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  1. Wishing Model yacht sailors & racers everywhere a very happy Christmas & good sailing in 2023. we'll be welcoming some of you to our Twixmass Regatta next week 28/29th Dec for df95's and IOM racing. Derek
    4 points
  2. Age, Covid and computerisation are very small factors regarding me as a measurer. Main factors are, spending a day at a weekend in a classroom where the relevance of the content is a small percentage of what I am required to undertake as a MYA measurer, if not at the weekend, I have to use annual leave. It also does not sit well with me that members annual fees are used to pay for something that does not effect them one bit, countless club members that enjoy the sport for what it is and have no intention of ever getting there boat measured or sail in a class that is self measured.
    4 points
  3. I imagine, that 30 plus years go, home made was the flavour of model boats for all aspects, but the world has moved on. We now live in an age where most sailors want some thing new .. flex the credit card. Only one member out of 40 in our club has attempted sail making with 39/40 purchasing sails from manufacturers. for IOMs these come from, sailsec, sailboatRC, Cat sails, Nylet, BG sails, Soch Sails, PJ sails, Sparrow sails, and others. ( the list is not endless, and sorry to none left off) we place our order in good faith, that the sails that one of these excellent manufacturers make will be the correct size meeting measurement . It would also be financial suicidal for a supplier to make a set of sails that did not measure. We want sails correct, they want to supply correct. Imagine if your new sails, failed measuring process, the chat on the bank and in social media and forums would ruin the reputation of the company. therefore why in 2024 are we making a product for under £100 jump through sale then measuring? It is utter madness and a waste of time, except in the highest level of competition and homemade options. put the quality control and spot check into the factory space with random checks, and a QC process using up to date digital means and let’s move forward. Or are we still going to insist on the average club sailor who wants to compete beyond their club in regional events has to get in the car, journey for over an hour each way, wasting precious time, and fuel to get an object with value of under £100 measured, when last week, it was brand new out of the factory. No wonder the sport attracts the non employed, who can afford this time to race off to get their sails done compared to the working members, having to book a half days leave. what is holding the sport back, measuring items supplied by reputable manufacturers, within weeks of production and supply. let’s re examine this utterly mad process for club and regional competition and bring in a better quality check process fit for the modern world using technology properly at making stage. personal note (after this discussion , hope my new sails measure, in two weeks time, bought in good faith but 1/2 days leave booked from work, plus 120 miles of fuel and 21/2 hours in the car, hope the measurement is fast or will be more than a half days leave, all for items less than a weekly shop.. my partner can’t believe it
    3 points
  4. Trust is a lovely but overated asset. There are always people small numbers maybe who for either the best or worst motives will a use a trust. Just because a sail is produced by a rsputable sailmaker doesnt meant that an unscrupulous person cant alter it.. Measuring is a nessecary evil, even on our little boats and on full size yachts and their sails
    3 points
  5. At Etherow we have loads of older boats, Derek's early Widget No 267, several DC95s, Widgets, Gadgets, plus newer designs , Lintels, Vipers etc. A great friendly bunch of people despite our water not being blessed with a lot of wind! We sail Tuesdays and Thursdays and get 10 to 16 boats . My advice is to get something that is reliable, complete and similar to what is sailed, or if you find something else do some research and ask for advice.
    3 points
  6. The only annoying feature of using an RMG winch is having a brand new boxed one in your tool box for 12yrs, just in case....
    3 points
  7. You will hopefully have seen the recent announcement that Nigel Barrow has volunteered to be Racing Officer and James Hadden has volunteered to be International Officer. Many thanks go to them both for stepping forward. If you want to know more about them go to the News section of the website to view the announcement. There are still vacancies for Vice Chair, Technical Officer, and Publicity Officer so if you want to be a part of shaping the MYA for the future get in touch with me, your District Councillor, or any member of Council.
    3 points
  8. The process is pretty quick because balsa is very easy to work. I know it's not as pretty as cedar, but I just wanted to build up some experience before making something a bit more serious. Here are some photos:
    3 points
  9. It is a pity that these proposals have only just come to light, giving us 4/5 days to discuss and no time to discuss lakeside with MYA club members that sail IOM's. How long has the MYA exec sat on these proposals? Is GBR not the biggest IOM collective vote in the World with the largest number of registered boats but we nearly missed the deadline, how can this be? Thanks must go to Austin on getting this vote live in record time, you saved what could of been an extremely embarrassing situation for GBR IOM.
    3 points
  10. The Titans of Model Yacht Racing will do battle for the 99 year old Scrutton Cup at Fleetwood from Sunday 31st July to Fri 5th Aug. Racing Vane A class they will attempt to win this almost 100 year old trophy as so many have before them. This event was the "World Championship" until the Radio Worlds started in 1975, and reached a zenith of competitors in 1973 at Fleetwood, with 56 boats taking part. This year we have a modest entry of 17 boats and about 40 people involved but the competition will be just as hard and with 3 World Champions and countless National Champions in the mix. With full days of racing on Sun, Mon, Thur, & Friday, the Yachting Monthly Cup knockout competition on Wed, there's plenty to see. Pay us a visit & see how Free sailing works!
    3 points
  11. Correct me if I'm wrong (and I'm sure someone will) but doesn't IRSA set the class rules (for the international classes at least) and World Sailing the Racing rules? I will freely admit to being thoroughly confused about the relationship and responsibilities between IRSA, RYA, MYA and the COGS (If and when they exist). I looked on the MYA website under 'What we do' and was definitely none the wiser. It is clear however that the MYA has a responsibility for the promotion of Radio Sailing within the UK and others have already expressed their views on how well they do that job, The point about it being IRSA not the MYA is that the rules are set internationally not nationally, so I don't understand why the UK has measurer requirements that other countries do not. If there are problems with the 'quality' of the measurement process in some countries then how does imposing stricter standards on just one country solve this? Maybe it's because I don't understand how it works but I'm struggling to see what the MYA does for my money and why they can impose requirements that don't exist in other countries. I looked for a 'Mission Statement' or similar on the MYA website but couldn't find one. What I did find was this: Enable 'us' to have influence on? Shouldn't that be 'to promote the views of the members on'? Yes the MYA officers are elected by the members but there doesn't seem to be much consultation with the members taking place about these (and other) issues . Even our beloved politicians would claim that they are elected to represent the views of ALL their constituents, not to pursue their own agendas. It might help if someone representing the MYA issued a statement explaining why these measurer courses were considered necessary i.e. what problem are they trying to solve. And also provide a justification that learning how to measure 'full size' sails will solve it.
    3 points
  12. As I said near the beginning of this thread, let the class COG's get on with administering their own classes. They can create the guides on best practise when it comes to measuring and registration, highly useful for owners, designers and measurers alike. The registrars are part of the Class COG, so if they are seeing issues with the forms coming into them, this is where the COG Team offer help and advice to the owner/measurer concerned. Sometimes the intricacies of designers pushing to the limit and a miss understanding by the owner/measurer can be easily rectified. Also the forms can be discussed and ideas put forward for future updated to make it easier to complete. As we have seen from the TO and the Registrars data, the International and National classes are not generating that many new boat registrations per year. Surely this is where the COG team can help owners/measurers learn going forward - not dragging people over hot coals for doing something wrong. The RYA Sail course is about as much use to most Existing Measurers as a chocolate teapot. We have sails on rigs, we have different types of sails.... The biggest issue is measuring the boats or complete package, the RYA aren't getting involved here so why get involved with just the sails. Now I have just said above to 'Existing Measurers'. I agree there has to be something put inlace for new measurers, but again this should be coming from the COG covering the whole package and not just sails. The COG's are going to have to deal with boat measurement and not the RYA. For example my RA hull needs to be measured first before the sails are even made. Keep the pennies and expand on the experience and knowledge within the MYA fold. PS - was the Northern District Senior Measurer, but now just a Measurement Advisor.
    3 points
  13. I thought I would update readers on our future activities. For the last couple of years and through the pandemic, I have regularly published reports describing our activities both at the lakeside or in the workshop. At the time it was the right thing to do during periods of lockdowns and I thank those who gave their positive feed back. This year though, I will move away from writing reports to just publishing our progression on new or continuing projects within our website. Therefore, the link below is to my 'Development Page', where there are a number of projects we are currently working on. This page will be regularly updated and readers will see some significant changes as projects move in the future to the main part of the website. I will use this platform to notify people of the significant developments over time and I hope you will still enjoy our online gossip. Website Link - HERE JT
    2 points
  14. John During the 2023 (DF95) Globals, each boat was inspected prior to the start of the championship. In numerous cases, sails had to be trimmed to meet the requirements of the rules. Some skippers couldn’t use their own boats because they were deemed, not in the condition as supplied by the manufacturer. Regards JT
    2 points
  15. Seems obvious to me, mainly the reasons we now have very few measurers are for two main reasons, not many courses being run, especially in the North and willing measurers not willing to give up a precious weekend or use annual leave if the course is midweek. The simple solution is to have an online course with a test at the end. Cost would probably be equal to set it up as it would to cover costs as is now, travel etc. This was mentioned very early on with Lester and Veronica willing volunteers but I understand Lester's circumstances have changed so the MYA now need to outsource this. Easy, job done and let's move on. Surely?
    2 points
  16. I have just entered two regional opens and club member says to me.. when are you getting your new sails (Christmas present from partner) measured. Sails from abroad. “other clubs may not be as generous as ours and on the day refuse entry.” My partner can’t believe it,……….. “brand new, what, what more do they want, half day off work, how far, how much” and I agree completely. we need a better system, to still allow the person at home to produce sails. But for those of us who have limited time, as we still work full time and just want to race, to find a better solution to sail purchasing.
    2 points
  17. Hi All, It may be worth taking a look back over the attached thread from 2 years ago with some explination given to self certification hurdles and proposed measurerement certification. 2 years on and in the Northern District we have a total of 4 measurers qualified to sign sails, with ONE qualified to measure and certify boats. Thats 4 measurers to approximately 400 members. The South West District is not in any better shape. Can i suggest before laying the blame at the feet of your sailmaker, that members take the time to consider why culling over 80 measurers, many of which had been in their roles for 20-30+ years with full experience from sails through to complete boat measurement, for the sake of accreditation was a good idea and the go to option? I believe a workable solution could and should have been found with our RYA and classes that would not have left us in this present situation. Cheers Brad
    2 points
  18. Hi Guys please note I will not be available to issue boat numbers or progress requests for certificate from March 12 until April 2nd Nick Cowern IOM registrar
    2 points
  19. Just read the report by Nigel Barrow about the "Have a go" stand of DF65 yachts is a pool with fans at the RYA Dinghy show this weekend. With R/C Yachts unable to attend this year, Datchet club took on the challenge of providing sailing for the attendees at the show and managed to get some 700 people "having a go" Well done Datchet! Fantastic publicity for our sport!!
    2 points
  20. The IRSA Chair Bruce Anderson, received this reply from the World Sailing Rules Committee following their meeting. Thank you to the MYA members who replied with your views - it was most supportive and helpful. In summary, the Croatia proposals were rejected, as was the proposed 2023 change to E8. So the 2022 proposals to modify Appendix E8 to match the IRSA temporary version (inserted into the 3 ICAs) appears to have been adopted, as was the change to the hail for R20.1 to match the hail used at Radio Sailing Wold Championships - (your sail number Room to Tack) - it was interesting to note that the RYA proposed a similar prescribed hail for 'big' boats. See below for the Copy/pasted note from the IRSA DNM forum. Still to be finalised is the placement for Redress for radio interference - move to R 62 or leave in App E. John Received notice of the results of the proposed Appendix E rule changes from WC RRC: Hi Bruce, Here you have the final decisions of the RRC on the submissions concerning Appendix E. Best regards Ana 056-23 Rule E1.1 Definitions Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 057-23 Rule E2.4 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 058-23 Rule E4.2 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 059-23 Rule E5 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 060-23 Rule E6.6 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Approve with the following amendment Delete rule E6.6 (f) approved in October 2022 and Change E6.6 to read as follows: E6.6 Redress Rule 62.1(b) is changed to: (b) injury, physical damage or becoming disabled because of the action of (1) a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 and took the an appropriate penalty or was penalised, or (2) a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear or is determined to be at fault under the IRPCAS or a government right-of-way rule; Rule 62.1 is changed to add: (e) external radio interference acknowledged by the race committee, or E6.6 (f) becoming disabled because of the action of (1) a boat that was breaking a rule of Part 2 and took an appropriate penalty or was penalized, or of (2) a vessel not racing that was required to keep clear. 061-23 Rule E6.8 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 062-23 Rule E7 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee understands there is no consensus within the community, the Radio Sailing WP is split, and IRSA does not support the changes. In these circumstances, the WP is unable to recommend these changes be approved. 063-23 Rule E8 Reporting Committee: Racing Rules Committee Other Committee: Decision: Reject The Committee would like IRSA to be asked to advise on edits for the final text of the RRS.
    2 points
  21. Here are the reccomendations that IRSA has transmitted to World Sailing. EC-submission-summary jgb-2 GD 1.docx
    2 points
  22. Simply to far for me to walk now never mind run I hear that people are walking miles up and down the bank. Would love to race but unless the control areas become restricted to say a metre or 2 per competing boat in each heat then I would be at a disadvantage. Not that I was any good when I could walk, but I did enjoy competing!
    2 points
  23. The proposals on observing/umpiring seem to be based on: - a belief that an observer cannot be disinterested and has an obvious conflict of interest - to extend the current situation in Croatia (a small number of regattas all umpired with no observers) to the rest of the world - to remove the one -turn voluntary, two turn umpire given, penalty difference. This means that umpires will be empowered to penalise with out warning after contact. This despite previous experience that if penalty given by umpire is the same, most competitors will wait for the umpire call. - allow umpires to roam freely on the bank or on the water, outside the control area. I would argue that these proposals are a major game-changer. They undo over 40 years of development of rules and practices that actively involve competitors in implementing the basic principle of sportsmanship that competitors follow and enforce the rules. These proposal seek to replace not reinforce self policing.
    2 points
  24. “A” CLASS CENTENARY RADIO A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GOSPORT 29/30 SEPTEMBER. We’ve had a great year celebrating the Centenary of the founding of the International A Class (Model Yacht racing’s 1st International class) and coming up next is the National Championship for Radio A Class, taking place at Gosport over the weekend 20 Sept & 1 Oct. The full NOR and entry form is on the MYA website and a copy will also be found on the Gosport MY&BC website. There are already 15 entries on the Gosport website list and several more are in the pipeline, so it’s looking like a great weekend’s get together for A class sailors. There’s evening dinner for all at the Lakeside restaurant, where we can re live the days racing.........or forget about it!! For anyone who is not an A class owner, I believe it may be possible to charter a boat from Gosport or Hampton Court MYC as both clubs have several in their clubhouses. I am your PRO for the event and I can promise you sunshine, blue skies, and a beautiful 10 knot wind straight down the Cockle Pond. What more could you ask? So, why not come & join in this once in a lifetime unique event. I look forward to seeing you at Gosport. Derek Priestley
    2 points
  25. If you're lucky enough to be on the south coast go take a look at these magnificent yachts racing, got to be a great day out. Our 6m's are so close in terms of looks and design to their full size cousins. Blink and you might forget what scale you are watching - except for the crew on board. Everyone should sail a 6m at sometime, 6m skippers are lucky in that we sail a class that is as close to the full size world in terms of design, but also in terms of handling on the water. Evident in the new designs coming onto the water in the past year at our 6m Nationals at Fleetwood in 2023.
    2 points
  26. Im new to radio sailing and only been doing it a month or so now, however im really enjoying it. Not sure this has been done before but there are so many beautiful and unique IOMs out there, get some photos up to display yours. I've a plain white Italiko at the moment, but looking for some inspiartion on colours and designs. What are you sailing? Edit: made some designs and tried out some vinyl.
    2 points
  27. Pentel N50 http://www.bgsailsanddesign.com/store/p3/Sail_Marker_Pen.html or similar bought from a stationery shop
    2 points
  28. I exclusively use fishing line for sheeting systems standing rigging and running rigging varying from 30pound for sheeting on smaller boats topping lifts etc,80 pound line for winch lines backstays, and a 300 pound line for shrouds on bigger boats A class and 6 metres for shrouds I normally prestretch by hanging a sledge hammer on the shrouds for a week or so
    2 points
  29. The other option is to make friends with someone with the spares
    2 points
  30. I can’t wait to get going again and as everyone has pointed out Lincoln have a great water to sail on and friendly members we’ll see how long that lasts when they are shouting Starboard at me.
    2 points
  31. Hi Richard, I know that you'll have a great time with Mick & everyone at Lincoln, and I look forward to racing with you at the DF TT weekend in 3 weeks time!!
    2 points
  32. Local diving club from Cambridge could not have been more helpful this morning. Two men, who dive not for great depth but to find new things. Out in a small inflatable to use their sonar,but as it was on its side, not great profile, so moved to their underwater drone. Located it is about 2.5m of water, marked it and returned with fins and mask (wearing drysuits all morning) surface dive and recovered it. some pics and club write up on Day report 2 https://www.facebook.com/groups/1006440426704868 thank you to Cambridge British Sub-Aqua Club.
    2 points
  33. I will put something together about my different boats in the near future, but even though I come from a engineering background I have abandoned the very scientific approach to boat design. The first boats I build from a new male plug are really ideas stolen from what seems to be fast. The plug is an average shape, but then gets auto filler added and sanded off until I have added a few personal touches, but really these can only be a few mm here or there different from the current top designs. The real test is then to take it sailing and find the weak points. I feel my first boats never have enough buoyancy and I always end up adding more filler to the plug for each subsequent hull. I try to aim for a maximum waterline beam of about 150mm and a canoe rocker of about 56mm. The volume distribution curve should peak at about the 66% mark and the prismatic coefficient should be as high as possible (volume in the ends). The boats when floating with the stern and bow just touching probably displace about 4.2 kg. I use Robot fins. The back of the mast should be about 12-14mm in front of the fin and the fin has a 5-10mm sweep back from the vertical measured at the bottom. I am not sure if there can be any more design breakthroughs as the Britpop has not really been improved on an is still possibly the best all round boat available after more than 10 years. That being said we thought the same in paragliders when we were gliding at a L/D of 8 and the latest are over 14! Brad is currently sailing a TS2 and winning even in the light, so perhaps there could be a surprise with wide skiff type boats again. If I am stupid enough to start another design process then I would probably try the very narrow route with about 135mm on the waterline and shapes tending towards the last IACC non-foiling boats. They got squarer and flatter over time -> https://www.sail-world.com/Australia/The-AC-Finalists-Arms-Race-who-has-the-edge/-34184?source=google Or something really silly like this -> https://thomastison.com/scow-hulls-part-1-the-pros/
    2 points
  34. Hi to all the six metre skippers wishing you a great Christmas season and a happy and prosperous new year, keep building and sailing these lovely yachts
    2 points
  35. Hi I have built a number of wooden IOMs over the past 2 years and not one of them has been overweight. By using well engineered construction you do not have to put a lot of timber into the hull. A well built woody is very strong, so much of the internal structure needed on a plastic boat is not required. My latest boat was built using Obechi ( usually use Western Red Cedar) for the planking and came out about 240 grams light ( includes A rig and battery). below is an image of the boat and evidence of the weight using my own scale that was checked using the calibrated scales at Gosport.
    2 points
  36. No question at all that Ospreys rule!
    2 points
  37. 2 points
  38. not a M skipper but seeing the posts Brad is making sense
    2 points
  39. Some interesting points Janice You are correct in suggesting I have not been to a Euro Nations event. As those in charge of it expressly suggested it was a Euro based event from its forming origins and had little to no interest in us here hosting an event, it has never been on my radar. Now some 5-6 odd years on and an event here can boost their numbers and add some credence. That’s great! I always found it odd though that the same organising skippers travelled to our Nationals on multiple occasions held over 2 days with little fuss. Some barely lasted the full 2 days before heading home. Any suggestion that GBR skippers that have jobs, are in school, have children in school or other family commitments that restricts their time away are having to stay 3 nights away for a 2 day race is just nonsense. It is one night or possibly 2 nights worst case. Which brings me to a larger point. At a time where numbers and helpers are thin on the ground due to a number of reasons, not least the rise in cost of living, associated travel and any expenses that go with weekends away, why would adding extra days on to any events in this country (on a non holiday weekend) be seen as something good for any class as a whole. In this instance you would likely loose more skipper from the Monday racing than any travellers gained by adding the event in the first place. And for what? Hardly an event result that makes that series meaningful. As for any social aspects, well I’m not sure I’ve been to a GBR event where I been to bed before closing time and I’m certain I wasn’t the only one in the house, so to speak. Those that regularly attend GBR events are well aware of the social aspects. I am in no way against this Euro Cup. But given the current climate could I suggest getting back to basics and putting GBR skippers first by holding events they are able to attend be the priority. Fleet numbers will be no concern if events are timed well and not saddled against other crossover classes like the calendar of this year. Promote the events with enthusiasm to create a fear of missing out like they used to be and there is no problem. How these basics have been forgotten amongst the nonsense and plain excuses in recent times is mind blowing. Or we can be less inclusive, tell the likes of Rob Vice and Peter Stollery that they will have to take their competing kids home for school and miss the final day of a rare chance of sailing an International event. Is that what an event we are inviting to our shores should be about, or are we after events solely for retirees or those out of work? If that is the case then maybe a Veterans Nationals would be better to tag the Euro Cup with? To answer Darin. 2 days please and if the Euro Cup was to prove successful, then why not factor in their own stand alone event for 2024 which would be in a non World Championship year if that’s what worked for all skippers. Brad
    2 points
  40. If those that organise a Euro Cup are interested in promoting it as a genuine event in GBR, surely they would be looking at holding it when GBR skippers are likely to compete in it. Otherwise a diminished final entry or the winners being the best of who was left on day 3 is kind of sad. The GBR Nationals is a stand alone event, the pinnacle of any class each year. Why should it in any way leave itself as a possible second fiddle or a bit part of another event? All for the sake of a possible few extra entries? My vote is of course YES to any visitor that wants to join in and compete in the GBR Nationals. By all means YES for organisers of the Euro series to use the results of the GBR Championship for their event. But a big NO to using our event because they feel our dates, that suit our skippers are not suitable to them. As I said previous, European skippers have supported our Nationals in the past with little issue. If the Euro cup wants to be recognised as meaningful, they should be looking to respect our skippers, our championship and hold their event entirely within ours that allows the biggest possible entry. Brad
    2 points
  41. Q1. Yes Q2. No. European skippers have supported our Nationals in previous years and are always welcome to do so within a format that suits our skippers. Our priorities should be in maximising every effort to get GBR skippers on the water for our events and not diluted in the hope of attracting one or two travelling skippers or cheapening our pinnacle event. Asking skippers to take another day from work to cater to a minority, instead of using a bank holiday is not best suited. By all means, the Euro GP group should be most welcome to count our event within their series. Brad
    2 points
  42. I LOVE the trade show! it's an ideal opportunity for impulse purchases, and chat to old friends we haven't seen for years!! I think it could be combined with a "boat jumble/bring & buy" of Model Yachting bits!!
    2 points
  43. totally agree with your thoughts especially on wasting MYA members money
    2 points
  44. Derek has asked an interesting question. I am aware of this being discussed at the highest levels on many occasions, with cost ruling it out for model sails, as Gavin confirms. My experience of measuring sails for 55 years is that there is always the occasion when even an expert sail maker makes mistakes; he is human and owners DO NEED A MEASURER to ensure that the sails comply. We need a supply of measurers and the MYA are not encouraging this. Thank you Brad for making the point that, for the whole of MYA’s 110 years existence, clubs have had adequate traditional procedures for measurement, which do not need fixing. Measuring is not rocket science and any constructive person, who makes anything, uses a measuring device without a problem and without lengthy training sessions. Many of the good ideas for helping measurers have been purposely stripped off the MYA website by the current regime and this is very sad. History created by the combined efforts of a hard-working Tech Team does not need to be rewritten by a single mind able to operate without any technical check. MYA Council needs to be more concerned about membership needs and less about the RYA, who don’t care about radio sailing; only taking our money. And what about publicity, not even mentioned as a vacant post in the latest Yearbook; it is a disgrace.
    2 points
  45. Hi Michael Totally understand your words above, and it's been echoed by others many times. As Darin states above the TO is in the midst of addressing the measurers ability - will result in fewer measures but hopefully fully trained. Side effect for most owners is that they will have to travel further and cost substantially more than it does currently to get their pride and joy measured. I don't know where you live but taking a guess somewhere close to Liverpool/Manchester. I live in Huddersfield and as the the Northern District measurer I'd willingly meet you half way, take your boat and rigs away to measure and meat up a few days later to pass back to you. Regards Damian
    2 points
  46. Here is a video link to a tuning video created by Designer, Builder, Sailmaker, Top Sailor and IOM guru, Ian Vickers. John
    2 points
  47. Great discussion! Sorry if this next point is a bit nerdy, but in selecting the right type of aluminium tubing for a mast, it’s worth bearing in mind that the tensile strength doesn’t have much bearing on the stiffness of the tube. Basically the tube stiffness depends mostly on two things: 1. The section dimensions (particularly the 2nd moment of area) and 2. The Young’s modulus of the material. I understand that different grades of aluminium have widely varying strengths, but surprisingly very similar values of Young’s modulus (about 70 GPa, give or take). In practice, this means two tubes of different alloys with identical sections (e.g. outside diameter and wall thickness) may have different strengths, but their stiffness will be pretty much the same. By the same token, you might select a very high grade of aluminium tube, with a thin wall thickness to save weight, but a lower grade alloy with the same outside diameter and thicker wall (to give equivalent strength) will actually be stiffer, because the section will have a larger 2nd moment of area (but of course it would be a little heavier). Again apologies if the above sounds a bit nerdy, but sometimes buying expensive materials doesn’t always have the outcome you’re hoping for! BG is absolutely right; if David’s B rig mast has a large section (diameter/wall thickness) and is well located in the boat, it may be adequately stiff without spreaders. It just needs to be tried out on the water.
    1 point
  48. Graham, You are quite correct! there are 3 I was misled by a Fleetwood member & should have checked my facts!! You are also spot on with your 2nd sentence!
    1 point
  49. Just to clarify, when in a number of the comments the wording Umpire has been used are we referring to an Umpired race or series, not a race or series with Observers. If it is Umpired then surely the Umpires call is final but should not be affected by the extraneous calling of a competitor who was not involved. I would have thought if someone is considered competant enough to Umpire a race then they would not be affected and if so their competance could be justifiyably questioned
    1 point
  50. It's probably an Xbox or Playstation style controller - and it's cabled...
    1 point
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