a random photo sent from my mom, with Dad standing next to a beautiful little sailboat, with just the following text:
Dad is negotiating…..
she’s likely just pulling my leg, but I suppose it’s never too late for Opa to start sailing!
bucking the traditional thought process that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, there has been some developments recently for new sails for the Sunfish sailboat.
a few weeks ago, an article was published in the Sag Harbor “Express Magazine” called: Local Sailors add a Modern Twist to a Classic Sailboat
Julian Shapiro (L), James Merrell and Gloria Fraze compete in a Sunfish regatta on Sunday, June 23, 2019 in Sag Harbor, New York. (photo by Lori Hawkins)
Sag Harbor is a small village on New York’s Long Island, and the sailors there wanted to tinker with the sail design for the Sunfish, wanting to improve performance and make the sailing more interesting.
The new sail design sought to solve a few issues common in sailing: weather helm, pointing and deceleration after tacks. Steering a traditional Sunfish sail in stronger winds can require so much muscle to counteract weather helm that a wooden tiller arches. Working against all that force on the boat can make for tiring sailing.
the local group of sailors worked with a local sailmaker, Farrar Sails, in New London, Connecticut, to develop and create these new sails.
Nothing else was altered about the rigging and the new sail was designed to fit onto the existing lateen-style spars of the traditional Sunfish design.
The end results? The sailboat points higher and moves with more zip. The boat accelerates noticeably faster after a tack. On the flip side, the sails require quicker response to puffs and wind shifts, so boat handling skills need to keep up. By switching out the sail, it’s like having two different boats: one that is great to learn on and another that sails faster and requires faster response time.
this certainly seems like a more feasible (and economical) option than the X-Wing sail that came out after a recent America’s Cup introduced the wing sails.
ok, I’m sold. somebody book me a ticket. I’ll just go and watch the racing and enjoy a week or two on the beach.
I don’t even know the racing rules of sailing, but the small island of Bonaire looks amazing.
normally, you have to qualify to race in a Worlds event, but they have opened the registration to any Sunfish Class member:
An Amendment 2 to the NoR has just been posted accelerating the date for open registrations from August 1 to July 15. That means that starting on July 16 anyone interested in being part of this epic regatta in Bonaire can register. We will cap the fleet at 72 boats and there are currently 57 entries.
the official notice of race can be found here (NOR, .pdf file). additional information can be found at the Sunfish Worlds website.
the 2011 Sunfish Worlds were held on the nearby island of Curacao – which also looks amazing. I’m sure Bonaire will be similar.
ten years gone. the length of time I’ve been blogging about Sunfish sailing.
ten years gone. also a fantastic Led Zeppelin song.
Then as it was, then again it will be
And though the course may change sometimes
Rivers always reach the sea
anyway, thanks again to all of you who follow along and pretend to read my posts, and extra special thanks to those of you brave enough to make a comment or two. [once upon a time, Baydog used to comment a lot… maybe Zeppelin will bring him out of hiding?]
I’ve had fun blogging, sailing, and blogging about sailing, and hope to keep doing it for the near future!
cheers,
my2fish
I found this great sailing comic posted on Shoreline Sailboats’ Instagram account:
1971-1973 AMF Alcort Sunfish comic book was a 12 page comic highlighting the AMF line of sailboats along with sailing pointers and selling points.
this weekend, July 13, 2019, the Lansing Sailing Club is hosting a Sunfish regatta on Lake Lansing, in Haslett, Michigan.
“notice of race” can be found here (.pdf file).
an amazing photo from a couple weeks ago of Lasers sailing alongside a Tall Ship in The Hague Harbour and Beach.
found this over at the Laser Forum.
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