Update
J-Class Rainbow shows off her quad headsail while training before her successful 1934 America’s Cup defence. The quad was even more effective when white-sail reaching, when the leach could be properly controlled in contrast to the triangular genoas of the time used by failed Challenger Endeavour – whose headsails would simply blow open as soon as they were eased. By the following Cup in 1937 the American defender Ranger would carry a headsail inventory exclusively made up of quads with no triangular sails at all
I thought, ‘Wait a second… you mean we can add to our existing fleet for cents on the dollar?’ We mounted a raiding party and paid a very modest donation to
the sailing school who were making room for some smaller boats. Our waterfront director secured some dock space and we came up with a docking plan to efficiently get six boats in the big boat slip that was both protected and easily accessible. We now had a fleet of six with minimal investment but they were still in need of TLC! After a season using the boats ‘as is’, there was clearly a demand
for the fleet. Next it was decided to spend a little money to make the fleet more presentable. Among the modifications: l Repaired and reinforced original sails and shortened mainsail leeches to raise the boom height l New sets of heavyweight/durable sails with the same design brief as above l High-density plastic floorboards l Removed travellers, winches, go 2:1 on jib sheets l Added a dock step inside to enable people to gently step down into the deep cockpits. This was a very popular tweak! l Fixed standing rigging and headstays, limited backstay adjustment l Bow bumpers The intent of the modifications was to simplify, equalise and
standardise the boats as much as possible. Other work has, of course, been done due simply to their age. If you step aboard these boats expecting all the tweaks available from the original one-design class including droop hiking, you will be disappointed! After season two of having six boats our adult learn-to-sail
programme is a sell-out and the boats are also being used for junior sailing, youth regattas, high school community programmes, Wednesday night racing, sprint racing, match race training and corporate team building, plus they are available for members simply to cruise around the bay. Many of these successes do not come without a significant
volunteer contribution and other resources to support the commit- ment of growing the sport. Sweat equity has been huge and many local suppliers have chipped in to support the cause. Some of the sails are from the 1984 Olympic trials and are still
in wonderful condition. Some hulls date back to the 1960s. This fleet has definitely captured the imagination of old and young alike
14 SEAHORSE
STARTING OVER Sir I loved Hugh’s (Welbourn) article last month about the quad headsail. It’s just the start, I hope, of a full review of the ‘why’ of our basic sailing rules. The black band rule, for example, is only relevant to cotton sails. I have a full-sized (9m-foot) quad reaching genoa on the Pogo 30. It’s so much easier than a kite. The family love it for the easy handling. But I can’t race with it. It is rated as an upwind sail even though it won’t go upwind. Peter Heppel Lorient
knowing that they are learning to sail on a platform once used by the sailing elite at the very top level of competition. So here we are with a fleet of refurbished boats that serve a wide
range of sailors within our particular club – and we’ve spent approx- imately the same amount for the entire fleet as was being suggested for some of the other options for a single hull. Because the boats are simplified and detuned we are running
out of reasons for them to be uneven in performance. Although they are used mostly for sailing education, the racing we do have is won- derfully competitive due to the boats’ simple set-up. Many of our ‘Taco Tuesday’ learn-to-sail graduates are now racing on a regular basis and transferring their new-found confidence into larger boats. The LBYC Solings are a regular fixture in our local bay and it is
so rewarding to see them bringing enjoyment to people from eight to 80+ and appeal to the most advanced of racing sailors right through to folks embarking on their first on-the-water experience. If your club is looking to establish a fleet to keep your membership
engaged as well as attract new members, I would encourage you to have a good look around the local marinas and boatyards where you may find that you can revive an old design that, due to its avail- ability, will bring plenty of bang for the buck and smiles to all.
NEW GAME NEW TOYS – Terry Hutchinson At this writing George David’s Rambler 88has absolutely smashed the Caribbean 600 record, 1d 13h 41m. The Caribbean 600 is a must-do event and what a great victory for Rambler! This year’s race was tailormade for George’s Juan K design and they got the
w
ROSENFELD
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