Australia Newsletter DF95

Transcription

1 Australia Newsletter DF95 DECEMBER 2017 Welcome to the DF95 Class newsletter. The DF95 is raced as a Restricted Class. This means that the boat is to be raced as supplied by the Builder, with any changes restricted to those specifically stated in the Class rules. To help promote the Class an informal Owners Association has been formed consisting of a Rep from each State which has boats Registered. Items for inclusion in the newsletter, requests for info, etc. should be sent to df95aus@gmail.com Useful Links: - the site contains the Class Rules, drawings for constructing the other allowable rigs and templates for the sail numbers, National letters, the Class logo and their locations on the sails. There is also a link to Australia under the Links menu. As some of us also race the DF65 the same can be done at df65australia@gmail.com. Requests for a DF65 sail number can now be sent to Kyle at df65aus@gmail.com. For WA sailors * Owners should also check the updated Class Rules Version 1.2, H.9 regarding the size to be used for sail numbers, national letters and the Class logo and their positioning on sails. Templates/drawings for all of these are at 1

2 Boat Registration: Boats should be registered at * The Hull serial number as supplied by HWH is the sail number. * Personal sail numbers will not be issued. * Club Personal sail numbers are not allowed at DF95 Class Association events * Only boats registered with the DF95 Class Association may compete in DF95 State/National/World events or use AUS on their sails. State Class Contacts Qld: Garry Russell. garryrussell51@gmail.com NSW: Daniel Bergan daniel.bergan@yahoo.com.au ACT: canberramodelyachtclub@gmail.com Vic: John Toner. aus3488@yahoo.com.au Tas: Kyle Stewart. kylet@iprimus.com.au WA: Rodney Popham rod@sailprizes.com.au S A: Jurgen Luther jurgenluther@gmail.com NT: No contact yet. Clubs sailing the Class: Qld: NSW: ACT: Vic: Tas: S A: Moreton Radio Yacht Squadron at Newport on the Redcliffe Peninsula. Some boats have been sailing as visitors at Lake Kawana on the Sunshine Coast. Forster-Tuncurry RCYC at Racecourse Lake, Tuncurry. Contact, Sailing Sec. Peter Burton Horizons MYC at Grahamstown Dam. North Lakes on Lake Maquarie. A group sails at Blacktown Workers Club, Luddenham on Wednesdays from 0900 to 1200 and every second Sunday from 1100 to Canberra Model Yacht Club. Sail at the YMCA Sailing Club, Yarralumla Bay. Patterson Lakes RMYC. Lilydale RYC. Yarrawonga YC RCD (Radio Controlled Division). Contact is wayne.clement@cookedowsett.com.au who is organising the racing. Tom Crusoe RC Sailing in Bendigo who sail a variety of classes and currently have 10 DF95s in the group. Contact Mal Fields at crusoemal@gmail.com Risdon Brook RYC. Lauderdale Canal. STRYC at Franklin and Port Huon in the Huon Valley. Northern Tasmanian RYC at Launceston. North West RYC in the Devonport area. Mawson Lakes MYC. South Australian Radio MYC. South Eastern Hills MYC which sails at Paris Creek. W A: Wanderers RSC, Albany RSC. 2

3 DF95 Class Rules updates: Version 1.2 (current version) is at DF95 Rule interpretation (Rule F.7): In July I received a query from an owner regarding the fixing point of the elastic tensioning the winch line and if it s attachment point could be altered from deck eye#1 as he had a problem with the elastic breaking. I have received a reply from John Tushingham and the answer is NO. Rule F.7 is quite specific on the elastic fixing point and the routing options. John s explanation for using deck eye #1 is that it provides the maximum length of elastic so that tension can be maintained on the winch line with minimum strain on the winch. The Rule does allow for a different type of elastic to be used other than the OEM stuff. Current Registrations: 177 QUEENSLAND: STATE REPORTS The Moreton Radio Yacht Squadron ( located on the Redcliffe Peninsula will be holding a DF95 race day in February/March (actual date to be confirmed) The event will be advertised on the QRYA website and will be open to all DF95 owners. A fully catered lunch will be provided by the Café right beside the sailing venue. The entry fee will include the cost of the lunch. Additional meals can be arranged at cost. The Café There are four new boats expected to be launched at the club in the New Year and when this occurs a formal racing program will be implemented. Once this occurs and the minimum conditions are met, the Class will attempt to seek recognition by the QRYA. 3

4 The sailing area. NEW SOUTH WALES: Foster-Tuncurry Radio Yacht Club has a strong fleet of DF95s sailing on the Racecourse Lake Tuncurry on the 1 st, 3 rd, 5 th Wednesdays of every month and every Saturday. Visitors are welcome and for further information contact the Sailing Secretary Peter Burton on DSF95 NSW: What a year it s been, Clubs increasing the numbers of members and DF95 sailors from young to old and beginner to advance sailors. It just proves how great the Df95 really are to sail. We now have DF95 sailing in the south coast, Canberra, throughout Sydney areas, Hunter Valley, Lake Macquarie, Grahams Town & Forster. Please let us know if your club is now sailing. Contact us through NSWRYA Update: At the November meeting of the NSWYRA, the DF95 Class, applied for and was granted Sanctioned status in NSW. This means that the DF95 Class can now use the NSWRYA web site to promote their events in NSW. It allows the DF95 Class to refer and use the Racing Rules of Sailing as the authority when conducting racing. It also allows the DF95 Class to use the HMS Scoring System. If and when required. What this does not allow the DF95 Class to do, is host a DF95 NSW State Titles. For this to occur either a State Owners Association or a National Owners Association would need to be established with an ARYA approved Constitution. The DF95 Class already meets the three-club rule. We have seen with the DF65 that this is possible within a short period of time where there is a Commitment from five States to move forward. A National Association has been set up with a proposed date for their first National Championships in May As Daniel is moving on to warmer pastures Jason Roots has agreed to fill the void as State Class 4

5 Coordinator. Four dates have been allocated in the NSWRYA calendar for the DF95 T.T Series. To-date, two of the four have been allocated to NSWRYA affiliated Clubs. So, the next stage is, Incorporation of an Association, recognition as a State Class in NSW and at least two more States and apply for National recognition and host the first National Championships. Simple, anyone wants to take up the challenge. Paul Martin. Regatta Officer NSWRYA The Travellers series - Final Wrap Up. Round 5 and final round of the Travellers Series has been completed at the new Hunter Valley club. We had a great turn out with 19 boats sailing on the day. We kept the same format as all other series rounds having a B fleet and A fleet without progression which has kept the sailing really tight. Weather wasn t the best with large storms brewing around the area a decision at the lunch time break meant we had the major presentation earlier and an earlier day. This proved to be a good decision. Peter Burton from Forster Club was the one to beat on the day with 4 first places and 1x 2 nd and dropping a 3 rd to be the overall winner of the day, finishing on 6 points. Craig Sargent was being his normal self and consistent for 2 nd place, Daniel Bergan edging Jason Rootes by 1 point for 3 rd place. The B fleet racing was just as close with Rod Wilson showing consistencies with the boat getting quicker as the day went on finishing on 8 points for 1 st place, Roger Smith was only 1 point behind on 9points for 2 nd with Alan Taylor 3 rd showing Pace at times and hard to beat. All in all it was a great day and we had some new sailors sailing for their first time with DF 95. It s paved the way for a great series for next year. 5

6 After 5 rounds of the traveller s series one thing was clear. It didn t matter who you were how you sailed on the day, each round was pleasure to sail. The sailors and clubs that hosted the events did an amazing job and made it worth the travel. Although the racing was tight it wasn t all about the racing but coming together sharing stories and having a good time with a common interest. A huge thankyou to all involved. With all the boats being pretty much the same out of the box, the only difference was the way each sailor tunned their boat and sailed it, This saw some amazing sailing and efforts throughout the series. Craig Sargent s effort to take out the overall series was an example of sportsman ship and consistency showing Craig is great Bloke and a dam good sailor. In most cases Craig had the furthest distance to travel living in Port Macquarie, Craig was there at all rounds regardless of weather conditions, great effort. Craig won 3 out of 5 rounds and was second for both the other 2 rounds giving him a score of 5 after 1 drop to takeout first place overall. Congratulations Craig on your victory. Series Champion Craig Sargent Peter Burton 2 nd overall (8 points) showed he was getting quicker every round. Peter was hard to beat and throw Jason Rootes in the mix who was 3 rd overall (10 points) you soon realize that you had to work hard for every bit of ground around the course. Congratulations to all 3 top places. 6

7 B fleet was running its own series, and this was just as tough as the A fleet. One time after a series round we had 3 fun races for a bottle of wine with all boats on the water. B fleet boats took out 1st & 2 nd for the wine. So B doesn t stand for much when you look at the calibre of the sailors. Roger Smith took out first place on 8 points, Rod Wilson 2 nd on 11 points, Alan Taylor 3 rd on 15 points. It is worth mentioning, John Rootes was in second position coming in to the last round, but due to illness missed the last round. I m sure John would have placed had he sailed the last round. B fleet Champion Roger Smith We had 40 sailors take part in the series; it was unfortunate that not sailors could attend all rounds. On average we had around 20 sailors for each round. For 2018 great efforts have been made to ensure that any DF95 series won t clash with other classes and events. This will greatly boost numbers for future events. 7

8 Skipper A Fleet Boat no DF95 Traveller Series Round Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Position score Craig Sargent Peter Burton Jason Rootes Daniel Bergan Phillip Page Alan Griffith Phil Page Paul Martin Roman Wenger Peter Newman Ian Walters Robert Fielding Juilan Clutterbuck Andrew Sands Grant Waring David Page Michael Harris Mitch Gibbs Peter Yates B Fleet Boat no Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Position Roger Smith Rod Wilson Alan Taylor John Rootes Neil Wasson Paul Coombe Barry Archer Brain Lindsay Rob Gower Mark Rayner Brian Bath Bob Cann Maurie Hotson Tony Ovenden Noel King

9 Jeff Harris Ian Doug Monk Alan Holder Grahan Turner Keith Johnson A.C.T: Richard Jolley will not be representing Canberra MYC anymore. The CMYC Committee decided that it could not host a DF95 Travellers Trophy, so Richard has decided to hang up his sailing transmitter and concentrate on RC flying. Thanks to Richard for his efforts in trying to establish the Class in the ACT. If any of the other DF95 owners in Canberra would like to take on the role of ACT Rep just let me know. VICTORIA: 2017 DF95 Victorian Cup: The event was held on Saturday 28 th. October at the National Water Sports Centre. Patterson Lakes Radio Model Y.C. hosted the event. PRO for the day was Mario Gulic ably assisted by PLRMYC Secretary Tony Smith and Club member Chris Darling. Mario got racing under way on time at in a very light shifting breeze. Fourteen boats fronted the starter with Paul Martin flying the flag NSW. After about six races the wind dropped to zero, so an early lunch break was called. During the afternoon the wind settled more or less in the South with a bit of pressure in it. As seems to be the case in a lot of regattas, the best winds for the day were during the last two races!! In total 18 races were completed with the winner being Class newcomer (but ace Tasar, etc. sailor) Chris Dance from the host club on 29 points. Second on 34 points was Benson (I have a boat for every day of the week in every Class) Or and third on 56 points was Frank (The Enforcer) Katers sailing Geoff Dawson s boat. Tony Smith loaned his boat to Jason Shilton who has never sailed the boat before and he proceeded to a heap of second and third places until the lunch break. After lunch he handed the boat over to Michael Cosgriff to sail for the afternoon session and Michael was in the hunt also some new converts to the class? 9

10 Racing was conducted in a relaxed manner who wants to go to war for a goldfish farm - even so Mario RULED and there were quite a few General Recalls!! It was a great day of really close sailing and even among the backmarkers some of us were match racing for 15 th place!! First (and only!) female skipper was Maureen Haymes who drew a few comments on her new sails, Maureen did you get those sails from your local Sexy Land store, etc. I have to say that satin black sails with pink jib luff tape and pink corner patches must be unique! This is the second year that this event has been run. This year it has coincided close to the Laser World Champs in Queensland. A lot of our DF95 owners also sail the Laser as it is an OD just like the DF95, so to get 14 entries was very satisfying. Next year maybe we will get more of our local Laser/DF95 owners and more interstate travellers sailing. Patterson Lakes RMYC is to be congratulated on promoting the Class. From a very small fleet it has built up the numbers sailing by attracting members from unaffiliated clubs to join and sail in a Class that will I am sure will eventually be a recognised class by the ARYA (maybe not in my lifetime!!). Paul Martin of NSW (AUS 267) used the regatta to get in some race time and some tuning before heading off to Florida in the Good Ol USofA to compete in their DF95 Nationals from November. Hopefully Paul will provide a detailed report of the event for the newsletter as he did of last year s event. What makes you think that Paul may have some Irish in him? The Tricolour under the Class Insignia may be a clue (notice he has it correct with the green next to the flag pole!) as well as the colour of the boat!! 10

11 TASMANIA: ===================================== Summer is heating up in Tasmania, as is the sailing with the DF95 s. Sailing continues in the North, North West and South, with many sailors heading along to adjacent clubs to sail there. The DF95 really is strengthening the relationships between clubs, with it being the common class amongst all but one club in the state now. It was reported in the last newsletter that Risdon Brook radio Yacht Club was going to host a 2018 National event immediately following the ARYA Nationals. There needs to be a correction in the naming of the event. RBRYC will be hosting the Hobby Warehouse George Fish Memorial Tasmanian State Championship on Sunday 25 th and Monday 26 th February. Same days, but as a State Championship rather than National. That said, interstate entries are obviously more than welcome. The link for the NoR and Entry is at Montrose Bay Yacht Club has proven extremely popular, and with new launch steps currently being constructed, along with the already completed jetty upgrade, it is sure to become one of the premier facilities available for RC yachting. For those interested, but not yet aware, the DF95 will return to regular sailing after the new year at the North West Radio Yacht Club, sailing in the Devonport, Sassafras, Penguin and Wynyard locations, at the Northern Tasmania Radio Yacht Club, sailing at Breadalbane and Exeter, Risdon Brook Radio Yacht Club, sailing at Risdon Brook Dam and Montrose Bay Yacht Club, and Southern Tasmania Radio Yacht Club, sailing at Franklin and Port Cygnet Yacht Club. Contact Kyle Stewart on and/or kylet@iprimus.com.au if you d like any further information or advice on sailing days at any of the DF95 locations 11

12 SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Things have been a bit static in South Australia with no new additions to our DF95 fleet. Things have also been a bit quiet on the sailing front with various skippers away for extended periods and more recently, a reluctance to sail when other classes are on the water. Our group was pleased to have been accepted by the South Australia RYC as an official class of the club and home of the DF95 in South Australia. With the club also sailing each of the International classes a problem has arisen when sailing in a mixed fleet. It s not hard to imagine which boat comes off second best in a collision between a DF95 and a Marblehead, 10r or A class. Unfortunately some of our DF95s have suffered some unwanted and unnecessary damage. There seems to be a general problem in judging the position of a DF95 relative to a larger boat at a distance. Perhaps it is the relative sizes of the two boats that causes the problem? Two steps have been taken to address the problem and maintain harmony within the club. Initially it was proposed and accepted at the recent AGM, that the DF95s sail their Club Championship rounds on a Saturday instead of Sunday which is the club s normal sailing day. The second more recent proposal was that on regular Sunday mixed fleet days the DF95s sail on their own course away from the other classes. Time will tell whether a separate day or a separate course is the better option (or a combination). How do other the DF95 fleets cope with mixed fleet sailing. Is it perhaps best avoided? DF95 in Japan - 03/ /2017 At Saiko Lake in Saitama, just north of Tokyo, the DF95s are regulars now, with stable numbers in the monthly Saiko RC Yacht events. We are racing together with the AC36/600 Gracious, which have proven to be a good match for the DF95, well, at least in A rig conditions. I did not have much chance to participate myself this year due to commitments at work. So I kept watching the photos and results, seeing consistently good positions of #50 Nagai-san, #43 Umebayashi-san and #25 Yoshida-san. In autumn, two races in a row had to be canceled due to approaching typhoons. Typical autumn here in Tokyo. 12

13 Finally the end of November weather was excellent, but we had to struggle with very light winds until the early afternoon when the announced wind finally found its way to Saiko. The DF65 sailors got very busy all of a sudden changing from A+ to A or even B rigs. No problem for the A rig on the DF95 though. We got in 4 heats and good fights between #50 Nagai-san, #17 Hatanai-san, #43 Umebayashi-san and #76 myself. I was super happy to score my first win of a DF95 race, with Nagai-san in second and Hatanai-san in third place. The December race was a blowout, the first heat seeing overpowered A rigs, then B, later C, and even these were overpowered sometimes. Saiko Lake is quite long, so quite some swell built up, requiring good timing for tacks. Enormous fun, Dragons flying on the downwind leg. Looking forward to the photos, they will be uploaded in the next days. As we are not used to such good winds, we had quite a bit of carnage. I encountered a strange problem which I think is worth sharing: Every time the jib fluttered, the sheet eye would slide aft on the jib boom, and then lock up in aft position when hauling in, blocking the sail winch. This resulted in a split winch drum, slipping on the servo shaft. I quickly fixed it with a carbon roving and CA, but at that time I hadn t understood the cause yet, resulting in another almost-dnf. 13

14 Now all my sheet eyes are glued I don t see this as allowed by the rules, but in my case it is a necessity. Result of the race is not out yet, but I probably #80 Hashimoto-san won this one..? This year s DF Racing Japan DF95 Race will be on Christmas Eve, so I will not be able to participate for obvious reasons. I hope for good winds and great racing for all participants! Let us see if we can bring together with 30 boats this time. DF95 #76 Philipp. df95newsletter-japan@yahoo.co.jp Links: Saiko RC Yacht. Nagai-san's homepage. JMYS Kanto (Japan Model Yachting Association, Kanto Area Branch) 14

15 2017 US DF95 National Championship Paul Martin The second weekend of November saw the hosting of the second DF95 US National Championships, in Naples, Florida. Race area was a Lagoon with first class viewing for spectators. After my last visit to Dallas to sail at the previous Nationals I was keen to get back and sail again in a large fleet. Numbers were capped at 42 which allowed for A, B and C fleet racing using the HMS system for promotion and demotion, with one exception, two seeding races and your best result counting. 15

16 Ah well, ended up in B fleet to start with and spent most of my time between B and C, with an occasional appearance in A fleet. The venue is a Lagoon of questionable water. Snakes and Alligators are known to inhabit the reeds and surrounding ponds. No wet launch for me. Some did chance the odd dip with the toes to launch but I stuck to the timber launching pad. Races ran for about minutes, with a start line in the vicinity of the leeward gate and a finish ¾ of the way up the beat. Lines were sort of square but attention to detail was lacking. When the breeze changed direction, the line stayed in the same place which caused a few pile-ups at the pin end. The line was the longest I have seen at any regatta that I have attended so when a shift did occur in the 20 second period you went from hero to zero very quickly and vice versa. Because the DF95 is evenly matched out of the box, trying to get back from this type of start is difficult with all the boats going at similar speeds. So, like all other regattas playing it safe and not hitting the edges seemed to play for the top boats. Occasionally you would see one that had had a bad start take a flyer and make it pay but this was the exception rather than the rule. For the first day s racing they used a rectangular course with marks to starboard causing much excitement at the windward mark when approaching on port from the favoured side. An International Judge was on hand to settle protests that could not be solved with a turn on the water. Racing was polite, cordial and friendly, with only one protest hearing, that I can remember. The next change was to put a leeward gate in to replace the bottom reach of the rectangle, which seem to improve the racing and shouting for room. On the last day they did get in a few port hand rounding s and again this seem to keep the racing respectable. The winners played the shifts up the left side and centre of the course with the odd flyer out on the right. Mark Gollison sailed well but did not have it all his own way. He was consistently at the front but occasionally he was to be found back in the B fleet making his way forward. Steve Landeau sailed very well at times and ok at others to get second. I will say that I thought that his sails looked fantastic and seemed to tack with such ease compared to the rest. Top ten was made up of a selection of Cat, Rock, Stock, Black Magic and Soch sails. These boats are very evenly matched and can cope with different tuning settings without losing or gaining significant advantages. 16

17 Windward Mark activity. Marks were laid within 50m of the shore. Good A rig sailing conditions Like all American events the customary meal and drink sessions were well attended on both the Friday and Saturday nights. 17

18 As you can see from the photo they also have a novel way of starting the day with sticky donuts and black coffee. I had had my complementary continental breakfast at my hotel, The Fairways Inn of Naples, which I would recommend to any skipper attending a regatta in this location. Temps were in the high 20s but the humidity was a killer, for me anyway. There was plenty of free water and soda on hand to help with the dehydration. The more I travel with my DF95 the more I learn on what to bring and what to expect from the locals. I used a new type of carry box for the boat which worked until the TSA guys got their hands on it. By opening it and just stuffing everything back in, they managed to break of my masts on the way over. Not a big problem as I had a spare. On the home they managed to crush the hull because they wedged my transmitter cover on top of the hull rather than by its side. Next time I will forget any fancy locking clips or straps and just keep the hull and sails in the case. Being a traveller you cannot bring with you some of what I consider essential at an event. Take for example a chair. Sailing three flights gives you plenty of time to sit and watch, assuming you are not going up and down between fleets. Not all of us can bring a chair on a plane and not every local brings a spare, so these have to be arranged in advance. Travel between the venue, your accommodation and any functions is not possible without a car and a car is not always available. I arrived into Fort Myers Air Port at 1am and left at 6am. All Car hire companies are closed for pickups and drop offs at those times. So, I head off to the Taxi rank and use a Taxi for the next four days to get around. I think we should pay more attention to skippers who make the effort to support our events that are from outside the local area, something to think about when we are hosting events. So, boat set up. Most were within 2mm of the 1135mm rake mentioned in the manual. Sails were set fuller than I had expected for the conditions. In fact, many of the competitors had not sailed in such winds, middle to upper limit of A at times. Very little down haul on either jib or main. Both sheeted in with a bit more twist than usual. The photos on face book will give you a good idea of a fast set up. If you watch any video pay particular attention to how the top guys come into a tack and come out of it. Check and watch what they do with the sheets and rudder. Sail clean, avoid the idiots, of which there were a few and don t hesitate. Would I go back there? No, not to Florida. I have already booked my ticket to Garland next November for the DF95 Global Challenge Regatta. Qantas had a sale for $990 return Sydney to Dallas last week, which I grabbed. See you all there. RESULT: Pts. 1. Mark Gollison Steve Landeau Tony Gonsalves 79 18

19 Making Sails Part 2 Making the Main. Daniel Bergan There is very little you can do to add or change you DF95. But thankfully the designers have allowed enough room for sailors to make their own sails, or customise the sails with colour patches and number colours to make it their own. The rules are straight forward to making the sails below is a quick summary: (There is further details relating to the mainsail this can be found at ) Construction shall be a soft sail of a single ply. The Jib and Mainsail of any given rig size shall be constructed from the same ply All sails shall be constructed of a single panel with no seams and the maker shall not try to introduce camber (shape) into the sail by means of heat or force. The sails shall be attached to the rigging and spars by means of a single hole positioned within 10mm of each sail corner point (points A, C & E Jib, A, G & L Mainsail) and a maximum of four other suitable positions along the mainsail luff. Metal eyelets may be used to reinforce these holes The Jib Luff shall form a straight line between points A & C. Tabling at the luff (front edge) shall form a pocket for the Forestay. Maximum width of tabling shall be 12mm. Tabling forms part of the sail area and must fit within the sail dimensions. Tabling shall be one, continuous pocket finishing within 10mm of points A & C. Jib - The Jib leech shall form a straight line between points D & E. The Jib & Mainsail foot shall form a curve as described by full-sized templates available to download from the website these can be printed out at full size on an A4 printer. Sails may only be decorated using ink, but markings shall not interfere with easy identification of the sail numbers, or national letters if fitted. Flow Stripes may be added using ink or soft adhesive tape. These are limited to two stripes per sail and may be applied to both sides of the sail and shall not interfere with sail numbers or national letters. Tell-tales are permissible on the Jib and Mainsail. The number and position of them is not restricted, provided that when streaming in their normal position they do not fall outside of the sail outline shape. A wind indicator or burgee attached to the top of the mast or backstay crane is allowed provided its sole purpose is to indicate wind direction. Before making anything you need to count the costs. If you doing a one-off sail you will find the cost will be well above what you can buy from Hobby Warehouse or Bergan Sails and alike. Reason for this is the buy quantity and set of tools required. The flip side is once you have the equipment it does become cheaper the more you make. Getting Started: The first thing you need to do is go to the dfracing website/or and download the sail templates and the measurement guide. You will find you can print out over multiple pages of paper the pattern for the Jib and main, these will have reference lines to line up each page so the measurements should be close, forming the paten. I use 19

20 3mm MDF for my patens and glue the pages onto the MDF. Before cutting out the profile I double check ALL the measurements and if I need to, correct the page before the glue dries. The glue I use is standard watered down PVA wood working glue. I water it down to where there are no hard spots and remains flat. After this is set I recheck the measurements again and cut out the profile to the exact measurements. Please note: in most case you only have 1mm-to 2mm of tolerance so care has to be given in this process. I all so cover my Templates with Epoxy to seal the paper and MDF. Once your template is complete you can know start to make your sails. Tools required: Sharp Standley knife Cutting matt- or 3mm MDF to throw away Whole punch Scissors Rule/ straight edge Hammer Eyelet punch Side cutters File Portable table or bench at a good height Material required: Insignia Nylon for patches Mylar Film- 50 micron, 75 micron depending on the suite of sail Rip stop for the jib luff pocket Double sided tape Masking tape Eyelets Luff wire Some items you might find hard to find and buy? Thankfully there is online shops: Radio Sailing Shop, (Vic) Radio Yacht supply s Australia(WA) Hobby Warehouse 20

21 Between these shops you should be Ok for what you need. I think is important we support these guy s too. It costs a lot to hold stock they do a good job of it for our benefit. Yes, they make money from it, but they make it really easy and cheaper in the long run for us. Sailcloth Weight: A set- 50 micron B set- 75 micron C set- 75 micron D set- 75 micron Clear your bench make sure it doesn t have any markings at all as the film when rolling the patches can be marked and dented very easily. I find the main is a little more straight forward to make then the Jib. For the main the template it can be cut straight away, which unlike the jib requires the luff tape to allow for the jib wire to be fit before cutting to template size. Make sure you have a good clean working area. Ensure your templates are correct, and roll out your film to be cut to shape. I like to weigh down the template with weights to prevent any movement while cutting around the template. It just makes it easier. Another product that is handy at times is Artist spray adhesive. This has a low tack allowing the sail cloth to stay in position while being cut and easily removed. The only thing is sometimes the residue can sometimes stay on the sail and needs to clean off with soapy water afterwards. This good for large sails. It s like and extra pair hands. Weighing down the template for cutting Once the template is cut out remove everything from the bench, other than the sail ready to have the trim added. As mentioned prior I use a plotter cutter to make all my corner reinforcements. They can be cut out by hand from polyester insignia cloth. It s much easier having them prepared and cut ready to go. 21

22 Plotter cut corners ready to be used Carefully stick on the patches, you only get one chance to stick these on. Mess it up and you start again from the beginning. Sometimes you need to trim the edges if it moved slight off line just keep within the sail plan. Please take care while sticking these corners on. Repeat the process doing one side then turning over to do the other side. Corners stuck on and trimmed to sail plan After the patches are on the next thing to add are the sail battens. Now the battens can be made from any material you like. The length of the battens and were they are fasten to the sail is critical to get right. There is some flexibility but you must remain within the rules. To help with this I pre-mark my Templates showing exactly where I want the battens fitted. Batten material can be made of plastic, Fibre glass and Carbon fibre etc. I fine plastic battens work the best with these sails. I use off-the-shelf.5mm plastic sheet. You can buy these from any good hobby shop. These come in clear or White in colour. I then use a wider double side tape and stick one side to the plastic sheet and then begin to cut with a Stanley knife the width and length of the batten ready to use. It then a simple peel off the backing from 22

23 the double sided tape and stick into position on your sail once cut to size. It s worth mentioning that I use sail grade double sided tape. Don t use craft double sided tape it just doesn t hold up over time. Clear Plastic.5mm sheet Double sided tape stuck to plastic ready to be cut to size. Cut Lengths ready to be used Make sure you stick the battens where you need them to go. It also worth mentioning, what side do you put the battens and whether you stagger the battens and go alternate one side then the next goes the other side etc I tried having the battens all on one side ( same as the produced ones) or alternate sides and found no difference in performance. Have a try yourself. Once the battens are in place stick the reinforcement patches over the top of the battens. This helps to make the batten to stay fastened to the sail. 23

24 Now that the corners are in place and the battens are fastened on, the next thing is to add the eyelets. I use a hole punch for the cutting of the holes for eyelets. It s easier and cleaner. The alternate is to use a heated nail or drill bit and melt a hole. Note, I don t use Eyelets for the luff tie areas, just reinforcement and a 1mm hole from holes punch. After the eyelets are in and looking good, it s just add numbers and trim lines if you want them and class logo. I use thin Vinyl for all these items and use the plotter cutter to make what we need and colour options. There is nothing too hard and with practise you will find your sails will look and sail great. I hope this was helpful. Good luck and see you on the water. 24

25 This will be a huge event. A Seeding/Ranking system will be developed for attendance. Paul Martin has been approached to gauge Australian interest in the event. The address in the above flyer has been set up to report back to the organisers about Australian numbers that may be interested in attending 25

26 For details contact Nigel Brown at: 26

27 Soch Sails Boat photos - Sue Brown Thanks Sue! Sail Photos Tim Long The DF Racing Sail Specialists For top quality race proven custom sails and sticker sets to suit your DF Racing yacht delivered to your door fast look no further. web sochsails.co.uk shop If you don t see what you need on the shop then drop us a line to info@sochsails.co.uk and we ll make it happen for you! 27

28 CHECK FOR CURRENT PRICES ON THE WEBSITE. 28