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Issue 1

UK Contender Sailing Breaking News...

• Next Contender open meeting this weekend at Porthpean Sailing Club!

• 144 boats take part in the 2007 Contender World Championships in Medemblik!

• 50 boats attended the  2007 UK National Championships in Looe!

• Ben Holden is 2007 Northern Champion!

Welcome to the first edition of UK Contender Sailing Today...

Welcome to the 1st edition of UK Contender Sailing Today.

The aim of this new eNewsletter is to bring you up to date with the happenings in the Contender class in the UK. Many Thanks to the contributors of this issue and to fotoboat.com for allowing us to use the images for this eNewsletter. Fotoboat attended both the Nationals and Burton this year.

Click the bookmarks below to go directly to the article you want to browse.

2007 Calendar
Northern Championship report
Worlds Results
Review of Roosters Shin Tech Long john
Gurnard Sailing Club
Weston Sailing Club
Rutland Sailing Club
An update from Graham Scott of Wavelength Designs
EXCLUSIVE - My Medemblik Worlds by Stuart Jones!!!
UK Nationals report
We talk to Chris Somner...

Enjoy the read!

Duncan Ellis
GBR718
duncan.ellis@progressivetechnology.co.uk

© www.fotoboat.com

A breezy day at the nationals - © www.fotoboat.com

2007 UK Contender Calendar

15th/16th September
Porthpean Sailing Club
website: www.porthpeansc.co.uk

29th/30th September
Gurnard Sailing Club - IOW
website: www.gurnardsc.org.uk

13th/14th October
Weston Sailing Club
website: www.weston.org.uk

27th/28th October
Rutland Sailing Club - Inland Championships
website: www.rutlandsc.co.uk

2008 fixtures secretary in action - © www.fotoboat.com

UK Contender Northern Area Championships

Burton Sailing Club played host to the 2007 International Contender Northern Area Championships over the weekend of the 1st and 2nd September.

Visitors came from far and wide including Halifax, Hunstanton, Yorkshire Dales, King George, Blithfield and Portishead.

6 races were sailed over the weekend in a variety of conditions to test the sailors to the full.

Bill Hooton of the local club led the first race but eventually was overtaken by Tim Holden who eventually won hotly pursued by Ben Holden and then Duncan Ellis with Hooton dropping to fourth.

Race two saw Hooton take the lead again but this time held it to the finish followed by Tim and then Ben Holden.

Race 3 became a Holden affair with Ben taking line honours followed by Tim with third place going to Rodger White.

Overnight Tim Holden was leading by 1 point.

Sunday dawned with more breeze gusting force 5 at times. Race 4 saw Ben Holden win followed by Tim Holden then Duncan Ellis in third.

Race 5 was the windiest race of the weekend with capsizes at the gybe marks for some! Again Ben won this race followed by Nick Noble and then Tim Holden.

So with still no winner decided it was down to the last race. A battle pursued between Tim and Ben around the course with Tim finally winning and Ben allowing Duncan Ellis through into second on the final lap.

So after 6 races Tim and Ben Holden could only be separated on count back with neither sailor outside the top three all weekend - The championship finally going to Ben. Third place went to Bill Hooton who beat Duncan Ellis by one point.

Overall Results:

1st GBR2315 Ben Holden Halifax
2nd GBR2318 Tim Holden Halifax
3rd GBR678 Bill Hooton Burton
4th GBR718 Duncan Ellis Hunstanton
5th GBR2230 Sandy Clapham Y Dales
 

2007 Northern Champion Ben Holden - © www.fotoboat.com

Tim Holden sailing to 2nd overall - © www.fotoboat.coml

Action from Burton - © www.fotoboat.com

International Contender World Championship  2007 Results

A total of 144 boats took part in the 2007 International Contender World Championships back in July with boats competing from Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the USA.   A total of 39 British boats took  part in the event. Marcus Hamilton from Australia is the new Contender World Champion for 2007!

Final Results...

Silver fleet

4th GBR 2314 Rodger White
9th GBR 2359 Tony Cook
11th GBR 2230 Sandy Clapham
12th GBR 647 Mark Robinson
24th GBR 1771 Alan Mollatt
29th GBR 682 Paul Lincoln
31st GBR 511 Peter Snowdon
36th GBR 2324 Simon Clarke
37th GBR 681 Jim Mackonochie
45th GBR 579 Jerry Hone
49th GBR 620 Mark Jackson
53rd GBR 390 Ian Pittendreigh

We spoke to Steve Cockerill from Rooster about the new Shin Tech Long john designed for both the hiker and the trapeze sailor...

As we all start to prepare our kit bags for 2008, Steve Cockerill from Rooster Sailing tells us this year he has extended the rooster layered DS system range to include the trapeze sailor!

A national 49er crew has been using and testing the rooster Shin Tech Longjohn in combination with the new improved raceskin. His first comment was – you have a winner there. He has spent plenty of time in and out of the water during the week. The most time in the water was 45 mins while off Hayling Island trying to get back over the bar in 30+ knts and was wearing just the Shin Tech long john, the new improved raceskin and aquafleece. The water and air temperature was about 12 degrees, but he thought that he might augment the kit with either a thermaflex or hottop to sail through the coldest part of the winter – commenting that it gives him the freedom of movement in his arms that he requires as a 49er crew. He also tried the new Rooster Neoprene Zipped Boot, liked it as a general purpose dinghy boot, but as a trapezer he preferred the compact surefootedness of the Rooster Hike Boot.

We have been busy this year testing and developing even more cutting edge products for all types of dinghy sailors, as well as adding the products to our range that you the sailors are asking for such as dry suits for men and ladies and rooster pro hikers.

We have now added optional shin pads which use Velcro to attach into the front of the garment.

If you want to find out more on Rooster Sailings layered DS system for trapeze sailors then go and take a look at Steve's website at www.roostersailing.com  or go and take a look at the Rooster stand at the Southampton Boat Show.

© www.roostersailing.com

Gurnard SC
Gurnard Sailing Club play host to the Contender fleet on the 29th & 30th September.

From the website...
Gurnard Sailing Club is located on the shores of Gurnard Bay, a mile or so west of Cowes. The location is superb with the prevailing south westerlies providing windward starts and reaching legs to the mainland shore. The racing area is set either within Gurnard Bay for the smaller dinghies or the exciting waters of the western Solent for fast reaching and Olympic courses. The tides are strong and provide challenging conditions which makes for first-class sailing.

To visit Gurnard's website click here.

Weston SC
Weston Sailing Club play host to the Contender fleet on the 13th & 14th October for the penultimate travellers event. As one of the most active clubs on Southampton Water the Contenders will have an exciting weekends racing.

To visit Weston's website click here.

Rutland SC
Rutland Sailing Club play host to the Contender Inland Championships on the 27th & 28th October.

From the website..
Rutland Water is one of the largest man-made stretches of water in Europe, as big as Windermere and set in some of Britain's most scenic countryside. The beauty of Rutland can be seen at its best from a boat! Conditions are similar to estuary sailing, but without the tides - over 3000 acres (1215 hectares) of sheltered water. The Club has three permanent racing courses laid out on the water, and can set a full Olympic course which allows racing to take place in practically any conditions.

To visit Rutland's website click here.

Graham Scott of Wavelength Designs gives an update for 2007.

2007 has been another extremely successful year for Wavelength products. Following on from a 1st and 2nd for our standard Dacron sails at the 2006 Europeans (Christoph Homeier and Andrea Bonezzi) the World Championships at Medemblik were won by Australian Marcus Hamilton using a standard Wavelength Dacron sail.

Other results include 1st and 2nd at the British Nationals (masts and sails).

New on the Dacron sails this year was a larger laminate window which is both lighter in weight and will not suffer shrinkage like the vinyl ones.

Graham Scott 2007 UK National Champion
 © www.fotoboat.com

The mylar laminate sail is now quite refined in design terms and is performing very well especially in the force 1-3 wind range. The Maxx Pen material with its asymmetric thread layout has proved extremely durable with the early sails still looking very good (a two year old version winning the last race of the Europeans).

Changes to be made to the sail designs over the winter include a new larger headboard and wider head to make most use of the recent rule change.

On the mast front there are now several makes available as the move to carbon opened up mast manufacture . There are now mast suppliers in most countries which makes delivery problems a little easier. So far all have performed fairly equally with our standard sail being used on the Avantgarde (Bonezzi), CST (Hamilton and Homeier) and of course the Wavelength mast. Even with the price of carbon rocketing recently we are confident we can maintain our position as the most competively priced mast combined with great performance and the best reliability.

Please remember that there is a rule change going through at the moment to reduce the tip weight slightly again. All our masts have enough weight correctors in the tip to easily meet the new rule when removed.

Finally as the Autumn is approaching please remember mast maintenance! The spreaders should be removed and the adjusters lubricated with grease or petroleum jelly and the gooseneck checked for wear. If your carbon mast is going grey you should consider giving it a coat of two-pack varnish to protect it from the suns uv rays.

To find out more about Wavelength Designs go to Graham's website at www.wavelengthdesigns.com

My Medemblik Contender Worlds 2007 - Stuart Jones

The worlds this year was an up and down affair for me. It started off badly when, at 3 in the morning on setting out, Matt Aston noticed that a kind passer-by had cut the trailer board electrics, some of the tie down ropes and our shrouds. Still we arrived Ok, changed the shrouds and breezed through one of the most painless measurements that I have ever done.

I thought, that with time on my hands, I ought to do the practise race to test all my new bits out. So there I was bouncing out in a nice force 3, when the rudder came off in my hand. I hadn’t put the elastic hold down on, which I’ve never done before!! While recovering I managed to loose the rudder and break the webbing strap for the kicker, when using the boom as a step to get over the top. Gary Langdown rescued my rudder and I sailed in on a dead run with no kicker. Oh the shame… I replaced the webbing with a nice bit of mainsheet and set off again, having missed the start and just as the wind started dying. An hour later I was stood on the foredeck flapping the sail to get back in, from about a mile out. Just made the free beer and skippers briefing….

The first day of real racing was delayed by wildly shifting wind and thunderstorms. We eventually got out to have 2 races in marginal trapezing, where getting out of the pack and playing the shifts paid, along with and being lucky in second race when the hard right shift came through. I was well pleased with a 3rd and a 1st, although I couldn’t help thinking that the two Aussies in front of me, on the last leg, helped by steadfastly refusing to cover. Must be so confident of their boatspeed, which in more wind I probably wouldn’t argue with. I had a chuckle on the way in that a bloke who was incapable of making the start the day before ends up winning a race. Shouldn’t really happen. Joint 1st overall.

The second day was a blaster and I was very pleased to be up the front with some boatspeed with my nice flat sail. What I didn’t fancy was two footing some of the reaches and so I applied my “I don’t get a lot of these sort of waves at Datchet” and “I really must put some progrip on the aft deck” excuse. I went for safety first and felt vindicated when a very fast German rolled in to windward at the end of the second reach. I didn’t see him again and it left me in 3rd. Due to the amount of swimmers and the stretched rescue cover, the second race was abandoned, which was a shame. Down to 3rd overall.

The third day saw nice medium winds but with seemingly random gusts and windshifts. I lead the first race by 100 metres at the first mark, being positioned correctly for the big right turn in the wind. Feeling like a tactical genius I set off down the reaches only to find that I must have a bucket tied to the back. I was only just in the lead at the bottom mark and then got every shift and gust wrong after that. So much for the tactical genius, I finished 8th and couldn’t find the bucket.

Race two and a bit more wind at the start saw me get off to the left nicely. When I say nicely, the right was heavily paying… So well down at the first mark, thirties or even forties. With the pumping flag up I wasn’t just going to sit there and take it, so it was off to leeward on the reaches and very agriculturally, pull the mainsheet as often and as far as possible. Must learn how to do it properly. Where I had no boat speed in the previous race I now seemed Ok, strange as I hadn’t done a thing between races! With a good roll about down the run I managed to drag myself up to 5th. Really pleased with that one. The third race was in much the same conditions and I had an alright one, again having to recover from an ordinary first leg, probably in the twenties. Picked off a few places all round but was a bit up and down. Good last beat when I tried hardish left, just because I could, which pulled me up to 6th. Down to 4th overall.
 

Stuart in action earlier in the year - © www.fotoboat.com
 

 © www.fotoboat.com

The fourth day, Gold Fleet proper, was all about the start and hoping your side of the beat was the correct one. So having decided that I would go hard right I lined myself up at the committee boat to start right on the mark. Oh joy, as a boat to in front of me gets stuck into wind and tacks. As the gun goes I’m cheerfully tapping my bow against his boat, stuck into wind myself, muttering stuff. Still all just a practise as we’re all bit too keen. For the restart, I employ the same general tactics to go right but try 100 metres down from the committee boat. All goes Ok as I’m able to tack early and head out right with fingers crossed. However, I do that fatal thing that all good text books say you shouldn’t, getting onto the starboard layline from half a mile out. It still looks Ok as there don’t appear to be many to come across on port to cause trouble. However, it only takes one boat to tack right on top of you. People I think of as friends, Gary Langdown, Graham Scott and Neil Wilson took it in turns to sit right on me. The same stuck into wind boat on the start line comes in on port, right on the mark, tacks and pins himself to it. I once more bounce along the side of him thinking that at least I won’t hit the mark, but I do as I roll off his bow. Unlike many others I do a 360 and carry on unable to even see my old mates….I finish 21st and lucky to get, that but at least most of those around me overall have an even worse result.

On the next start I go for middle of the line and middle of the beat. However, I’m lucky to get away on port after dropping the mainsheet at the vital moment. During the race everyone seems to be going the same speed, except for Dave Davies who is parked up on the first beat after a great start. I spend most of the race in mid teens until the pumping flag strangely goes up for the run and we have the ridiculous site of the whole fleet rolling about. Not sailing as far as I’m concerned, but it did gain me a handful of places. A few more taken on the last beat and I’m 8th, so not bad at all. Down to 5th overall.

So with the last day blown off, that was it. It would have been nice to have had a go at third place as I was only 3 points behind but equally I could have slumped down to double figures. I certainly can’t complain with 5th and first old git even after my comedy of errors, must be an age thing!

UK Nationals 2007

Once again the Contender fleet found themselves heading south west for the nationals, this year to the popular location of Looe in Cornwall. This was the forth time the Nationals have been hosted by Looe SC and all have been memorable for the racing organisation, friendly welcome and convenience for families. This year was no exception and with 54 entries the class showed it was happy to come back again to shove off the sandy beach.

Saturday brought a force 2 to 3 offshore, chilly northerly wind, which provided a shifty, thought provoking day. For the first race the left paid handsomely on the first beat causing the leading bunch to close reach to the first mark. A fine sight if you were out on the right. “Local” Graham Scott got it bang on to clearly lead down the reaches and looked comfortable from there. Stacey Bray showed fine offwind technique, while Ed Presley, resplendent in his new shiny blue boat, put in a bould appearance along with “surf star” Pete Dives. Stuart Jones, the defending Champion, eventually overhauled this trio on one of the shifty beats to finish second with Bray third. The second race of the day saw Tim Holden, Scott and Jones pull well clear of the chasing pack in the freshing breeze. All three had a go in the lead but when Jones poked his nose clear he deciding to rejoin the chasers by rolling the boat over to windward having let go of the mainsheet on the reach. Holden joyfully sailed past to win from Scott. Jones dripped in third with Neil Wilson, complete with balaclava in fourth.

Early Sunday morning was grim, as those camping will confirm, as a gale blew tents to destruction. The day had the same forcast but the wind swung round and never settled. Sometimes strong wind and thunderstorms and sometimes calm. The race officer, Rodger Hocking, knocked it on the head fairly early as it was impossible to set a course.

Monday dawned bright and breezy and after a short wait for the wind to calm down it was off for a battle in the force 6 to 7. Again the wind was off the land there were some mighty shifts and gusts causing not a few quivering lower lips.

In the first race heavy weather experts Wilson, Simon Mussell and Holden lead with a gap back to a gaggle of boats. Despite the conditions there was little capsizing in the first third of the fleet but Mussell laid it down briefly on a couple of tacks to let Scott catch up while Holden dragged the boom to trip up on a reach. It now looked to be Wilsons for the taking but he just failed to lay the finish line and the resulting tacks let in Holden, Mussell and Scott in that order.

The second race of the day saw a reduced fleet as the wind had piped up to full strength. To keep things basic the fleet in general went hard left on the first beat, hung on for the reaches and hard right thereafter. The gybes had to look after themselves or not. Scott stamped his mastery on the event by winning this sail ripper with Bray second, still nicely two footing the reaches. Mussell and Wilson were not far behind.

For the final race of the day the wind calmed down a bit, tempting a larger entry out for three recalls. Tactically there was a similar pattern with the leaders coming from the right on the first beat. A lot of the usual faces were up there but Wilson, this time, made no mistakes with the finish to take it. John Browett had a good one to cross in second with Holden and Mussell completing a good day for themselves. Scott had a relatively poor sixth but it put him nicely in poll position for the last days racing.

The racing looked in doubt for most of Tuesday, as the low causing all the fun had move off up the channel leaving a glassy sea. The race officer persevered and finally got the fleet away in what was obviously, by now, the last race of the series. With this scenario only Holden could overtake Scott on the leader board and the two were in close attendance on the start line. Although not a full blown chase it was perhaps just enough to put Holden off at the vital moment to see him sink to mid fleet at the first mark. Jeff Bettle lead, just about trapezing up the first beat with Wilson, Scott and Jones a little behind. Bettle held the lead for three quarters of the race but was overtaken when the reach tightened to a trapezable one. Wilson went on to win with Jones slipping through Scott to be close behind the race leader.

This was Graham Scott's umpteenth British championship win but not for a few years.

Thanks go to Looe SC which is a very friendly and helpful club to sail from. Rodger Hocking and team did a fine job on the water and the beach party are one of the finest. Then there’s the bar and catering. Anyone for an all you can eat buffet and a few pints, does it for me everytime.

Final Results
1st GBR 720 Graham Scott
2nd GBR 685 Neil Wilson
3rd GBR 2318 Tim Holden
4th GBR 701 Stuart Jones
5th GBR 2405 Stacey Bray

© www.fotoboat.com

© www.fotoboat.com

© www.fotoboat.com

© www.fotoboat.com

Chris Somner Dinghy Services have now been building Contenders in the UK for 18 months....

We spoke to Chris as to how things were going down in Poole at the home of Chris Somner Dinghy Services.

Currently Chris has built 9 Contenders in the last 18 months of which 7 were complete and 2 were composite boats ready for home completion.

The moulds have been in continuous use.  Chris says he has been achieving a consistent quality of build with all of the boats produced to date.

Results have been promising with 3 boats inside the top 20 at this years Worlds in Medemblik and Gary Langdown was 2nd at last years UK Nationals.

Current pricing of Contenders from Chris are as follows:

Bare hull starts from £1,750 inc vat.

GRP Hull & Deck ready for home completion starts from £4,000 inc vat.

Complete boat including Milanes foils with choice of Ronstan or Harken fittings excluding rig, covers and trailer - £6,250 inc vat.

Composites can be built - Please call Chris for prices.

Chris reminded me that he also able to supply all spares for our boats!

2 * 2007 completed cserve boats
© www.progressivetechnology.co.uk

Chris finished our telephone interview by commenting he enjoyed meeting the class at the dinghy show earlier this year and hopes  to make it to one of the open meetings in the near future.

To find out more about Chris Somner Dinghy Services go to his website at www.cserve.co.uk or call 01202 736704.

2007 Deck controls - © www.progressivetechnology.co.uk



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