B O A T T E S T Kids switched boats on the fly The test team Close-quarters action Don’t try this at home What’s Next? By Gretchen Curtis JUNIOR SAILORS OF ALL AGES TEST SIX NEW KID-FRIENDLY BOATS eaching sailing can be a tricky business. A class of 13-year- olds in 420s may seem harmless, but factor in the token T rambunctious kid who loves to capsize, a somewhat complicated boat, and a curveball or two from Mother Nature and you have a recipe for potential disaster. Last summer I taught junior sailing (10- have asked themselves the same ques- to-17-year-olds, from total beginners to ex- tion. The answer: several new boats de- perienced racers) at Sandy Bay Yacht Club signed to ease the transition by being in Rockport, Massachusetts. Like many jun- more stable, more durable, faster, and ior sailors, our kids start out in Optimist cooler than other training boats available dinghies and move into 420s as they get over the past 30 years. My kids were ec- older, bigger, and more experienced. The static about test-sailing six new boats— transition can be challenging, if not com- the Open Bic, Pixel, Pico, Walker Bay, pletely overwhelming. All of a sudden Feva, and Precision 15. We spent two there’s a jib, another person, lines running days cruising around Sandy Bay in vari- everywhere, and a spinnaker to deal with ous wind conditions. The first day was sunny (the thought of which can be daunting to and warm with 10 to 12 knots of breeze; a beginner). What if there was a new boat day two was hotter with little wind. There (or boats) that could make the transition were (surprise!) numerous capsizes, though from Optis to 420s easier and more fun? most were unintentional. Here’s what the Turns out several designers and builders kids thought. PHOTOS BY PETER MCGOWAN (TOP AND LEFT) DAVE BALDWIN (BOTTOM RIGHT) DECEMBER 2006 SAILMAGAZINE.COM 39 B O A PIXEL MATT T ROSTKOWSKI ruce Kirby designed the Pixel specif- sewn into the head of the T 420 BEGINNER CLASS Bically to ease the transition from the mainsail to prevent the Pixel E Opti to a larger, more powerful boat from turtling if it does cap- S with a jib and spinnaker. Its stability was size.) On the windy day, the evident in the heat of the light-air day. more-experienced crews T It’s really hard Despite great efforts to flip all six of the were able to point well and boats, the Pixel remained defiantly get good speed on the runs to capsize upright. “It’s really hard to capsize,” (the boat has an optional exclaimed Matt Rostowski, frustrated spinnaker that was not test- that the stability of the Pixel was ruining ed), and the less-experienced crews boat, the soggy sailors found the open stern his swimming plans. (Foam flotation is made good progress without capsizing. made it much easier for them to haul The large cockpit themselves back aboard. And much to and bench seating their delight, it also eliminated the need earned the Pixel for bailing. “It has no back, so you can put high marks for your head in the water and stuff,” said Nick comfort. The boat Scatterday, who appreciated the open stern could be sailed by for other reasons. Another observant young two and handled sailor, Becca Weinstein, liked how the jib- (this is not recom- sheet fairleads lead over the camcleat (on mended) the weight a 420 the fairlead is in front of the cleat). of six sailors. “There’s a little bridge over the cleat so the The Pixel’s open jibsheet can’t fly out,” she reported. Although stern was another the Pixel is a relatively new design, there popular feature. is already an active racing fleet on Long Is- Aedan McCarthy, Marabah Akers, When they did suc- land Sound and plans exist for further growth and Camilla States sail the Pixel ceed in capsizing the across the country. Caroline Allen and Kim Crawford PICO sail the Pico he Pico is a simple boat that can eas- ALLIE Tily be sailed by a crew of two or STRIDE three. There are no halyards; the main slips CRUISING CLASS on over the mast, much like the Open Bic, and the head of the jib clips into an opening in the sleeve of the main on the front of the mast. The hull is roto- At least it’s molded plastic, and the rails are rounded. Some kids found the textured surface on easy to climb the hull a bit abrasive. Two or three back in Opti sailors together could easily carry the boat and rig it by themselves. The open hull is self-bailing, which takes some of the struggle out of recovering from a trouble getting used to during the rig- ward the dock and is then rolled up and capsize. After a few unintentional cap- ging process was the spring-loaded rud- placed in the boat. One sailor can spin sizes on the windy day, Allie Stride con- der bracket. It was difficult for the young the base of the mast in the maststep ceded, “At least it’s easy to climb back in.” sailors to fit in place, but once it was rigged while another holds the clew, and that’s The boat was quick and maneuverable, correctly, the rudder stayed attached to it. At the end of the day, Rachel Levin was but as with most dinghies, good coor- the boat. Also, the rudder was easier to surprised by how quickly she could put dination between the helm and the main- take off at the end of the day, compared her boat away. She hesitantly asked, sheet trimmer was needed to keep it to a 420 rudder. Derigging was quick and “We’re done?” as she looked around at her flat and fast. painless. The jib is unclipped from the classmates still busily derigging some of One feature that all the 420 sailors had mast by tipping the boat in the water to- the other boats. PHOTOS BY DAVE BALDWIN (TOP, BOTTOM LEFT) ALL OTHER PHOTOS BY PETER MCGOWAN 40 SAILMAGAZINE.COM DECEMBER 2006 Chris Huber sails the Open Bic OPEN BIC he Open BIC is meant to be a one-per- T son boat, but it can accommodate two young sailors with a combined weight un- der 200 pounds, the maximum recom- mended capacity. The competitive weight, though, is under 140 pounds. The Bic was a huge success with every class. Everyone found rigging and derig- ging the boat to be easy. The single Mylar sail has full battens and stays on the boom. A luff sleeve slips over the mast, similar to a Laser sail. The cunningham and boom- vang are led to one cleat and are adjusted simultaneously with a single line. This line hooks onto an eye just aft of the mast- mented that they had trouble pointing. step and also keeps the mast from falling The beginners liked that it was com- out in the event of a capsize. This feature fortable to sit in and went fast. “It is relaxing,” was tested countless times and passed Becca Weinstein proclaimed after lounging JUSTUS with flying colors. on the Bic all morning in the light air. DUNTON The boat is small and light; two or Justus Dunton and Braely Jaelmberg three junior sailors can easily carry it, and demonstrated how easy it is to capsize and RACE TEAM it’s small enough to travel in the back of a right, and even the smallest sailors had no car or to be cartopped. All our juniors problem flipping the Bic back over after had a great time sailing the Bic. “The sail a wipeout. “Can we buy some of these boats Can we buy is see-through!” shouted Nick Scatterday, for next summer?” asked Justus, follow- and his buddies agreed that this was a ing an afternoon of antics on the water. some of these major selling point. In a sailing class, Because of the August heat, getting com- where collisions tend to be an issue, the in- pletely soaked while sailing the boat was boats for next creased visibility seemed to minimize con- a plus. But less-experienced and lighter- tact between boats. weight junior sailors perhaps should be summer? The one drawback was that the Bic a little wary, because the boat is very was difficult to sail upwind; all the kids com- tippy and wet. MODEL PRICE LOA BEAM DRAFT BOARD WEIGHT SAIL AREA MAST HEIGHT CONTACT OPEN BIC $2,799 (MSRP) 9؅ 3؅9؆ up/down 3؆/2؅9؆ Hull and rig 104 lbs 48 sq ft 12؅8؆ Bic Sport (Complete, FOB North America, Wareham, MA) www.bicsportna.com ,PIXEL $6,350 13؅9؆ 5؅6؆ up/down 5؆/3؅6؆ Hull weight 190 lbs 94 sq ft 18؅ Nearwater Boats (Complete FOB (main and jib) www.sailpixel.com Royaton, CT) ,PICO $2,915 11؅6؆ 4؅8؆ up/down 5؅/1؅11؆ Hull weight 135 lbs 76 sq ft 16؅ Vanguard Sailboats (MSRP) (main and jib) www.teamvanguard.com ,RS FEVA $4,995 12؅ 4؅8؆ up/down 5؅/2؅6؆ Hull weight 139 79 sq ft 18؅ Vanguard Sailboats (MSRP) (main and jib) www.teamvanguard.com ,PRECISION 15 $5,995 15؅ 7؅ up/down 6؆/3؅8؆ Total weight 130 sq ft 25؅4؆ Precision Boatworks (Base, FOB including rig 390 lbs (main and jib) www.precisionboatworks.com Palmetto, FL) ,WALKER BAY RID $1,999.99 10؅ 2؆ 6؅ up/down 8؆/2؅9؆ Hull weight 149 lbs 50 sq ft 14؅7؆ Walker Bay Boats (MSRP,complete www.walkerbay.com with sail kit and inflatable tubes) DECEMBER 2006 SAILMAGAZINE.COM 41 B O The lines make A RS FEVA it a lot easier T to flip the boat he Feva is light enough to be car- brummel hook that hooks onto the deck T T ried by two or three junior to keep it tight against the mast.