Battle of the Classes 2010
STREAKER SAILORS 1st and 4th at the BOAT SHOW - BATTLE OF THE CLASSES 2010.
Streaker sailors finished 1st Steve Cockerill (Our National Champion sailing his Rooster Graduate) and 4th was Tom Gillard (Our Inland National Champion).
The Streaker Class had planned for 2 Streakers to sail but unfortunately Ian Jones could not make it. Tom though had a good race representing the Streaker Class exchanging the lead with Steve Cockerill on numerous occasions.
A Finn came 2nd, with an Albacore coming 3rd. The Streaker, Graduate, Firefly and Solo's all started together off the same handicap! Tom was sailing Alan's Streaker 1691, gave him a chance to have a look at the Selden mast with the P&B sail.
Just published
The January 2010 Streaker Newsletter.
The first in a new series of newsletters exclusively for members of the Streaker Class Owners Association. Six pages, A4 format, full of news and information.
Distributed free to members, by email or post. If you’re not a member, and would like to receive three copies of the Streaker Newsletter a year, click below:
To join the SCOA, Download the 2010 application form here.
DINGHY SHOW – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Once again the Streaker class will be making a splash at the Dinghy Show, held at Alexandra Palace over the weekend of 6/7 March. We will be on the same stand as last year – C28 in the Great Hall. We will have two Streakers on display (one Butler, one Rooster), heaps of information about the boat, lists of clubs where Streakers are sailed, all sorts of things to attract newcomers to the class – and of course the STREAKER COMPETITION (watch this space for further information).
If you haven’t been to the Dinghy Show before, come along and discover what you’ve been missing. It’s a great day out for anyone interested in sailing. For full details and advance ticket purchase visit www.dinghyshow.org.uk.
And if any Streaker sailor would like to help out by manning the Streaker stand for a few hours, please let me know as soon as possible. If you can devote half a day to this, your reward will be free entry to the show on an exhibitor’s pass. Interested? Drop me a line through the committee contact page on this website, or phone 01904 490576.
Hugh Brazier
Introducing a New Wave
At the 2009 AGM a proposal was put forward for a smaller standardized sail. Although this proposal caused a good deal of interest amongst members it did not get the required number of votes for it to be carried. The proposal did not really give enough detail and explanation, but interest from the members present was sufficient for the committee to consider that this proposal was worthy of further investigation.
Why do we need such a sail?
For the majority of sailors the Streaker has just the right amount of sail area, which gives the boat a lively performance without too many demands on the helm. But not all are comfortable sailing the boat when the wind blows upwards of a force 3. In general our older, less agile and lighter members will find a smaller sail beneficial – and also there is the potential to attract a younger group of sailors, who perhaps find the standard Streaker sail to big.
Why do we want something different from the storm sail already allowed in the rules?
Dimensions of the storm sail are only suggested in the rules, so the cut-down sails tend to vary in size and shape. In general, the sail-area reduction is achieved by cutting a piece from the foot, but in other cases the sail is reduced in area by scalloping out the leech of the sail, taking out all the sail battens and roach. This variety in area means a PY handicap cannot be applied universally to all cut-down storm sails. The Streaker was also found to be unbalanced using some of these storm sails. Performance is not good either, as the storm sail is generally cut down from an older standard sail which is past its best, resulting in a sail with a rather make-do shape.
So what are we after?
A modern progressive sail that looks cool, that’s attractive to a younger sailor. A reduction in sail area to approximately 5.3 square metres (similar to a Topper mainsail; the current standard Streaker mainsail is 8.25 sq m). A sail that can be used on a Streaker without having to make any changes to hull, spars or rigging. A boat that is still balanced when using the new smaller sail. A sail that is standardized in its dimensions, which will allow a Portsmouth Yardstick to be developed for club handicap racing. Possibly a fully battened sail.
The new sail added to a Streaker would effectively create a new class of dinghy for all handicap racing. We are therefore proposing that a Streaker using the new sail will be known as the ‘Streaker Wave’. For this reason the sail will have a new insignia in the form of a blue wave. This is in keeping with the current Streaker class insignia of the blue stripe, but distinctive enough so that there is no doubt as to which type of Streaker is being sailed, without completely losing the Streaker identity. Sail number identity will not change; the registered boat number will not change.
How do we see this sail fitting in with the existing Streaker fleet and club racing?
At Streaker Class Open Paddle meetings and Championships, the smaller sail will be regarded as no different from a reefed or cut-down sail. As such, no handicap shall be applied in class races. It is hoped that sailors will regard the sail as an opportunity to fully take part in events where they might otherwise decide not to sail because it is too windy.
A good deal of Streaker sailing at clubs around the country takes place in the handicap fleet. In such a fleet a Laser has the option to reduce sail area by rigging as a Laser Radial, and if taking part in handicap racing will gain a handicap appropriate to that rig. Streaker sailors do not at present have this option, but with the ‘Streaker Wave’ it will be possible to apply a PY handicap.
Handicap
The Streaker Class Owners Association has discussed a provisional Portsmouth Yardstick handicap for the ‘Streaker Wave’, this we expect to be somewhere in the region of 1185 to 1195. It’s a little early to say exactly at this stage in the sails development.
Development
The ‘Streaker Wave’ sail is being developed by Dan Rimmer at Sail Register with input from Andrew Elliott (Ex. Redeye) and the SCOA Committee. Once the size, shape and performance of the sail have been established, the Streaker Class Owners Association will look for approval for this sail to be made ‘class legal’ through a postal vote. It is considered by the SCOA Committee that this will be a popular development for the class, but even so we want to hear your views, both positive and negative. A forum discussion thread has been established for this, but if any of you would like to voice your opinions directly to the Committee then please feel free to email; Ian Bradley, Hon Secretary, or myself.
ALAN GILLARD
SCOA Technical.
