Are we getting the message across

and what is happening with the CVRDA today?
Rupert
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Post by Rupert »

I thought that only happened in Thelwell cartoons!
Rupert
stu
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Post by stu »

....and i thought that story was one of those that had decended into 'folflore' and was not actually true !!! So, there you go, it really does seem to be true.

There is a spearhead in the grass at Portpean sailing club, with the original rotating mast !! No-one there new what it was, not even the owner !
The only canoe sailor in MY village too !

8) OK K1958
8) Mirror 34459

http://www.stuandliz.co.uk

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davidh
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Post by davidh »

Still have the yellow AA board somewhere!

With the benefit of hindsight the Spearhead was never going to be - head to head with the 505 back in the 80's would get you nowhere.

But now look.....even the much vaunted five0 is struggling and seen as being in a bad state domestically. I'm on the Race Team for the forthcoming World Championships at Hayling, an oft expressed view is that this is the classes last chance to re-establish itself here in the UK.

How bad are things.... the other weekend at HISC 7 boats turned out!
The last time the Worlds were at Plymouth in 1981 there were 100+ boat fleets just trying to qualify (the top 15 uk boats sailed)

So, there is a message there and one that increasingly needs to be heard for if the 505 can struggle then there's a lot of classes with a bleak future indeed!!

D
David H
Rupert
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Post by Rupert »

I would think that 505 sailors were often people looking for the thrill of being in the fastest boat around. They will have migrated to the 49er/800, so the task for the class in now to convince people that the 505 is a great boat to sail and not really, really hard, to attract poeple who don't want to do the asymmetric thing, but still want to go fast. This shouldn't be impossible, as the boat is so pretty, but they are in Fireball territory then. I'm not convinced that putting the bigger kite on has helped their cause.
Rupert
davidh
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Post by davidh »

Rupert,

I think you may well be right about the 505 and their kite. Aeons ago, when the Pompey Perisher was the place to be mid winter I crewed a 505 against the 14's and Isos. What a shame...traditional triangle course so the asymmetrics couldn't fly their kite as the reaches were too tight. No such problems for the five0's who 'thrashed' the newcomers.

Put on the bigger kite though and you're almost back to sailing the boat like an asymmetric, going very deep on the reaches. Even the run is sailed as 2 'powered up 'broad reaches'. Well, if you're going to do that you might as well go the whole 9 yards and sail an asymmetric.

Hayling will be interesting... but is it the classes swan song in the UK?

D
David H
JimC
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Post by JimC »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Rupert</i>
I would think that 505 sailors were often people looking for the thrill of being in the fastest boat around. They will have migrated to the 49er/800, ... I'm not convinced that putting the bigger kite on has helped their cause.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Performance is not a good indicator of class popularity these days, in fact almost the reverse. However a very good index of class popularity is %female participation, and having a bigger kite pulling on the guy you're trying to pull the pole off the forestay with sure isn't going to help that... I think the old Cherub kite at 120 sq feet was about the top of the size range for a pole kite to be reasnably popular with female crews. With asymettric you need less muscle per sq ft which is part of the popularity of course...

I must admit while wrestling with the pole kite every now and then is entertaining, like I did at Frensham this weekend, I wouln't like to be doing it every week... But putting a bowsprit on a 505 would be like putting wide wheels and extended mudguards on a vintage Bentley and ought to be a shooting offence...
Rupert
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Post by Rupert »

I didn't manage to get a close look at that kite of yours this weekend, Jim, but gybing it looked to be worth a point on the handicap all by its self. Certainly, it wouldn't have paid to gybe on all the shifts!
As for a bowsprit on a 505, they did similar to the FD, back at the olympic trials, and it looked truly terrible. Glad the Tornado seems to get away with it!
Rupert
Pat
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Post by Pat »

If popularity with the lasses was the criteria the Lark would be top. We even have a female National Champion.
Along with the manageable boat and spinnaker size, there's also the university team racing use and particularly the class's ability to party that attracts the ladies in such considerable numbers that the ladies changing rooms at open meetings are never big enough!
(Half Cut and What a Lark Removals Ltd)
Rupert
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Post by Rupert »

The Firefly is in a similar position, of course...I believe both classes have a great social scene at the nationals!
Rupert
JimC
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Post by JimC »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Rupert</i>
<br />I didn't manage to get a close look at that kite of yours this weekend, Jim, but gybing it looked to be worth a point on the handicap all by its self. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

There's no point in even considering the Cherub as far as handicap goes at Frensham: its just a pleasant outing. However its only the second time I've raced with a pole kite since 1990 so the handling was severely substandard - once I was better than that!

I would be glad if no-one were to post a photo from early laps of Sunday race one when I had rigged the downhaul the wrong side of the sheet though:-)

Of course if the CVRDA ever wants another SE inland event we could consider my reservoir near Hampton Court, Island Barn, where there is room for the Cherub to spread its wings. Canoes are eligible too!
davidh
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Post by davidh »

Island Barn...... now that's a good place to sail!!!
Only trouble is that the Applecores there (old and new) all sail way below their handicap - to the point that they are famous for it!!

The water tastes funny though...a lack of salt!

D
David H
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