I would like to tell you my opinion from the view of a race sailor who has
been sailing for half a year in the class.
I bought a new dinghy last winter in the Netherlands with a Dutch measurement.
The first races I have had in the Netherlands and I got the experience that
all boats - new or old - have more or less the same speed and it depends on
the sailor who will be in front.
Then I went to my first Cockshott Trophy in april in north of France.There I have had the same experience.
The next Cockshott in Italy, Portofino was quite different. The GRP-dinghys
where much faster and just “another class”. And there were wooden dinghys
which were in a lot of details pimped up, to get a better trimming of the rigg
and the sail under various wind and weather conditions and also much easier
for the sailor to do this trimming while he is hiking. The most of these pimped up
wooden boats where in front of the traditional dinghys because they have a must
higher speed potential.
The same experience I have had at the World Cup in Portorose and also end of
July in Luzern. I get frustrated …
For me there are 3 types of 12 foot dinghys with different speed potential
· GRP dinghys
· Pimped up wooden dinghys
· Traditional wooden dinghys
Racing together with one ranking for all is not fair.
So from my point of view to travel to a Cockshoot Trophy might be nice from
the “event side” but isn’t from the sportive side. It is the same with the
two “types” of wooden boats in one ranking for example at the World Cup
or in Luzern.
I see three ways to solve the problem.
First way:
· We can have the same event with the 3 types.
This is important for the class, for the organization,
the clubs and the sponsors.
· We can have also one start for all (or 2 or 3 starts)
· But we need 3 separate rankings for the results
I think this is the easiest way to have a fair competition and nothing must change.
The only what we have are 3 result
The second way is to harmonise the wooden boats. I appreciate the work of
Francesca, Lorenzo, Steve and Pieter. Up to now I see no results and I think
it will be some years more until they will have a solution which must also be
aceptet by the owners to pimp up or rebuilt there dinghys.
And the third way is - if the above proposals would not work – to organize
for 2013 an international serie for traditional wooden dinghys. The chance for
this is might be quite good. In France there are only traditional wooden dinghys,
the same in the Netherlands, England, Litauen and about 80% in Switzerland.
And the 4 German wooden dinghys are traditional ones. This new serie could
be a step between the harmonizing – second way.
I prefer the first way: It is very simple and I don’t know what will be against it.
If there will be no decision about this “problem” of the wooden dinghys the
international series might loose there attractiveness on the sportive side
and will have lesser international participants and every country will do his
own thing. This would be a pity for the class and may be also for the sponsors.
So my request to you as an “official” is to find a solution for 2013.
What will be in your view the best way for the next year?
Just another aspect:
- Francesca tell me that the wooden dinghys should go “with the time” and
pimping would be ok. I don’t agree. When one decided to buy a modern and
fast single handed dinghy he buy a Musto Skiff, a D-one or may be a Finn dinghy
- or a GRP 12 foot dinghy. The very special at our 12 foot wooden dinghys is that
we we sailed more or less the same like at the Olympics 1920 and 1928 and that
is what make the wooden dingy so unique in our actual world of carbon and mylar
and brings that bright lights in the ears of sailors … But there are different opinions
to this and it is ok. In the first way everyone can go his own way.