Class Association
Dear RS200 Sailors.
It looks like we have a good forecast for this weekend’s southern championships which I know will be well attended. It has been several weeks since I sent the communication regarding the new sails and thought I should provide an update.
The technical team have had two meetings with RS Sailing since the communication. Three concept main sails have been built from differing weights and types of material; all a square top design. Two types of fabric have been dismissed as they appeared to be too heavy and expensive. Last Saturday we tested a sail plan which is most likely to meet all our success criteria. The main is made from Contender C581 cloth which is also currently used by the RS400’s and 800’s. The picture is a concept sail to give you a taste and feel of what the sail could look like on the boat but is far from the final product.
The aim of the on water session was very simply to see if the sails basically fitted and worked. No real performance testing was conducted so am afraid we cannot give any meaningful performance related feedback based on this initial test. The main sail needs some work: increased depth and the leech and luff shortening before meaningful performance testing and comparison can be conducted.
Purely cosmetically, as a helm and crew there was clearly a lot more visibility enabling the helm to see the whole spinnaker, downwind, jib leach tension and boats coming at you! The boat handled exactly the same as before in the 6-10 knots the boats were sailed in.
Once RS have made these alterations we will be able to conduct some robust testing and provide feedback directly as it occurs. Our intension is to try and get a set of sails the technical team feel are fit for purpose and then deploy a set of sails for the Nationals which will be issued to a different boat each day to see what the fleet think of them. This is obviously dependent on getting a set of sails which perform like the current set.
The committee has not received a huge amount of feedback from the fleet since the initial communication. This is clearly a big decision for the fleet and the class needs as much feedback and direction from the sailors to ensure we represent the needs of the fleet as a whole. The technical team are very focused on ensuring this solution works for everyone and we retain premiere one design stature, so your association actively seeks your guidance and feedback.
We have therefore booked a classroom at HISC on Saturday, 18:00hrs to provide a detailed update of recent activities and really get your feedback, so would really appreciate if you could all attend with your questions and thoughts? For those not attending please send me an email or phone me.
Look forward to seeing you all on Saturday
Paul Lewis
RS200 1389
Frequent questions which have been asked:
So why do we need to change the main sail?
We have been informed that the current main sail material will no longer be in production and cannot be sourced from other suppliers. In all intent it has become end of life. Based on present forecasts RS racing will not be able to supply main sails post September of this year.
What’s our success and testing criteria?
|
Success Criteria |
Objective |
|
Like for Like performance |
There is no performance difference between the legacy sail plan and the proposed new sail plan ensuring all boats race on equal terms |
|
Sail Plan power to weight ratio |
The new sail plan will provide the same power performance as the original ensuring the current weight bracket of crews is retained |
|
Quality and longevity of the sails |
The new sail plans will be built to provide further longevity. For example the spinnaker and jib |
|
Cost |
The new sail plan will be similar in price. Our ambition is to try and reduce cost. However, if sails can last longer then there is benefit to the sailors |
What are the benefits of the new sails?
|
Proposed Development: |
Benefit: |
|
Square Top Main Sail |
Necessity required to replace existing sail cloth Provide a modern look to the class with intention of retaining and attracting new sailors |
|
Radial Cut Jib |
Will improve longevity of the sail |
|
Radial Cut Spinnaker |
Will improve the longevity of the sail
|
Who’s working on the project?
A technical team consisting Gold, Silver and Bronze sailors have kindly agreed to work alongside RS racing and the RS200 committee to develop and pilot the sails under very strict success criteria over the forthcoming months to ensure we get the right sail for the class. We feel by having a balance of performance of sailors we will ensure a sail plan that meets all the needs of the class.
Matt Mee Chris Catt Ian Pickard
Ben Palmer Lucy Preston Paul Lewis
Who is funding the development costs?
RS Sailing are funding the development of new sails at their risk. Unless the RS200 class association approves their introduction via an association vote then they cannot be implemented.
