Allen ratchet block for mainsheet

I recently installed a new Allen 60mm ratchet block on my Sunfish. the Allen Pro-Ratchet 60 (A2160WAVE) is a selectable ratchet, 60mm size, with Allen’s new wave sheave.

The NEW wave ratchet offers 20 to 40%* more grip without adding any additional wear to the rope.

The most effective way to increase friction is to add sharp edges to the ratchet sheave, but this quickly deteriorates and wears away the rope. So, after working alongside leading rope manufacturers the Allen design team came up with a simple solution which improves grip without chewing away at your expensive rope.

The Wave Ratchet sheave has an offset V style grip, made from a hard-wearing recycled plastic nylon, which does not have sharp edges that will eat into the rope. Instead, by adjusting the V formation in the sheave to be slightly offset, the ratchet now grips the rope at additional points around the sheave, resulting in more grip. However, the new Wave Ratchet not only improves grip but as a result of the design it also allows for a less ‘jumpy’ feel when easing the sheets.

I’ve posted previously on my Sunfish mainsheet controls upgrades (ratchet block, spring, etc.), now I’ve now just opted to try this new ratchet block.

I moved the Harken 2135 over to our Minifish.

here is a pic of both blocks – the Allen 60mm and the Harken 57mm 2135.

I used the zip-tie trick to compress the stand-up spring again, such a simple and clever trick makes install of the mainsheet block so much easier.

Tillerman over at Proper Course (and now blogging about his RS Aero at Aerobian) a while back posted a snapshot from his RS Aero instructions that details this zip tie trick quite well:

ISCA 50th World Championship Postponed

update from the latest copy of the Sunfish class newsletter, the Windward Leg:

The 2020 ISCA World Championship sponsored by Maclaren, scheduled for October to be held in Sarasota, FL, USA, has been postponed until the spring of 2021. The resolution of the COVID-19 pandemic that the Class was hoping for has yet to materialize and restrictions on international travel in place are unlikely to change in time. As such, ISCA President Rich Chapman (USA) and ISCA Vice President Guillermo Cappelleti (Peru), in conjunction with the host Sarasota Sailing Squadron, recommended to the ISCA World Council that the Championship be postponed. This recommendation was approved unanimously by 16 members of the World Council, and Sarasota Sailing Squadron has agreed to host the 50^thSunfish Worlds during either late April or May 2021. The committee previously organizing the 2021 Worlds for Lake Garda, Italy, has agreed to delay their event until 2022.

“Although this was a difficult decision to make, it was clearly the right action to take. We are looking at our 50^th World Championship to be a very special event and that will require lead times and detailed planning that are impossible at this time. Fortunately, our sponsor, Maclaren, has agreed to carry over to 2021 and LaserPerformance again will provide boats for the Championship,” explained Rich Chapman.

Cindy Clifton, event chairman for the Sarasota Sailing Squadron, noted, “We were looking forward to hosting the 50^th Sunfish Worlds this October, but the pandemic-related barriers facing all regattas in today’s environment made this an easy decision to make. We look forward to hosting the 50^th Sunfish Worlds next spring at The Squadron.”

For more information, contact Sunfish Class Administrator Ed “Buttons” Padin at sunfishoff (at) gmail.com.

going out of business: APS 30% off sale

in a bit of sad news, Annapolis Performance Sailing has announced that they will be permanently closing and will be liquidating all of their in-stock inventory.

It is with much sadness that we are announcing the permanent closing of APS.  Unfortunately, we are unable to bear the burden of the losses caused by the COVID-19 crisis. We want to first and foremost thank you, our customers, for your continued support throughout our 29 years of business. We hope you will take advantage of our liquidation sale through the following weeks.

on the bright side, if you’re looking for any new sailing apparel, now would be a good time to get them on sale.

the downside, no way to try on any items and no returns…. but if you know your size(s), grab some sailing gear before it’s all gone.

[for the record, I have links all over my blog to items from APS… I’ll slowly try to get rid of these links, or update them to another sailing supply vendor]

25% off Ronstan sailing clothing

from now until the end of May, Ronstan is offering a 25% MSRP sale on all of their clothing, plus free shipping, and a free pair of sailing gloves for orders over $200.

now might be a good time to grab some neoprene gear to help keep you warm out on the water – they have shorts, shirts, pants, or a farmer-john style Skiffsuit.

 

greater Detroit 2020 Sunfish race schedule

the Greater Detroit Sunfish Club (GDSC) has released their 2020 Sunfish race schedule (you can maybe find additional information posted at their Yahoo Group but Yahoo Groups no longer function very well…. so who knows, really).  you can also check them out on their Facebook page.

• May 17th – Watkins Lake
• June 7th – Watkins Lake
• June 27th & 28th – camping weekend at Higgins Lake (South State Park)
• July 26th – U.P. Island Race (Les Cheneaux YC… details t.b.d.)
• early August(?) – Gull Lake Sunfish Open Regatta (details & NOR TBD)
• September 5th & 6th – camping weekend at Higgins Lake (South State Park)
• September 19th & 20th – Devils Lake Regatta (Bruce Goldsmith Memorial – details & NOR TBD)
• September 27th – Watkins Lake

all Sunday races start at 12:30pm [uno], with the camping/racing weekends starting earlier in the day to get extra races in over the weekend.

I said this last year (and the year before… and the year before… and the year before), and didn’t get a chance to sail with this group, but I’m again going to do my best to meet up with them for some sailing races this year.  with all the “stay at home” and corona virus issues going around though… maybe not.  it’s going to be a weird next couple of months.

stay at home like a BOSS with Alex Thomson racing [video]

if you’re stuck at home right now like most of the US (and quite a bit of the world?) due to the corona virus pandemic, here’s another sailing related thing to watch and pass some of the time.

this is a roughly 45 minute documentary on Alex Thomson’s solo sailing journey during the 2016-2017 Vendee Globe sailing race.