Full Fat Foils, Skinny Foils - or both sets?

With the advent of the successsful Elite 2011 Ninja foils (Ninja Death Squad were 1,3,5 9 at the Euros , of course...) and now the skinny mainfoil for the Mach 2, several questions are posed. 

How will the skinny foils perform in the light stuff?  Will lift off remain the same or not?  Will we see some proper two boat tuning data?  Taking Si Payne's comments further, will it be the vogue to have both sets of foils at an event, using full fat when it's light and skinny when the breeze is up? 

The cost of a single mast, sail and set of foils is near enough 40% of the cost of a new Moth.  The hull is simply the bit that holds the important bits together, but it's not on to swap the hull mid-regatta.  Should there be any limitation of masts/sails/foils for an event, or are we seeing the advent of "mix and match" according to the conditions?

Chasing seagulls...

It’s been a hectic day in St Tudwal’s Roads.  Bank Holidays bring out the worst in the Scouser Jet Skiers, whizzing round in decreasing circles with no regard to us more permanent residents.  Periodically the tourist fishing boats brought in scraps of fish, causing a scrum amongst the following gulls.  The last one came in for the day.  The heavens opened with little warning and the bay cleared early, leaving just a few sailing boats enjoying the stronger squalls in now flatter water off Abersoch beach.

Just like cows lie down in the rain and sheep seek shelter behind dry stone walls, we seagulls don’t like flying in the rain.  We far prefer settling on a moored boat, perhaps a mast-top if the gusts aren’t too strong.  But I am young – I haven’t yet finessed the knack of banging still an anemometer with one foot, stopping it whizzing around, as I land on a mast-top with the other.  So I settled in the water amongst the moorings with my five fledgling siblings, waiting for the rain to pass.

Out of the gloom looms a bright yellow winged monster flying high above the water – a Mountain Banshee, perhaps?  Certainly, it was screaming along at 20 knots or more.  On its wing balanced a black-suited rider, who had captured The Beast and commanded it in such harmony.  The Beast was, perhaps, more like the mythical Great Leonopteryx – such a challenging ride mastered only by The Few.

The Yellow Beast screamed out of the gloom at us – we took to the air in an instant.  We looped left, the Beast followed.  We accelerated to top speed, but still the winged beast kept our pace.  We swooped left, right, left, far off downwind, but still the monster chased every move.  It was thirty seconds or more that we darted around the moorings, the winged flying monster in pursuit, until we split six ways, the yellow beast flying off once more into the gloom.

As it vanished I caught the name on the bow – Limbic Candy.  The dark rider clearly in tune with the emotions of The Beast as it flew so fast and silently above the waves...

Dear Floppy..

Dear Floppy,

I hope that seeing the pictures of a winged young pretender haven't upset you too much.  Perhaps it has set your foils twitching at the possibility of flying past your Antipodean cousin and showing who's REALLY the boss?

Did you see your photo on The Daily Sail?

Perhaps Daddy might lend you his wing?

http://www.aardvarkracing.co.uk/2009/12/floppy-takes-to-the-skies/

http://www.thedailysail.com/dinghy/11/58582/0/oracle-racing-wing-rig-an-oppie

http://www.oracleracing.com/blog/wing-technology-trickles-down-to-youth-sailors_706

Gives you wings...

I passed the Red Bull milk float on the way home down the M1 last night.  Yeah, it was on a trailer, not trundling along at low-rider speeds.

How come Red Bull haven't thrown a wad of sponsorship dosh at a major Moth championships?  Surprisingly, it says on the Australian site that they were "not keen" to sponsor Belmont.  Yet they must be spending tens, if not hundreds, of thousands supporting their Extreme 40.  The overall budget must be enormous across all their sports sponsorships.

Surely the return from a Moths champs would be worth the investment?  Forget a few decals from the Italian state car manufacturer - a fully branded RB Moth or three would look awesome.  The Moth class would certainly give Red Bull wings!

Anyone for Pimps?

It's perfectly clear reading around that there are great benefits to be had by learning the art of foiling in a club with several boats.  Some of us don't have that luxury, meaning the learning curve is bound to be longer and harder.  One thing where the moth community can help us exiles is in sharing pimps in a on-line reseource dedicated to the purpose, perhaps like the M**** P********** S**** class does.  The site of that unmentionable class provides excellent advice, albeit that it's for a one-design class. Clearly, for Moths the applicability of pimps between  different designs is open to question, but there are many that are common.  For example, I've recall reading in various blogs that roughing up the foils can help us cold-water sailors by reducing ventilation.  Now the water temp in Ogston is plummeting, it's time to find such practical advice but that's actually not that easy.

If I was a web-literate technophile I'd be delighted to collate ideas to share, but I'm not.  Isn't it something on which IMCA could take the lead?  Would it be better there, or within the various national forums / fora / forices?

Personally, I think it would be a really great resource to chart the development of the class, in the small, just-as-significant ways as well as the large.  Does anyone have the time or inclination to take it on?

Pond Potty

Ogston Sailing Club celebrated its half century this summer, with a crackin' ball in a marqee on the lawn.  In its time, it was the largest stretch on inland water for many miles around, well before Foremark, Rutland , Carsington etc.  The Oggie 505 fleet was superb: there is a photo of 60 on the start line at the 1967 inlands at Ogston and the club remains the home of the 1975 505 World Champion, Dr John Loveday.  Such is the spirit of the club membership that, after Severn Trent Water pulled the plug in 2002 and the club lodged at Carsington, a good number from that club moved to Ogston with their new friends when the water returned - and they remain with us still.

Severn Trent have tried again this year to shrink Ogston, but after a good few weeks of rainfall, the shallow spots in the middle seemed to have covered sufficiently to introduce foiling to Ogston.

I am glad that I had made good initial progress on the sea - but I knew full well that Oggie would provide plenty of practice going round corners.  Back in Birmingham in the 1980's and 90's, Roger Angell was rumoured to have sailed his various Magnum Moths at Olton Mere Sailing Club.  That I found astonishing at the time: it is a tiny pond within a housing estate in Solihull surrounded by mature trees.  On "Map My Run",  it is a rectangle measuring 420m long and just 110 across...  Perhaps our current world champion, who once lived a nose-dive and a pitch-pole away from that club, of which he too was a member, could enlighten us... 

Ogston, in contrast, has two limbs each about 300m wide and 900m long: plenty of room in comparison, but with the added entertainment of its crescent shape providing perfect mixing conditions for the breeze blowing from each end simultaneously. Last Sunday, the rain abated enough for a pleasant hours flight between the flat calm and forecast F6 .  It was an introduction for me, too, to the abilty of the Ninja to fly through the lee of anything else on the lake.

No specific problems to share.  That I had a spectacular wipe-out in Llanbedrog at the end of the summer when I hit the bottom and smashed the main-foil seems to have gone unmentioned (!)  Fitting the new foil was fine, but the system seemed a little sticky. After a good clean and a silicone lube, it was much better, but there were times sailing when the ride height slowly rose and rose and rose until the inevitable "OMG" moment...  I'll be sitting further forward and winding the rudder up next time... 

All in all, a great sail, proving that foiling on potty ponds is feasible.  I don't anticipate joining club racing anytime soon - I can make myself dizzy enough without going round in circles!

After conquering Ogston Reservoir, Ellen MacArthur moved onto more open water: I'll be sticking there each winter...  Memories coming back of cutting though ice in a Magnum 8 at Bartley - has anyone done that whilst foiling?

Three wings or two?

Healthy debate about the pushing the rules is central to any development class.

I've been attracted back into the Moth class after a fond five year furtle 20 years ago as a student.  Then, I couldn't afford a new boat (a Payne family cast-off would do!); now, aged a-decade-and-a-month-older-than-Cookie, I can afford a new boat but will likely lack the time in the boat to compete to my potential.  Does that matter? Of course not.  Foiling itself is such an amazing sensation and skill that it will keep me smiling, mesmerised and laughing my head off as I soar, launch skywards and cartwheel until I build myself a carbon Zimmer frame (with wings, wheels and no brakes). 

I'm not yet a circuit participant and it'll be a while until I am.  Would I have been put off from joining the class by the top class sailors using wing-sails? No. Will I ever be good enough to sail one without breaking it in a cartwheel? No. Does that matter? No.

I don't believe that allowing the wing will affect recreational or occasional circuit sailors at all.  Circuit regulars and Olympic hot shots? It'll take a fair induction in the class until it is sensible to use one (unless the wings are bullet-proof).  But who can step into the class and win straightway at present? Cost allegedly isn't an issue - it's expensive enough to hit the front and Adam doesn't reckon wings would work out any more expensive than conventional rig (apart from the cost of a cartwheel)  The logistics of storage and transport? Yes, it's nice to roll up a sail, but that's not an issue either.  I agree with Mike Lennon - it's the easy supply of quality products that are great out of the box (like my Ninja!) that has allowed the class to grow rapidly and reach beyond those with the time and skills to self-build.  But I really don't think the class will go backwards by adopting the wing - the product will remain superb with my Hyde soft sail!

And how to restrict it?  Easy - the mast has to go through a ring of a certain diameter and the sail has to roll up.

If some want to spend time and money developing wing-sails, let them.  It's not going to put new recuits off joining the class - foiling is still pretty radical.  Let those that want them have three wings - I'll be fine with my two...