bias or vice versa how do I deal with it, take the bias and hope I nail the start and can tack early? (high risk) or start at the unfavoured end and tack immediately? or trust my transit and start in the middle, usually ahead of the fleet around you if you nail a transit and there is always a midline sag and then work my way to the side I want? decisions decisions.....!!!

“Have a routine”

14 15

Solo Specific Summer 15 Feature

In the final minute before the start it does not matter if its a 100 boat fleet as you are only racing the guy to windward and leeward of you, these are the 2 immediate boats you need to nail to get off the start line, its all about jockeying for position keeping as close under the boat to windward to make their life hard whilst opening a nice gap to leeward to accelerate into, but beware to protect this as if you open a nice gap someone will see it and come and join the party! Then you just have to be aware of rogue elements, usually early on in a big event there is some idiot reaching down the line with their boom banging off your forestay oblivious to any rules (don’t be that idiot!!!) “10-15 seconds to go its about accelerating whilst watching your transit”, Be confident in it, and as long as you have done it correctly, ignore the calls from around you saying you are over! Their loss, your gain! having said that in 7 nationals i have done I have had an OCS in every one! You could argue you are not !trying enough if you don’t get one! Once off the line its about putting your pre race strategy into action, stick to your guns and what you think should work, as there is nothing worse, getting frustrated as the boats heading the way you wanted to cross you miles in front after you got distracted and went the opposite way to your plan!

“Just lead at the top mark and extend for the rest of the race to win, its that simple is’nt it”????!!!!

15 16

Solo Specific Summer 15 Feature ! !North Berwick As a venue it provides fantastic sea conditions, often mixed in with some unpleasant conditions for a day or so but fantastic for the rest of it, it will likely provide big waves and a decent breeze so you need to be on your game with !setup and sailing style to make the most of it. If its breezy it will be wavy so upwind you need to hike hard and be able to steer around the waves, DO NOT PINCH, its fine to do this on an inland flat water venue but you will get munched in the waves. depower, ease the main and foot, FAST, rake the rig back and raise the centreboard to balance the boat. a balanced boat is a fast boat, too much helm and !you wont be able to go fast, the only way to remove this helm is flatten the sail and raise the board. At the top mark the reaches should be fun! Ease the cunningham, inhaul, outhaul and power up the sail, raise the board up 2/3rds and get the boat planing. Downwind is not the time to rest and in the breeze is even harder work than upwind !with constant sheet movements, body movements forward and back and steering, prepare to pant! Do what you can (legally!!) to keep the boat planing, heading up in lulls and bearing away on waves and gusts to keep the average speed up, now its time for the gybe mark. easy, if its fresh to frightening a big ease of the kicker as you steer in will mean the main will ‘auto depower' as the main fills on the new side due to the amount of twist in the leech !so steer in confidently and get the boom over, you will survive! Same down the next reach and prepare for the 2nd beat hike off.....once at the top mark its the run and where you can gain boat lengths over your competitors. Its all about steering, pointing dead downwind at the leeward mark is the slowest and rockiest way downwind, as the wind hits the sail and does’nt know whether to flow to the leech or the luff, this unbalance creates the roll everyone hates, by heading up to a broad reach or bearing away so you are sailing by the lee the airflow is settled in 1 direction across the sail and is therefore very balanced, this is why you see sailors at the front steering through big angles as they go from reach to by the lee to get the optimum route through, round and over !the waves. !Cross the finish line, grab some drink as you recover and get ready for the next one! Nationals day 1 done! see you all there.

“At the top mark the reaches should be fun”!

16 17 Power to Perform

www.northonedesign.com Contact:

Charlie Cumbley Pete Mitchell 07811 436935 07731 958783 [email protected] [email protected]

A4Advert2 22 January 2014 16:39:31 18

Solo Specific Summer 15 Championship The National Solo Spring Championship incorporating the !North Sails Super Series The Solo fleet converged on a bitterly cold Draycote Water Sailing Club for the Spring Championship on Saturday April 4.

Some of the 62 competitors had moth balled their drysuits and were now regretting their choice of summer collections. All chattered as the PRO went through the race briefing and listened intently as the umpire William Jeffcoate explained what he would be looking out for on the water. The breeze was from the north east and at 15mph but forecast to drop as the sailors complexions faded. The National Solo has strength in depth and with new faces and new Solos’ adding to the mix, we were set for a good days racing. R1 On the water and the start of race 1 was recalled, a large bunch at the committee end a little over-eager. On the re-start and it was clear that the left side was favoured, but going too far left meant you overstood and finding a gap at the top mark was as rare as a Chris Brown round at the bar. Charlie Cumbley judged the lane in perfectly and led from Tom Lonsdale, taking time off from his OK/Merlin sailing to rock up and show us how to sail. Andy Davis was in third and hunting down the current national Champion. Among the chasing pack were Dave Mitchell, Ian Hopwood and local hero Richard Pye. I say local hero but in truth, the wealth of talent at Draycote water and in the midlands in general is as abundant as the goals conceded by Coventry this season. The breeze was dropping and the on-the-water judge was busily scanning for rule 42 offenders as the fleet completed the Olympic type course. There were minor offences and some turns to exonerate but generally the play was fair. Cumbley looked to have secured the bullet but Davis sneaked inside at the bottom mark and held for the short leg to the finish. Lonsdale held for third, proving that wooden Solos’ are as good as ever and Dave Mitchell was fourth.

Andy Davis

18 19

Solo Specific Summer 15 Championship R2 The start is always a pivotal moment and to get it right would mean clear wind and tactical options, I had neither. The left was paying and those that nailed the pin end were in a happy place. Pete Mitchell, supposedly stitched up by his father in race 1 at the top mark, made no mistakes and took a well deserved win ahead of Davis and Cumbley. The young North sails employee is as hungry for race wins as Harry Kane is for premiership goals. There were gains and losses amongst the fleet as corner hitters rolled the dice, hero to zero and back was nothing unusual. Kevan Gibb, travelling from Largo bay in Scotland and sporting a prototype HD Kevlar sail was fourth and the miles covered by him and the other Scottish sailors should be congratulated. R3 The black flag was in play and among those DSQ was race 2 winner Mitchell. Unlucky Pete, but if your not over then your not trying, and he was punching heavy. The course was a windward leeward and Davis took control and led from the off. The downwind was tricky as the fleet sucked what energy there was away from the leaders and by the leeward mark the lead had been reduced. Davis though has seen this all before and held his nerve to extend over the next lap to the finish. Mike Sims who was not having the best day was second in this race ahead of Dave Mitchell and Lonsdale. Cumbley had suffered from the big left-hander on the first leg and this would be his discard. R4 Davis had it in the bag with a 1-2-1 but stayed on the water for some more ‘fun’. The other positions were still undecided and as close as the promotion prospects for 5 or 6 of the football teams in the Championship. Lonsdale decided not to hang around and led from pillar to post in the dying breeze. Vince Horey took second ahead of Pete Mitchell with Jon Webster bagging fourth. !The fleet headed ashore after five hours on the water, hot showers and tea top of their agenda. So Andy Davis in his Winder/HD powered Solo is the Spring Champion 2015 ahead of the surprise package of Tom Lonsdale in his 7 year old ‘one off’ Thresher wooden Solo and Charlie Cumbley in the works Sailboat/North 3DL. Mike Sims takes fourth in the Winder/P+B ahead of Richard Pye who was the model of consistency with all four results in the top ten. This event forms part of the North sails Super Series, generously sponsored by North sails, and Noble Marine and with additional sponsorship from Milanes Foils, Winder Boats, C2 marine, Rooster Sails, Creation Covers, Superspar and Ronstan. Those who qualify will go into a draw, which will take place at the last event of the year, the EOS, held at Oxford S.C. Many thanks to Draycote Water, the on and off water teams, William Jeffcoate and team for the judging/video and to Noble Marine who are the N.S.C.A. class sponsor.

For full results visit; http://draycotewater.co.uk

19 20

STRIKE A POSE

Stuart Hydon !Working hard upwind. This is a great shot from Nigel Davies showing how the Solo rig is de- powered. The sail is an Edge ODL4 with a more stable Kevlar back panel to keep the leech tight. Stuart, a top Solo and Lark sailor is one of the lighter helms on the midland circuit and this picture shows !why. Outhaul on tight to get the bottom section of the sail flat and the lower leech open. Downhaul on tight to open the top of the leech to de-power. Kicker on tight to keep the boom out to reduce the tipping moment of the rig. Stuart does not use a traveller but maximises his pointing ability, pinching in the gusts. Out of shot to the right is the windward mark and Stuart does a bear -off to nip in on port.

20 21

Solo Specific Summer 15 Equipment

Sailmaker Development Written and photographed by Charlie Tolcher, Open meeting photos! by Barbara Tolcher. Exe Sails and Covers Ltd, are based at the head of the Exe estuary in Devon. A place rich with Solo heritage with Lovett built Solos at Topsham in the past and at Exmouth MacNamara Sails, Rowsell and Morrison. Now there is a new name for Solo sailors to look out for with a new company, carried by years of experience from their team. Sam Woolner leads the business, a man who won the Hornet Europeans last year using Exe sails. Sam’s sails were built by Pete Handscombe. Pete has worked for some of the top dinghy sail makers over the last thirty years, he spent the majority of his time working for MacNamara Sails both in Exmouth and more recently in Norfolk. This pair have a passion for building top quality sails, with the aim at producing championship winning sails, the Solo being one of these classes. So far they have designed and built a crosscut sail in Dimension Polyant HTP 18 Dacron, which shows great promise. This sail has been tested and used on both Selden C sleeved rigs and also Superspars M7 sleeved masts, and sets equally well on both stiff and bender rigs. The next step is the laminate sail which is made out of Dimension Polyant’s ODL 6, which will allow the sail to have mainly crosscut panels in the main body of the sail.

Solos at Sutton Bingham Open meeting featuring the Exe Solo sail on 4350.

The return to crosscut sails is a reaction to the amount of panels and seams that affect the sail and the weight of the sail and its efficiency. With both Dacron and laminate fabrics maturing in quality and manufacture we can return to more effective sail designs, removing the need for radial cut sails in the Solo class, as the load paths are not that high when compared to many !of the larger dinghies like the International 14’s face. ! ! ! The ODL laminate is cut and shaped using a set of sailmakers rods that allow the chamber to be cut to suit the individual Solo sailor.

21 22

Solo Specific Summer 15 Equipment

All the reinforcing panels are formed and stitched before the sail is assembled, this includes the vision panel that is sewn into the foot panel.

The panels are all cut and then stuck together with sailmakers double sided tape to turn the 2D panels into a 3D shape. This is where the skill of the maker comes in to ensure the cut shape is put into the! sail. The sail is now ready to be checked before stitching up. This is done to make sure the panels lay correctly and there is no distortion in the sail. It is then shaped for the mast curve and leech.

At this stage the batten pockets are marked on and the overall outline of the sails is done and double checked to fit the class rules. Then cut ready for the luff rope, foot shockcord and tape to the leech. ! But before this the foot chamber is added and the lens foot is fitted. On this design the lower panel is made from HTP dacron as this is where the sail gets heavy loading and wear. This will give the sail a !longer life as will the size and placement of the vision panel. ! ! Now the sail has the reinforcing to allow the sail batten pockets to be fixed and the leech tape. The sail now lays in its 3D form hence the wrinkles. These will go when set on the mast.

22 23

Solo Specific Summer 15 Equipment

The sail nears its finish, the first of many laminate sails from Exe Sails. Built using years of sailmaking knowledge for !the Solo class. This sail was cut from a set of measurements that Peter had taken from the class rules, and he always cuts to the mid tolerances for the batten placement. Whether you want a sail with the panels cut on the batten pockets or any other cut ask Sam Woolner at Exe sails and they will cut the sail to suit your needs. My next step will be to set this sail on a Superspars M1 mast with a 2.5 metre internal sleeve, as I feel that this is the future for a lot of Solo sailors. The Exe sail and a mast similar to the M1 sleeved should give the more mature sailor a rig that will respond to a wide range of sailing conditions without the loss of power that you get from similar softer section masts. After all the Solo class has used Needlespar and softer section masts to great success until the stiffer rigs took over. There is still a place for club racers to use the softer rigs which will breathe when stronger wind strengths are present. The bender rigs reduce the need to set extra mast rake, which is required on the stiffer rigs when the wind strength increase to the top end of our sailing limits, although you may lose out on the downwind legs. Which will be lessened with the laminate Exe sail. I hope to spend some time on reviewing this set up for the rest of this season.

Exe Solo laminate sail on a Superspar M7 mast and boom, in its first race at Sutton Bingham Solo Open.

! Introductory Oﬀer ! 180 HTP Dacron Mainsail £550 ODL 04 Mainsail £625 ODL 06 Mainsail £650 Carbon Baen Set £150

www.exesails.com [email protected] 01392 874449

23 24

Solo Specific Summer 15 Area Report

At the time of writing we have completed five events in the 2015 Rooster Midland Series, the series leaders are starting to emerge with a different winner for each event making for an open series that any can still win. You only need four events to quality for the series but the more events you attend you increase your chances of a better overall series position. Each qualifier will win a Rooster prize, currently a £25 Rooster voucher.

The first event was at Banbury with tricky high winds, then Draycote for the Springs, this year it counted for the series. The turnout was good and the day was full on with four races and the midland sailors up against the national fleet. The fleet then went to the lovely setting of Barnt Green and then onto Carsington where we joined the Northern series. Forty four boats attended the event which must one of the largest fleets for a club open. Shustoke had another good turnout and three different race winners which made for an interesting days racing. Northampton is next on our tour with Holllowell, Chelmarsh and Midland all coming up soon.

All the results are posted on the ‘Solo Dinghy Midland Area Midland Group’ Facebook page along with photos and news so I would encourage you all to join if you haven’t already. I also post the results on the Solo Web page.

So far each event have been won by a different person making for a close series. We have had over a hundred different people attending the events with an average turnout of over thirty.

To encourage inter Club friendly rivalry I'm going to introduce a team prize for the series. This year the combined score of the top three boats from a sailing Club will go towards the Team prize. Please note Midland SC have decided not to run a short course open in July as previously advertised, instead their Open will be a more standard three or four races format.

Nigel Davies. 13 Events 4 to Qualify Sat 28th March Banbury Sat 4th April Draycote Midland Regional event and Spring Champs. Sat 11th April Barnt Green Sun 17th May Carsington Joint Midland and Northern event. Sun 7th June Shustoke Sat 13th June Northampton Sun 21st June Hollowell Sun 28th June Chelmarsh Sun 12th July Midland Sat 5th September Notts County Sat 26th September Draycote Sun 4th October Bartley Sat 10th October Staunton Harold

24 25

Solo Specific Summer 15 Advertisement

Ian Hopwood at “full tilt” Pic; Nigel Davies

25 26

Solo Specific Summer 15 Championship The Dutch Spring Cup - Medemblik By Pete Mitchell ! Once again Medemblik Yacht Club hosted the Dutch Spring Championships over the 1st May bank holiday weekend. Having been to Medemblik in the past with the Melges 24s and SB20s I was desperate to get a chance to sail the Solo and at this great venue - good sailing, nice town and near perfect hospitality (and cheap beer !) I only realised the event was taking place a few weeks before so naturally struggled to find someone with who to share costs with. Luckily Richard Pepperdine (North Sails Scorpion Jockey) was up for a boys trip boating in Holland. I had told him a small white lie and said that I had accommodation sorted, so quickly bagged us a £25 two man tent from the M25 !services on route.... perfect. The opening day was a fresh one with 15 - 18 knots from the north with clear skies - perfect opener! The 65 strong fleet of OK's were off first which left us Solo's with a large line to fill. This made first beat tactics tricky as a few boats always took a flyer and banged corners - hard ! First race Stuart Gibson made the most of the small shifts to round the top mark first followed closely by a small group comprising of Ian Hopwood, Richard Pepperdine, Claar van der Does and myself. I made the most of the long reaches/runs to get in front and take the first win followed by Ian and Stewart. Next race the breeze started to build to 18-20 knots. The same names appeared at the front with Pete taking his 2nd bullet managing to hold off Ian on the beats, Richard taking 3rd and Keith Milroy in 4th. Last race of the day Andy Fox had a good first beat and rounded ahead comfortably from Richard and myself only for me to overtake him on the last run - sorry Foxy! I held 1st, Foxy 2nd, and Richard in 3rd. I had a great day and took 3 race wins from 3 on the opening day !which was matched by Charlie Cumbley also getting 3 bullets in the OK fleet. The 2nd day was a more relaxed 5-8 knots north easterly. However, with Medemblik being Medemblik there was a short sharp chop which made it difficult to keep the boat going upwind - lots of concentration needed ! In the first race the right hand side of the beat was favoured by the majority but Claar van der Does led a small Dutch fleet to the left hand side hard and came out on top with Marleen Gaillard to round 1 and 2. Stuart and myself were the first to round from the right hand and gave chase. By the finish I had managed to get through Marleen but couldn't quite claw back Claar - Claar 1st, myself 2 then Marleen in 3rd. Second race Patrick Burns stormed his way up on the right hand side to round 2nd behind Stuart and Ian. I managed to climb back from a poor first beat after being undecided which way to go and broke away with Stuart - I took the gun, Stuart 2nd and Andries de Muijnck coming through in 3rd. Final race was similar to the 1st, with a small group hitting the left very hard and the rest hitting the right - decisions decisions ! Claar took her 2nd win of the day followed by a close race for 2nd by myself and Marleen, I made the most of the shifts to the left to !sneak by Marleen on the final beat. With the breeze building late afternoon and only set to rise near gale force levels, the Fox's very kindly offered me and Richard a bed for the night to save us being blown away in our tent ! After a big breakfast by Jean we were ready for !the last day. As we launched the breeze had swung more easterly and surprisingly dropped to 10 - 12 knots. I just needed 1 more decent result to secure the win but the battle for 2nd was tight between Claar (who had a very good second day) and Ian. 1st race Kevan Gibb showed good pace and rounded 1st only for me to pass him on the 1st reach. Kev held onto 2nd with some loose covering over Ian and Richard. Last race and the same names appeared at the top mark. With the breeze a steady 12 knots Ian Hopwood sailed a great beat to lead first with Kevan Gibb chasing hard with Stuart Richard and myself. I decided to go high on the reach to get a clean lane above Ian and managed to get in front come the wing mark. Ian secured 2nd !and with that 2nd overall with Claar in 3rd. Many thanks to the Yacht Club and everyone who made it possible. This was my first time competing at the Solo Spring Cup in Holland and for sure won't be my last. Great racing organised by a very slick race committee - see you next year !

26 27

Solo Specific Summer 15 Area Report !Southern Area Report Sponsored by I am very pleased to announce that following a conversation with Boat Yards at Beer during the Dinghy Show, they have agreed to sponsor the Southern Series for 2015. The details have yet to be ironed out, but this !will hopefully cover the series prizes. This year we will be offering prizes for positions 1 to 3, and a bottle of wine for all qualifiers. There will be four races to count out of a possible eleven. This should give all in the region a good chance to qualify by attending relatively close Open meetings. The prizes will be awarded at the last Open of the season, at Chipstead SC on the 10th October. Following my last report where I mentioned that I would be standing down at the next AGM, I have received one nomination to take over from me. It is however a democratic process, and if anyone else wishes to stand !then please let me know. there is of course a vote at the AGM (to be held in August at the Nationals). To date we have had four Open meetings in the series, all very well attended. I am pleased to say that already we have one qualifier and several more that are likely to make the cut! The current leader is Mike Wilkie, with James Ross and Simon Lomas-Clarke hot on his tails. It's still early days though, so plenty of time for previous series winner Steve Ede to catchup! My apologies for not being on the circuit this year however as previously !reported I am now down in the West Country. There are four Opens over the summer, Spinnaker, Dell Quay, Portchester and Hayling Island, before an Autumn conclusion at Mengeham Rythe, Papercourt and Chipstead. With Ponds, Estuaries and Sea in the mix, there's something !for everyone! My thanks must go to Bough Beech for hosting the Southern Area Championships again this year. I will not do a full report on that as Will Loy has already posted one much more comprehensive than I could ever have done - many thanks Will! !With some 45 boats out though, it was a great advertisement for our Class! Fair Winds Andrew Thompson (5152)

27 28

Solo Specific Summer 15 Championship The Southern Area Championship (Super Series Act 3) Sponsored by Rooster! Sails A whopping fleet of 45 National Solos’ converged on the picturesque village of Edenbridge in Saturday May 23rd to contest the southern championship. The sailors rigged up in sunshine and a moderate north easterly cockled the hearts and raised the pulse. Bough Beech sailing club is so Solo friendly, reflected in the numbers and strength in depth of talent so would a local win on home waters?

Race 1 The wind was blowing almost straight down the lake enabling a long first beat but it was veering right and this resulted in some recalls and line adjusting before the fleet were away. Ben McGrane showed good speed and a spoonful of savvie to break clear and take control. The Merlin Rocket/Contender sailor was pushed all the way by one of the emerging talents at Porchester Y.C. Matt Humphreys who chased Ben around the course and finally gained the lead at the leeward mark. Alan Bishop sailing out of Girton S.C. was in third all the way round, followed by Pete Mitchell, fresh from his victory at the Spring Cup in Medemblik. In a final twist, Ben managed to split tacks with Matt and take the winning gun by no more than the head of an errantly driven forestay screw. Alan third, Pete fourth and !local hero John Reed fifth. Race 2 The wind continued to track right and the windward mark edged closer to my camera position. The premium was on a clear start at the committee end and was to prove tricky. Simon Lomas Clarke found himself in a horrid position with 10 seconds left on the clock. Below the line but with 20 plus solos’ head to wind and edging forward he had nowhere to go. His eased boom hooked a forestay and the result was the heart dropping sound of combusting gelcoat and the obligatory hails of derision. Sods law decreed that the collision was with a brand new Solo and also that I captured it all on video, unlucky Simon. Surprisingly the fleet were spread across the course and it was those who went left and hooked into the best pressure who profited. Dave Griffiths was first to the mark but was soon passed by John Reed. Martin Frary who only started sailing Solos’ a few months ago rounded third. The wind had dropped to under 10knots, subdued by the gentle drizzle. John extended, Frary took second and Griffiths held on for third. With Vince Horey fourth and Matt Humphreys fifth the fleet returned to shore for lunch. Pete Mitchell had retired !and was packing his boat away. Race 3 The sky had cleared and streaks of breeze tracked across the pretty reservoir as the fleet launched. John Reed was holding an event lead over Matt Humphries and Ben McGrane. Other notables included Steve Ede in his new Winder with two sixths, Frank Brown who had a cracking race 1 and Martin Frary who was looking to add to his race 2 second. It was Martin who made the right choices and rounded first with Pete Mitchell just behind. From this point it was Pete who took the race by the scruff of it’s neck, controlling the fleet and extending to finish with a healthy lead. Had he spoken to himself in the car park? Had he received a call from the boss at North or was it the prospect of having to go home early and bake a cake for his attractive girlfriend? Either way it paid off. Martin Frary stayed second and with a pair now on the table had the strong hand. Matt Humphries continued his good form with a third and Ben McGrane !worked through the fleet to claim fourth. Unfortunately the wind continued to swing and with the time limit reached, no more racing would take place. So, as sailwave scoring software processed the scores the fleet de-rigged, showered and re-hydrated in the fine clubhouse bar. Martin Frary in the Rooster Sails powered Boatyard at Beer Solo was awarded the Southern Championship, fittingly sponsored by Rooster sails. Pete Mitchell was second in the North sails powered Sailboat 5.5 and Ben McGrane third in the P+B powered JP Solo.. Porchester hotshot Matt Humphreys was fourth and fifth overall and first Veteran was John Reed. Just two points separated the top five. Bough Beeches fleet captain Nick Marden was first Grandmaster and eighth overall and special thanks to him for the organization of the event. The on and off the water teams did a sterling job and many thanks once again to Rooster Sails for their sponsorship.

28 29

Solo Specific Summer 15 Championship

Martin Frary took the win the the Rooster Powered Boatyard at beer Solo

For full results go to; boughbeechsc.org.uk

29 30

Solo Specific Summer 15 Equipment

I recently had reason to visit Selden Masts Ltd at Gosport and took the opportunity to obtain an update on the Company's current and likely future activities relative to the National Solo with David Hayes. It is worth bearing in mind that "old" design extrusions are designated with a letter or number whilst "new" design extrusions have a name.

!! Selden are now only supplying booms using their Olympus extrusion and that no further Booms 2628 extrusion booms will be available (dealers may have some old stock). The weight of the Olympus is the same as the 2628 but the newer design is 17% stiffer. !! Masts ! Currently 4 different extrusions are available - C, Zeta, D+ and Cumulus. ! This is now only available with a long internal sleeve which provides support from below deck level to well above the gooseneck fitting. This flexible section mast remains popular with C Section lighter sailors but Selden are hopeful that it's usage will be superseded by the Zeta section mast so that production of the C can be brought to an end. ! This flexible section is becoming more popular and is supplied with a 850mm sleeve to provide support at deck and gooseneck level. I have been told that ideally the sail requires a Zeta little extra cloth in the luff area, perhaps 2mm-5mm but that a sail cut for. a D+ works pretty well.

D+. This is by a long way the National Solo Class' favourite. The unique position of the extrusion's D+ internal web may particularly work well with our wide boom angle sheeting position. Selden make around 200 D+ masts per year (with 4 or 5 being for the Enterprise Class - the only other Class using this mast section). Currently the mast is supplied with a 850mm internal sleeve to provide support at deck and gooseneck level. Next year Selden may make an alternative version with a short (300/350 mm ?) sleeve which would only provide support at deck level but no final decision has been made on this. Selden would prefer to stop production of D+ masts in favour of a "new" section but will obviously not risk losing such a valuable market.

This section with dual side taper has been available for many years and works well on open waters but it's lack of athwartship tip movement does not seem to suit inland venues. Cumulus Selden has a supply of side taper masts ready for fitting out but are unlikely to make any more in the future. Currently it has the usual 850mm internal sleeve. A front taper (as per the D+) version has been experimented with but has not been liked as much as the D+. The taper length is not the maximum allowed by our Rules nor is the tip diameter the minimum allowed so a "max taper" version has recently been produced. 2 are at Hayling Island SC and a third is going to Charlie Cumbley. It is hoped (by Selden) that this mast could eventually replace the D+. Although this version is being referred to as "max taper" it is still not at the limits of our Rules but as it must also serve the Enterprise !Class it is as far as Selden will go. !So, there you have it, the current position of our 2015 National Championship sponsors. Note: if you want to see what a real maximum allowable taper looks like, check out a SuperSpar M7+ Roger Gravatt S4528

30 31

Solo Specific Summer 15 Clubs

Fleet Captain Tips by Nick Marden !What helps to make a good Club Solo Fleet? Some thoughts from Bough Beech SC. Since moving to Bough Beech some four years ago from another club, the Bough Beech Solo fleet has been a growing success. Will Loy asked me for some thoughts on what might have contributed to this. I think the three obvious and connected things that have helped are: promoting the fleet; making it attractive to potential newcomers; and maintaining enthusiasm within the fleet. By way of background, Bough Beech is a typical medium sized family club run by its members but we are fortunate to have one of the best stretches of inland water in the South East: an ideal size for Solo racing. Solos have their own class racing on Sunday mornings and join the Club general handicap in the afternoon – a perfect compromise to maintain !integration in this sort of club. PR We have worked to keep the profile of the fleet up both within the club and in its “shop window,” the Club website. (Surfing other clubs’ websites, too often they seem to be inert!) Regular Solo fleet news and results on the website reinforces the impression of a dynamic fleet. We have also tried to preview and report quickly on our Solo events in Yachtsandyachting.com. We have been fortunate to run the Southern Championship for the past two years with entries in the mid 40s which has certainly helped our profile outside the Club. We have tried to make it an enjoyable experience (despite sometimes uncooperative winds) for all the visitors with a good welcome, interesting prizes and help with launching and recovery etc.

! Recruitment and development To grow the fleet, we have done our best to welcome newcomers. We have a suspiciously light old fibreglass Club Solo for prospective newbies to try out – though it is deeply frustrating to race against the rest. We have occasional training days though there is probably more we could do to help the less experienced. The BBSC Solo fleet is probably seen to be the most active and competitive class at Bough Beech, (we usually get the biggest start line turnouts with 10+ boats,) and so we attract incomers from other classes. It helps that we now have four or five skilled helmsmen at the front of the fleet – they often beat the Lasers on the water in handicap races and three were in the top ten of the Southern Championships. Podium positions are contested all the way to the line and leader horizon jobs are a thing of the past. There has been a knock-on effect throughout the fleet, almost all of whom !are now sailing modern FRP boats. Team spirit Successive Fleet Captains have sought ways to keep the fleet bonded. We try to put out an email report after racing each Sunday. It is also a good way of flagging wider Solo developments – individual success by our travellers or new stuff of interest on the NSCA website etc. No doubt like other Solo fleets, we have an annual dinner with partners. We give out various awards, e.g. to a “Sailor of the year” who has contributed in some way to the fleet, and another one for the most embarrassing mess up. (My favourite is one of our more experienced helms being craned out of his boat by the boom of a passing Laser lady getting lodged in his life jacket…) We also have mini-prizes for the best results of the month, which you can only win once in a year. Fleet Captains have been greatly helped by other members of the fleet who have volunteered to take on specific tasks from organising training days, arranging the annual dinner, maintaining our loan boat, and individual tasks at open events. None of this is rocket science of course, it just takes a bit of effort, but I think the key is PR. To finish with a commercial: we are always keen to hear from prospective new members!

31 32

Solo Specific Summer 15 Area Report NORTHERN AREA TRAVELLERS SERIES 2015

The 2015 series has clocked up 7 events to date and overall attendances are up 10% versus 2014 and 9 sailors have already qualified. Andy Tunnicliffe leads from Innes Armstrong and Patrick Hamilton. Events to date have generally been windy and included in results are the Welsh Championships, the second day !of which counted towards this series. The new season kicked off at Burwain in a very strong wind and two races were sailed before lunch as the really strong winds were due in at 1 p.m. Andy Tunnicliffe took the win, from Innes Armstrong and Steve Denison in third. As lunch was served the 30+ knot wind kicked in and no more sailing was viable. West Kirby was next up and a much improved entry of 28 (versus 15 in 2014) in light to medium wind saw Innes win from Steve with Steve Graham coming home third. Highlight for Steve Owen from Y Felinheli was winning his first travellers race. Andy T was missing. Next was Rudyard Lake where Andy returned to win all three races by a mile, and Chris Massey and Oliver Whitehead from Hollingworth took second and third and headed the series briefly as they had attended all three events. West Riding had an improved turnout of 28 and Steve Denison regained the trophy he has won several times, from an improving Phil Barnes and Steve Graham coming home third again, having won the first race, Steve D the second and Phil the third. Carsington followed with another massive turnout of 44 (up from 39 last year) and a Joint event with the Midland Circuit. Another local Jonathon Swain took the win from Andy Tunnicliffe and Craig Williamson in third. Strength in depth at CWSC keeps producing front end sailors. Abersoch (SCYC) hosted the Welsh Sea Championships and 33 attended the Sunday counting alone. Andy T won after the lottery on Saturday with consistent sailing in challenging conditions. Andy Davies followed through in second ahead of Jonathon Swain from Carsington again. Delph followed and new winner Patrick Hamilton took the first two races ahead of Andy Tunnicliffe and Chris Massey in third. It was windy but three races were completed. The racing was close and well fought.

Port Dinorwic followed by the Northern Champs at Hollingworth will complete the early season events before a close out in late September and early October. There is still plenty of time to qualify, Gillard, Foxy, Hopwood and others.

On the Team front Burwain lead marginally with Innes, Hamilton and Graham high in the rankings, but Hollingworth are close behind with Denison, Massey and Whitehead up there too. West Kirby have turned out in force too. Good luck to all, Nick Hornsby

Flat out at Delph Pic; Dave Woodhead

32 33

Solo Specific Summer 15 Feature !Time efficient, light-weight Solo sailing by Brenda Hoult PART 1 Time effectiveness Without opportunity to sail regularly, perhaps around family commitments like my own, there are 3 areas you can look at to focus effort: getting value out of every moment spent on the water (avoiding empty miles); fitness; and boat preparation.

1 Boat preparation Nothing is more frustrating than wasting an opportunity to go sailing due to the boat not being able to perform – either arriving at the club/event having forgotten something or gear failure whilst on the water. I am lucky enough to have a husband who is more than happy to work on boats – he tells me that apparently in France he would be known as the ‘preparateur’. It is a great advantage to turn up for every sail to a fully fettled and maintained boat. A spare shackle and a couple of lengths of control-line type rope in the boat can negate a variety of excuses not to go afloat, or mend afloat. Race report / training diary Whatever your level or aspirations it is worth having a notebook to jot down a few things about the day’s sailing. At the bottom of the page note anything that didn’t work perfectly or thoughts you have for improvement (this bit doesn’t work if you don’t check back before you next go sailing) and, if appropriate, make sure the preparateur is aware of the job list ;)

2. No wasted miles Club race times can be difficult to stick to without dictating family activities, but more can be gained from short sessions on the water aiming to improve your position in the fleet. Make sure you always go out with a purpose or particular exercise in mind and avoid the temptation to ‘practice’ the things you like doing best. Challenge yourself to see measured improvement up your section of the fleet at the next race or event you are aiming for. On a race day you want to give the maximum possible attention to race-craft – shifts, tides, other boats, etc. A useful analogy is that you have a total of £10 worth of attention available, of which you need to be able to ‘spend’ the minimum on getting the boat to sail fast, leaving as much as possible available for race-craft. So the aim of any practice session is to identify an area of weakness and work at it to become second nature, freeing up attention ‘£s’ for other areas. When you take on a new class of boat it takes a while to get past the numpty stage of feeling like the whole £10 is spent in keeping the boat upright, fully aware that you would have made far better race decisions in a boat you were more used to. Mental visualisation is a great time-effective training method. You can learn a lot from a training video and, particularly if conditions are not those that you are confident in, spending a session in a rescue / coach boat can be an ideal way to boost confidence and tackle your own demons. The best tool for heightening the effectiveness of a training session is a GoPro video camera, creating your own training video every time you sail. These are now available for under £100 and must be the best value improvement you can attach to your boat. The only difference being that the training video theoretically shows the correct technique whereas in watching your playback the analysis is of where you can do better. Habits you didn’t know you had (already subconscious) are highlighted and it is easy to pick up in which areas you are clumsy, or inconsistent. Secondly, there is literally someone watching you all the time and, much as you’d like to say you always hike as hard as you can for as long as you can, there is no denying you hike harder for the camera. And thirdly, for every hour on the water the camera gives an entire hour of opportunity for the coach to give ‘words of encouragement, advice and support’ replaying the session in 42” HD. So the boat felt flat? – the horizon doesn’t lie.

33 34

Solo Specific Summer 15 Feature !3. Fitness It is often said that the best physical training for any sport is to do that sport, but sailing is generally accepted as one of the exceptions to that rule, even for those sailing full time. With limited time to sail it can feel even more that fitness lets you down so it is important to try to fit in as much sailing specific exercise as possible. Just as on the water, it helps to focus on ‘how is this helping my sailing?’ - avoiding the empty miles. For time effectiveness there is little to choose between running and (indoor) rowing, but rowing has to take the edge in terms of sailing specific strength. Rowing is also good for mental strength as you generally will have a pre-determined session time so you are rowing against the clock – if you know you can row at a high intensity for 30 minutes you know you can likewise maintain hiking concentration for that long too. Cycling is the nearest to sailing for clearing your mind, seeing some passing countryside, getting some vitamin D, good leg exercise (though lacking for arms), but doesn’t really fit the time effective model. Cycling is far more restricted by daylight, weather, appropriate clothing and time of day (avoiding traffic) than running or rowing. Swimming is a pretty good all round work-out but is pretty reliant on appropriate sessions being available to fit your schedule. Fitness alone will not win you races but it will give you the confidence that you have the best chance, with the time available, not to be let down by fitness.

34 35

Solo Specific Summer 15 Salcombe

35 36