UK Mainsail Proposal - The Results are In!

The results of UK Mainsail rule change proposal (see my previous post) are in.  The rule did not pass.  The UK fleet voted for the proposal - the Canadian, Australian, German, and American fleets voted against.

The CDA's votes were split the "against" outnumbering the "for" the proposed rule changes by about 3:1.  Many owners provided feedback - thanks for that - that I will try to summarize here.

Several in the "against" column did so to prevent an increase in costs, others voted on the basis of not wanting wind limits, saying we should not limit a competent RC and fleet from making a game-time decision.  There were also some expressions about adding more rules to an already complex fleet.  Those who voted "for" wanted to be able to make boats more sail-able, higher performing in a wider range of wind conditions.  There were also some mixed opinions - those who liked the mainsail changes, but not the wind limits, and vice versa, but didn't want the bad with the good.

Thanks again to everyone who voted.

-MS

Proposed Rule Change - Wind Limits and 2 Mainsails

The UK International 14 Class Association has put forward a motion to change some of the rules.  The text of the proposal is below.  If you are a boat owner, you will be contacted about a vote at a later date.  In the meantime if you have any comments please post them below!

-MS

Proposal for change in the rules of the International 14 Class

From UK Class Association – June 2012

Background

In Weymouth for the 2011 World Championship we didn’t race on 7 days due to strong winds. While some of the days were above the strength that almost any boat would put to sea in there was a strong feeling that it was a weakness of the class that we couldn’t sail safely in stronger winds. In particular while some boats from the front of the fleet would have got round one race was abandoned after all the rescue boats were used up before the start rescuing crews. In this situation the only sensible option for the PRO was to abandon the race.

Our current maximum practical wind speed in the low 20s does not put us massively out of line with some other modern dinghy classes such as the 49er or some of the more traditional designs (or even larger boats – the Maxi Worlds cancelled a race due to 26 knot ‘mistral winds’). However it is still frustrating and as a development class we have the chance to solve the problem and steal an advantage by being able to sail in a greater wind range.

Aim of any changes

The aim of any changes is to increase the maximum wind speed that a fleet of International 14s can race in while increasing the cost of the boat by as little as possible and not impacting the lighter air performance of the boats.

Overview

After considerable discussion, an informal poll of the UK fleet, a rules sub-committee and experiments over the UK winter with smaller sails it is proposed that two changes are made to the rules

1.       Add an upper wind limit for races.

By setting an upper limit for races we make a statement that the fleet will race in windier conditions than we currently do. This will encourage development of boats, sails and techniques to deal with these conditions as people will practice and race in these conditions.

Initially there may be some races where there are few finishers but over time boats will get reinforced, sailors will learn and new solutions will be developed

2.       Allow 2 mainsails at major championships.

While there are as yet unknown developments that may make our boats easier to sail in breeze, we need an immediate change that allows us to sail in more breeze, without impacting lighter air performance. A second smaller mainsail has proved the most effective way of doing this. While it is an additional expense for the new buyer, the option to recut old sails, or use heavier lower tech cloth and the longer life the “lighter weather” sail gets makes it economical.

Reefing the mainsail was also considered (and is not prohibited either before or after the proposed change) but proved harder to do with many sails that have uneven luff curve up their height.

Full proposal

·         Change 17, e,i from

Sails. Each boat, irrespective of owner, shall have for use not more than one (1) mainsail, two (2) headsails and one (1) spinnaker for use during any one regatta.

to

Sails. Each boat, irrespective of owner, shall have for use not more than two (2) mainsails, two (2) headsails and one (1) spinnaker for use during any one regatta.

·         Add an Event Rules section at the end of the rules with

22 WIND CONDITIONS

Races will start, unless:

a) The average windspeed on the course area exceeds 26 knots

b) Wind gusts exceed 30 knots for any duration

c) The race committee considers conditions are unsafe for sailing.

d) The race committee considers the wind is insufficient to manoeuvre the boats or too unstable to hold a fair race

Finally - 2012 CDA Racing Schedule, Finalized! (and other info)

So after a long wait, we have finalized the schedule for the 2012 racing season.  The schedule was discussed at the AGM - the biggest change is to the RCYC High Performance Team regatta, which will now take place on the 5th and 6th of May.  Check out the NOR and SIs here and the regatta registration page here.  We're also planning to have a 3-day event in Kingston as a part of CORK from Saturday August 18th through Monday, August 20th.  Thanks All-Star (Alistar Boyle) for making this happen.

Chris Leigh and the Worlds 2013 team are also putting together several sailing events between the CDAs and the following weekend in the first half of September.  These events will take place at the same venue and at the same time of year as the 2013 Worlds, so will be a great chance for people to check out the site and sailing ahead of time.

We're also planning on running a Gill gear order again this year.  Details will be sent out soon, but expect to see the 2012 gear (see the gear here) available to fleet members at a significant discount to MSRP, as in previous years.  Get your wish lists ready!

Thanks to everyone for their patience waiting for this info to come out, and special thanks to those who hustled me up to get it done!

New Schedule Info!

Check out the latest CDA Schedule!  It's becoming less and less "Draft" by the week.  See below for more info.

We now have final confirmation of the respective dates of the events being held at the RCYC.  The only change from the draft schedule posted in January is the RCYC Skiff Regatta, which has moved forward one weekend to the 16th-17th of June.  

We are pumped to add the National Yacht Club's "National Event" to the calendar this year, on the 14th-15th of July.  The event has been well attended in the past, and is growing in popularity among local (and not-so-local) skiff fleets.  In fact, attendance more than doubled from 2010 to 2011.  I'm told Creemore was the Beer sponsor in 2011, and there was more free beer than could be drank... I told the organisers that the CDA would be more than happy to help solve that problem!  Check out the event website: The National Event 2012

Two events remain subject to change in the calendar:

1) "Regatta X" after the CDAs.  The aim is to hold this event as a "Worlds Test Event", to give sailors a chance to experience the RCYC venue and sailing conditions for the 2013 Worlds a year early.  We are working on confirmation of this event.

2) We are looking into hosting a racing/training event in Kingston centred around CORK in the 11th-19th August timeframe.  Stay tuned for more details!

Draft 2012 Racing Schedule

A (very rough) draft of the 2012 racing schedule is below to help plan out the summer.

Nothing is confirmed and absolutely everything is subject to change, but expect to hear more in the near future.

The dates for the RCYC and NSC events have been carried forward from their respective weekends from 2011 (for example, we assume the RCYC Open will fall on the second weekend of June, etc).

The dates for the CDA Championships and potentially a second regatta (pencilled in as the NA's but this could change) has been scheduled for the same weekend as the 2013 International Fourteen World Championships, to give sailors the chance to get up to 5 days of racing in the same venue and season in 2012.

As mentioned, everything here is subject to change!

Gill Gear Clearance Sale!

(January 15, 2012)


A few extra items were shipped with the CDA Gill order back in the fall, and we are looking to move them at nearly any cost.  


If any of the items below interest you or you want to know more, contact me (Matt) and we'll cut a deal. 

Item	Size	MSRP	CDA Price	Sale Price
Thermal Hot Sock	S-M	$19.99	$13.99	Make an Offer!
Women's Pro Salopettes	8 (Women's)	$185.00	$129.50	Make an Offer!
Tall Yachting Boot	11 (Men's)	$99.99	$54.99	Make an Offer!
Junior Pro Top	XXXS (Child ~10yrs)	$159.00	$111.30	Make an Offer!
Speedskin L/S Top	M (Men's)	$109.00	$76.30	Make an Offer!

No reasonable offer refused!

The Killing 3 hits the water!

Canadian International 14 sailors Chris Leigh and Jason Lemieux have put together a brand new I14 design for the 2013 World Championships in Toronto. The first of these boats, "Little Red Riding Hood", CAN 615, hit the water two weeks ago.  Check out the latest video, and if you haven't already seen it, their project website at http://killing3.blogspot.com/.

 From the Wire2Wire Press Release:

The following video First Impressions, is third episode of the series Developing the K3 International 14.  I this episode Chris Leigh and Jason Lemieux discuss the newly launched K3's features and performance.  The prototype K3 was launched on July 28 after eleven and a half months of design and development.  The boat is being shipped to Weymouth for the International 14 Worlds this September where it will be sailed by Billy Gooderham and Ian Hogan.

<<video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X8euZzwZHQ>>

The K3 International 14 Project is the development of a new I14 design from the desk of Steve Killing and Object 2.  The design attempts to address three main objectives:

1. Improved Performance - incremental, low-risk improvements to the hull shape that will foster more aggressive development of foils, rig and sails;
2. Simple & Versatile Deck Layout - clean and simple out of the box, with flexibility for customization by the owner;
3. Simplified Construction - reduce the labour (and cost!) and improve the precision and repeatability of construction and assembly;

The K3 project is focusing now on how to produce more International 14s.  The team is creating an offering for buyers interested in sailing these boats and preparations are being made for orders that will hit the water Spring 2012.  This timing aligns well with those interested in training and competing for the World Championship title in Toronto September 2013.  Information on pricing and orders will follow in the weeks ahead.

The project is managed by Chris Leigh and Jason Lemieux with Wire 2 Wire and built by Rossi Milev and Chris Ball from Clear Air in partnership with CST Composites, Alexander Sails, Fogh Marine, CNC Pattern Technologies and ATC polymers.

For more information on the project visit http://killing3.blogspot.com/ or contact Chris Leigh cleigh@gmail.com and Jason Lemieux jasonlemieux14@gmail.com