AGM 2014 Rules Amendment Discussion

Hello,

Hi Daniel,

Hi all,
Richard Vanner of Blanco raised an interesting question about the rule and I think the explanation will be of interest to all and may add clarity. Many thanks to Richard for raising it with the technical committee.

Under the proposed new rules there will be an intermediate sail that is sized to fit in the gap between the old No2 and the old No3, for the sake of naming convention in the new rule we call this the No2 because it’s the next smallest sail after the <=32sqm No1 (but for the sake of clarity here let’s call it the “New <=25sqm No2”).

Because we have simply defined the maximum sail size for the “New <=25sqm No2” then the old No3 can be used under the new sail plan until such time as the owner wishes to buy a new and potentially slightly larger replacement sail.   We believe that the difference in size between the old No3 and the “New <=25sqm No2” will be around 2smq and will make next to no difference on the water.

Richard felt that the rules do not explicitly spell out that once a boat has bought a “New <=25sqm No2” then they should stop using their old No3 as a “New <=25sqm No2”.

Having investigated, this is covered under rule 3.1 which includes the words “Sails shall be limited in numbers and sizes as follows:”   Therefore only one of each sail is allowed. I believe the use of two sails that qualify as a “New <=25sqm No2” would be outside established practice so would also be prohibited by rule 2.2.

So to be clear...
•             An existing No3 meets the new rule as a “New <=25sqm No2” so no one is being forced to buy a new sail.
•             The old No3 can be used under either the old sail plan or the new one once adopted (at which point it should be called “New <=25sqm No2”).
•             There is effectively no such thing as a No3 once the new sail plan is adopted
•             If a boat buys a sail to the new “New <=25sqm No2” specification they should not use any other sail (such as the old No3) as their No2. A boat should not have two different sized No2s in use.
•             The next smallest sail after the “New <=25sqm No2” is the Heavy Weather Jib as defined by ISAF (A No4 in Contessa-speak)
•             The “New <=25sqm No2” is an “optional” sail, it does not need to be carried – good news if you are new to racing.


I have tried to be as clear as I can above but please feel free to ask a question if you need further clarification. I firmly believe that once we are beyond this final hurdle of sail plan changes at the AGM the class will be in a stronger position moving forward.   It will still take a while for all boats to adopt the new racing rules but it is encouraging that the majority of the regular racing boats in the Solent one-design fleet have bought into the new rule, some may say that the class is now catching up with the Co32s that have been racing under IRC with an optimised sail plan for a number of years.

George Isted,
Official Measurer

Hi Christophe,
Good to hear from you and I’m sure you would be made very welcome if you want to get back into proper sailing again (joke!)

IRC-
The slight reduction in overall sail area should reduce the standard Co32 IRC handicap, we need some further discussions with IRC about this.   HOWEVER – I would always recommend that an owner gets a specific IRC rating for their boat based on the exact sail dimensions as you will almost certainly get a better rating that the standard Co32 rating. My IRC rating for Concerto in 2013 was 0.855, not got one yet for 2014.

Sail materials-
The proposed new (<=25sqm) No2 is an any materials sail, can be a laminate of any sort but has the same restrictions as the new No1 in that it will need a taffeta layer within it’s construction.

Battens for headsails-
Good question, it’s a restriction that has been in the rules for as long as I can remember. My view would be that we want to make it possible for boats with headsail furling systems to race alongside boats that do not have a furling system, if we allow battens in the headsails then those without a furler will be able to use them giving them an advantage.   Therefore I support not having battens in headsails.

All the best, George

Re IRC, unless you want to be weighed and measured (because you think you have a heavier than standard boat - unlikely) you can just say on the form you have a standard Co32 apart from the sails that are x,z and Z.   That's what I did and it costs no more than a standard certificate.   Reminds me - must get mine renewed.....

Post on FB if you are over in the summer as there is always a few boats around.

Edited by George Isted - 13 Feb 2014 at 12:38pm