Dean Barker, Ray Davies, Glenn Ashby and Peter Burling will take part in the New Zealand A-class worlds on their brandnew 2013 model DNA's with J-boards. These guys know how to fly!
Mischa Heemskerk will defend his title and will sail an J-board DNA too.
Manolo, current European Champion used a J-board DNAin Barcelona too.
Foiling is the not the future of sailing, it is the present!
Flying/foiling is great fun, it certainly adds a dimension. Once you have tasted it there is no way back.
The firm has been restructured. The production will be further integrated into Holland Composites, PJ's bigger firm and the back office and front office will be run by Remco Kenbeek's Sailcenter from now on. Arno is getting back into management consultancy.
We think that this will improve the service to our clients and fellow sailors. Running a shop in a factory simply does not work. The shop is too small to manage indepently and the guys in the factory do simply not have the time to handle the orders for parts.
PJ and Arno could set up racingcats.com because both had another source of income. To be sustainable as an independent business at least 100 boats need to be sold each year. Although that ambition can be realized, we felt that this was the time to restructure the business. This way we can guarantee the delivery of parts even for the first generation DNA's. Remco can be mailed at info@sailcenter.nl, the info@racingcats.com account will be used too in a few weeks.
The A-class community gets awake. People are getting aware that Glenn Ashby and Peter Burling got J boards. Other pro sailors are looking for the J board package as well. The magnificence of the J boards was hidden last year due to not winning the Europeans and the French Open. More aware sailors did see Mischa smoke through the fleet both in Hyeres and in Barcelona though. Manolo did became European Champion but was still out sailed by Landy and Stevie. Once Mischa got it working he was unstoppable despite his poor speed upwind as his sails were not yet up to par at that stage.
The J boards are just as good in the light and much faster in medium and strong winds. You have to practice though. In steep waves or gusty conditions it is not easy to keep the boat in the water. Mischa and I found out that we could sail downwind in the trapeze in much more breeze than before.
It is not just me and Mischa who are advocates of the J boards. Just ask Manolo, Chris Field, Sjoerd, Murray Philpott, Luc Dubois, Blair Tuke and the ETNZ team (Glenn, Dean, Ray and Peter).
The J boards are the way to go. We tested some L boards but the A class lacks the righting moment to make these boards work. The Flying Phantom is wider than a standard F 18, not the mention the width of a C-class.
Even with a changed daggerboard rule (no limitations) this would be the way to go. The Pro's do not want to be surprised yet again after they were beaten in Islamorado by two guys with winglets. The J boards could only be developed after the introduction of the winglets.
Glenn with his black contender sail (apparently he doesn't need telltales ;-)
report by Bob Griffits - Full Results at www.a-cat.org "Glenn Ashby extended his overall winning margin in the final race of the Australian A Class Catamaran Championships, held at the St Leonard's Yacht Club , on Port Phillip Bay to secure an outstanding 10th Australian Championship in the classRace 9 was sailed in a fresh 18 knots of wind. Ashby placed second, and Brewin who had challenged Ashby for the lead during most of the series, finished in forth place. The race was won by Darwin's Jack Benson ( the defending Australian Champion), and Stephen Brayshaw placing third to secure a third overall placing in the regatta. First to the windward mark was Julian Jenkins. But Ashby, Benson, Brayshaw, and Brewin are extremely skilful and powerful downwind, and soon moved through to once again dominate the racing.The St Leonard Yacht Club provided great facilities for both competitors and spectators , and racing under PRO Ian Johnson was completed on schedule in an efficient and timely manner. The winds were mainly in the light to moderate range, with fresh 18 knot winds in races 8 and 9. Glenn Ashby used an Ashby sail, and DNA platform. Steve Brewin used a Brewin sail, and a Nikita platform. Stephen Brayshaw used a Brewin sail ,and a DNA platform. All three sailors used a Fibrefoam mast. At the conclusion of the regatta, 18 boats were loaded into containers for shipping to Auckland where the 2014 World Championships will be held in mid Febuary.The Australian team will be further strengthened with the addition of Nathan Outteridge, Andrew Landenberger, Brad Collett, and Scott Anderson. The World Titles should be a fascinating contest between a number of the America's Cup skippers and crew, against some of the highly talented A Class sailors from Australia in particular, and the United States and Europe. It would be a brave person to try and forecast the winner of this event." Bob Griffits.
This year we are again present at the worlds largest Bootshow: BOOT 2014 in Dusseldorf, Germany.
We are guest on the big stand of DSV (Deutches Seglerverbund), on the Multihull plaza in Hall 5.
The German A class association ( VDAC) is running the stand .
Thanks to Donald Beike, Danny Bollnow and Matthias Dietz for organizing . Next weekend, 25 and 26 th of january Guido Schulte will give an presentation about the A class at the Mutihull forum .
The boat displayed is our DNA with J boards type 2014, adjustable sliders and winglet rudder.
The sail is provided by Landenberger, a cool new string membrane sail type 2014.
Mischa Heemskerk on his way to defend his world title
Mischa flew yesterday to Auckland on his mission to defend his world title.
He is expecting though competition from mainly the Aussies. It will be very interesting to see the high quality fleet with among the usual suspects like Stevie and Landy, the highly favored Glenn Ashby, back after 2 years of duty on the AC. And not to forget the squad of other Aussies: Benson, Brayshaw, Brewer, Collet and off Course Scotty Anderson.... to name a few.
But don't underestimate the new TNZ youngsters Blair Tuke and Pete Burling, they will be sharp and well trained as i understood.
We also hope to see the TNZ members Barker, Davies and Luc DuBois and Artemis helmsman Nathan Outteridge. And then i nearly forgot to mention top US sailors like Guck, Moon, Mahoney, and 2 time WC Pete Melvin ....
The European continent is a bit under under represented, but among Mischa we shouldn't forget to mention Thilo Keller and Thomas Paasch....
"What is your strategy ?" i asked Mischa, when we did some last test sailing mid november in nearly freezing, wet Holland .
' I will show them how to push it to the limit downwind' After a summer of hard working on the C class boats of Hydros a learned heaps of things of how to handle foiling conditions. Now i understand the A even better. Foiling is not just about equipment. It is even more about sailing technique. How to steer for balance, how to keep the boat on the foils and even more, how to make gains by flying.
Flying is not the issue, being faster around the track is the issue. Sometimes flying is the way, many other times it is not, just like when we started the 'wild thing' in the past.
' Changing gears' is the key to be fast.
Off course Mischa did some tweaking and tuning on his boat, rudders, foils, mast and his own designed Mischa sails.
Once in Auckland he will concentrate on making hours to find the groove and not to bother too much anymore about the equipment he promised me.
Mischa will sail an DNA with J boards like Glenn, Blair, Pete Burling and the other TNZ members .
Jack Benson will use the alternative extra lift solution with flexy C boards among with some other Aussies . Curious to see how this works out .
Before building the J boards we experimented with flexible boards too, and found it not always clearly a benefit over the stiff c boards. But we realize that this could be a good alternative over J boards as someone finds the right flex and twist. We will follow this with interest, as this would be off course easier to refit existing boats then the J board refit.
This is just what we like so much about this class, continuously development in small steps, keeping the class the coolest around. I have confidence that the right decisions will be taken by the class on the rules.
Mischa will send news and info from what is happening in the weeks leading to the start of the championships.
Able to fit L boards within the 'appendages should be inserted from the top' rule .
By removing a whole cube out of the hull what holds the board ....
Clearly not in the spirit of the rule i would say, don't think this boat is seriously considered to race in the championship. But as a test it is interesting and and creative piece of work that's for sure
Chris Nicholson gets the low-down from Dean Barker.
A strong Emirates Team New Zealand connection will be evident when the World A Class Catamaran championships is raced off Takapuna Beach, Auckland.
The worlds, which start next Monday, will be preceded by the New Zealand Nationals which start tomorrow.
Eight of the 79 international entries are:
-Ray Davies and Glenn Ashby from the 2013 America’s Cup sailing team. -Peter Burling and Blair Tuke, fresh from victory in their 49er at the Sail Auckland regatta, and recent recruits to the sailing squad. -2013 America’s Cup design team members Pete Melvin, Luc Dubois and Nat Shaver. -Chris Nicholson, skipper of the team’s CAMPER entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, is a late entry. He will race in Dean Barker’s cat which became available when Dean withdrew from the worlds to concentrate on the team’s preparation for the Extreme Sailing Series which starts later this month.
There’s a mix of A Class experience here. Glenn Ashby has won the Australian A Class champs 10 times and has won the worlds seven times. He trimmed the wing on the AC72 in San Francisco and recently won the Australian A class title.
Ray Davies, tactician on the AC72, admits to have taken his A Class for a sail “just a few times”.
Chris Nicholson arrived in Auckland only yesterday and confesses to having never sailed an A Class.But as he says, “I know how to trapeze and I can steer so that should get me around the track.”
The designers are all experienced campaigners and highly rated.
At stake over the next week will be team bragging rights, with Burling and Tuke hoping to show their new team mates how it’s done.
Three races a day are scheduled for the New Zealand Nationals which finish on Saturday.
The worlds start with a practice race on Monday, February 11. Two races a day are scheduled through to Saturday and one on the final day, Sunday.
There is some discussion about the cassettes. Some people see it as a valid loophole in the 'put in from the top' rule. The cassette itself is not illegal. What is illegal that the daggerboard goes into the casette from the bottom. It does not make any difference if you put the daggerboard in through the bottom of the hull or the bottom of the cassette, which is a part of the hull. The hull is the placeholder for the daggerboard, The cassette is a placeholder as well. It cannot make a difference if you look at a part of the hull or the complete hull. Else it would be legal as well to put a daggerboard in a separate hull and then you take the whole hull to assemble the boat.
The post is not meant to create any controversy or ban some sailors. Apply the rules properly or skip the rules. Both options are fine. At this moment it would be wise to keep the rules as they are. The class can add a four foil rule but it would be wise to have the technical committee look into that first. The four foil solution should not be applied before someone has won a big regatta with sailing on three foils. Only ban something which is both proven to be competitive and harmful for the class.
The cassetes are declared legal by the measurers and Mischa had to move his toestrap which was mounted on the transom, in the opinion of the measurer it elongated the boat. This is sick and not in the interest of us sailors as mounting it partially on the transom is stronger and easier. The lack of measurement guidelines and a decent pre-ambule are hurting the class yet again and might even endanger it if the coming AGM does no take any corrective actions. Now the cassettes are declared legal it is best to abolish all limiting rules and go back to a clean box rule, just as Martin Fisher proposes in the interview with him by Martin Vanzulli on the blog Catsailingnews today. No put in from the top, no distance between the tips, just back to the original A-class box rule.
Both Martin and Racingcats will start developing an open foiling A-cat, whatever the AGM will decide. Foling is the future. It is fun and fast and it widens the window in which the boat can be sailed. With open rules a new A-class will emerge than can foil both downwind and upwind in 5-25 kts of breeze. This is not based on speculation as we have already made the boat foil upwind in some conditions. (ask Mischa)
Sales have already collapsed. No boats have been sold sold since November. There is a wide and renewed interest in the class but all potential buyers are waiting till the rules are set. The current situation causes too much uncertainty and is not handled very well by the class. No specific persons can or should be blamed though. The IACA consitution does not give any power to an executive board and is so twentieth century. The small mindedness of some measurers is a recurring problem. The toe-strap issue is not so different from the no flap over the boom ruling in Cesenatico some years ago. Just a measurer who wants to show his teeth while missing the point completely (just my opinion).
It would not have been necessary. Glenn is flying downwind on his J-board and his longer rudders with wider winglets and not skimming as Martin suggested. Glenn is sailing the boat constantly 20 cms above the water and you can clearly look under the boat. Mischa did outsail the pack (with the short rudders) and Glenn was outsailing Mischa with his long rudders.
Some people might consider me biased as I was partner in racingcats.com. People should realize though that this firm was purely set-up to make boats available for our friends and not because its business case was so healthy. We did and still do it for the love of the sport in general and specific for this nice boat. Let's create a bright new future now and let us not demolish this great class. Local class presidents, do your job in the coming AGM and let's make life easy again.
The results of the New Zealand's Nationals and the practice race made clear that foiling is the future. There is still uncertainty about the rules though. We as a class should either make it completely open or freeze development for a while to create some peace. It is my suggestion to freeze the rules until the next America's Cup. We can race with the J-boards and create some stability in the class. The cassettes and other workarounds should be declared illegal ASAP. The cassettes suck and we do not need these. The class can absorb the new AC technology after 2017 and the class can abolish the limiting rules per 1 January 2018. The alternative is to allow anything or keep the rules with the cassettes but that will keep the class in turmoil for at least another year, This will hurt sales and the growth of the class. In the end people will want to have boats which go faster than the international Moths in all circumstances. The J-boards boats have closed the gap a bit but not yet completely and it needs another round of developments to accomplish this. The new AC yachts will probably have more freedom this time to develop new foil configurations , which might benefit the class over time.
Glenn is the man to beat. Peter Burling, Mischa Heemskerk, Nathan Outeridge and Blair Tuke will put the pressure on him. Landy will be the best of the C-board riders. Stevie Brewin, Jacek Noetzel and Stephen Brayshaw will be close to Landy. Ray Davies and Bruce Mahoney will make the top 10 and might even beat the C-board riders if the wind is medium and not too gusty. Both Ray and Bruce had a decent practice race and if they still can perfect their flying technique they might be too fast for the C-board riders. The C-boards will need less than 8 knots to be competitive but do not have an edge in any condition. In the light the rigs and the helmsmen will make the difference.
Nathan will be dangerous if the wind is under 12 kts as he has slightly more lift than the other J-board riders. It will help him in 7-12 knots but it will hurt him over 12 kts. As a true foiling expert (AC72 helmsman and 2nd in the last Moth Worlds) he will be able to get most out of his boat.
At the Europeans the J-board did already win more races than the C-boards. This championship will make the discussion about the J's obsolete. Flying is so much fun and once properly practiced definitely faster.
Making it fly is not that hard. If you have not practiced enough you will loose too much in maneuvers and the occasional jumps though. Even with J-boards you have to be in the top 5 at the first mark to win races. In such a big fleet passing lanes are limited and as you sail such different angles than the other boats you will get easily in trouble if you sail too close to other boats.
Glenn Ashby did good consistent business today, by scoring a first and a second on his DNA . Bit Lucky that Nathan Outteridge who was leading the first race got stuck in big wind hole and fell back to 12th ..
Interesting to see that the boats are already foiling downwind in this light breeze . Not that this is faster per definition , showing the good consistent second and third overall by experienced sailors Scott Anderson and Andrew Landenberger.
Glenn is sailing the DNA with J boards, Nathan sailing the Exploder with bigger, more extreme J boards. He got the boat up quicker then the others, allthough looking pretty unstable. But who else can manage an unstable boat better then him, being worldchampion in both 49ers and Moths ...
Mischa got a shitty first day: sailing the first race into a hole too, after lying 5th and capsizing the second by avoiding a port / starboard crash downwind
Very interesting to see how things develop the coming days, hoping for a bit more stable breeze
More wind than expected to day. First race 13-17 kts tough conditions. Second race the wind dropped with many windholes. The first race team ETNZ scored the fourth first places (Glenn Ashby, Peter Burling, Blair Tuke and Ray Davies) and Mischa was fifth. The second race was won by Mischa and Glenn scored a DNF after breaking a gudgeon bolt. Nathan had his share of gear breakages as well but managed to finish both races and is sixth overall. Peter Burling is the new overall leader. Mischa had a bad first day though not unhappy with his speed. He seems to have found his groove again. Although the foiling boats were clearly faster Andrew Landenberger and Scott Anderson manage to hang in and are second and third overall. Apparently the wind in second race was less. Sofar all races won by J-board boats in conditions varying from 5-17 kts.
.jpg)
