IRC Yearbook 2009

IRC YEARBOOK 2009
Consider what type
of racing you will be
involved in before
selecting the sails
you need
“IRC is generally favourable on spinnaker area and a lot of boats out
there with legacy sail plans probably are not using as much spinnaker
area as they could, so look at this when you buy a new kite.”
Mark Mills of Mills Design
Science beats moaning up a detailed understanding of how it works for the
“If you are going to make a case, take an Excel majority of the IRC cruiser-racer ﬂeet. “Essentially with
spreadsheet and build your data,” says Stimson. “The all sail areas, if the boat needs the power then provide it.
rating ofﬁce is good on rational, scientiﬁc arguments, People say that spinnaker area is ‘cheap’ but will the
but not good on anecdotal evidence and whingeing. boat actually go any faster with a bigger sail? Basically,
They do keep a technical mind on these things, and so if you have a DLR around 180 then area is a good
even if you don’t manage to get your rating adjusted, advantage. If the DLR is just around 200, then bigger
the exercise will give you a better idea of the pattern of kites are going to help. From 200 and above, the rule is
your performance against the ﬂeet. If you then learn fairly restrictive on spinnaker area, all you will do is dig a
that you are always losing on light airs days, and are bigger hole in the water.”
OK in the breeze, then consider more kite area, bigger Mills adds: “The problem now is there are no
headsails, or more roach on the main to boost sail area. inexpensive changes, except perhaps wider spinnakers.
And vice versa. Excel can put numbers to what you feel IRC is generally favourable on spinnaker area and a lot of
you are experiencing. The two are not often at odds. boats out there with legacy sail plans probably are not
“I think the commonest mistake you hear is, ‘we’ll using as much spinnaker area as they could, so looking at
drop the overlapping headsail and go straight for the jib this when you buy a new kite is worth it.”
because that will get the rating down’. It may get the
rating down, but it will also get the performance down. HOT TOPICS
Rating to performance ratio is what it is all about. Look
at other boats in your area’s certiﬁcates before you If you’ve already looked at all of that and your pocket
make a jump, and build up your data. Because IRC is a is a bit deeper, there are other things that you might
‘secret’ rule and a one number rule you have to gather consider. But remember that all boats will respond
data from outside of the rule, as it were, and so you differently to modiﬁcations. So get good advice and
have to divine as much information as possible.” run trial certiﬁcates before spending the money.
Spinnaker cheap gains Carbon rigs
John Highcock, of Saturn Sails sailmakers, is one of For boats that lack form stability, carbon rigs provide
the more pragmatic observers of the rule who has built an improvement that is worth the cost on your rating.
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IRC 09 Getting an Edge_bs 26 1/12/08 09:06:44
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