IN THIS ISSUE

The Chairman's Rantings
Events List
Race Results / Reports
Sailing Tips from McNamara Sails (Part 2)
Class Contacts
Membership Form 2002

Chairmans Rantings

Time flies when you're having fun - what a load of rubbish, time has been flying past but I can't really say I can remember having the equivalent amount of fun. The weather hasn't been the greatest for sailing a BOSS unless you have suicidal or masochistic tendencies. The dinghy exhibition was a great success and we had lots of interest in the boat on the stand. This hasn't translated into sales of new boats but then to be honest I don't believe that Topper will be producing any new boats for the class so it is very much down to the second hand market where the boats can be had for a snip.

Unfortunately, this year it seems to have been increasingly difficult to get clubs to host events unless you can promise them 40+ boats. Dwindling Topper fleets of ISO, Buzz and Spice have meant that we often can't get more than 20 boats on the line, 10 of them BOSSes! Hence the cancellation of the planned May event.

The next event as you will all be aware is Eastbourne on 15/16 June and I hope to see you all there. You should also be aware that the nationals is now at Highcliff on the 27-29 July. I have attached an entry form more for planning numbers than anything else and as per usual you can enter on the day. However, it would be really appreciated if you could indicate to me that you will/will not be there. Remember you must be a member to enter any of the events.

Hopefully everyone has repaired the damage of the Brightlingsea open where the squally conditions were more to blame than the pure wind strength, it certainly made me feel out of practice.

On the communications front I am conscious that I haven't been dedicating as much time as last year but I have taken on a new role and consequently have less time to devote to the class association. I will be standing down this year and so if you have dictatorial tendencies and an indomitable spirit then this might be the job for you!

You will notice that Pete has been updating the website and we now have a chat area and the ability to email groups. So go to the site and register your e-mail address.

Again I'm going to email this newsletter to all those who have e-mail which will help speed things up and reduce the admin.

Well that's it from me for now. Let me have any comments you have about anything to do with the class. For example if you think that we could improve things in some way let me know or if you have anything you think would benefit the class as a whole then let me have it.

See you on the water.

Chairman - Julian Cramp
PS I'm only mailing out one copy per boat so please share it with your crew / helm!

The Events Programme 2002

Bank of Scotland sponsorship will cover just 3events this year and will take the same form as 2001. The events are Draycote, Eastbourne, Datchet.

Race Results

Boss Open Meeting @ Draycote Water SC

After the preceding few weekends of all or nothing weather conditions the 10 Bosses who turned out for the first open meeting of the year at Draycote Water were welcomed by a light breeze. After a quick briefing and stocking up on water and stickies the crews took to the water for a 3 back to back series of races. Race one saw everyone clear the line within seconds and the first beat provided very close racing with no one venturing too far to either side of the course. First round the mark was Peter Bennett closely followed by Julian Cramp and Martin Sully. Although Bennett established himself in first place, behind him there were regular place changes especially upwind where the wind shifts occasionally reversed the order back to front. This ensured that racing was always very close with places being hard fought especially on the leeward mark. Final positions were Bennett, Gandy and Sully. Race two provided similarly close racing with positions at the first mark of Cramp, Bennett and Sully. Cramp then proceeded to make his way towards the back of the fleet and Gandy who had suffered a bad start worked his way forward. The third lap saw a shift in the wind which enabled Cramp to recover some lost ground and the final positions were Bennett, Cramp and Gandy. In the last race of the day and fading wind the last race provided an entertaining start as two boats stalled on the line causing chaos at the favored end. The wind became light and more shifty this race with positions at the first mark of Cramp, Bennett and Gandy changing relatively little. During the race Gandy gained the edge and pulled a few meters ahead of Bennett who was a few meters ahead of Cramp. With just the last leg to go, Gandy stalled after a tack and allowed Bennett and Cramp through and then to cap it all stalled on the line to allow Sully through to third.

In the evening the local Chinese restaurant provided an excellent alternative to in club catering and after a few shandys the crews went back to their beds. Most had a good nights sleep although one crew on erecting their tent had found it looked more like a mushroom farm after having packed it away damp at the end of last year. Still, the fried mushrooms for breakfast were apparently great.

The next day the wind was very similar but with slightly stronger puffs. Again it was a three back to back series. On the first leg Gandy broke his main halyard and retired to fix it, Bennett capsized avoiding a collision with another class allowing Dan Dixon to take the lead with they held to the finish. Final positions in this race were Dixon, Bennett followed by Steve 'mushroom farmer' Murry. In race 2 Cramp broke his mainsheet strops and had to retire to fix them. The fleet split on this race with Bennett, Dixon and Gandy clear ahead and the positions stayed like this to the finish. The last race saw a blinder from Rory Ellis who picked up a wind shift on the left that took him well clear of the fleet on the second lap but the tireless gnawing away by Bennett and Dixon eventually relegated Ellis to third by the finish.

Our thanks to the race officer who did a great job in the conditions, to Draycote Water SC and to Chris Gandy for organising the event. The second event of the circuit is at Brightlingsea on 27/28 April.

Boss Open at Brightlingsea 27 - 28 April 2002

The Boss fleet turned out for the second event of this years open circuit to breezy and variable conditions. The crews put to sea in anticipation of some fast and exciting racing but weren't really prepared for the hard work to come. Because the wind was fairly gusty most crews found themselves sitting in the water to windward as much as to leeward and one gust during the second race knocked over all boats in every fleet. At the end of the day only three of the six starters finished racing with results to count with most retiring due to gear failure or physical exhaustion. Unfortunately the forecast for the following day was for more of the same or worse and so the crews retired to the bar to re-hydrate. The following day the weather was as windy as expected and so racing was cancelled and so the crews packed up and made their way home vowing to get fitter etc before the next encounter.

Results were:

Top Tips Part 2
Rig set-up
Light wind 2 - 4 knots
Jib halyard - block to block at the base of the mast.
Shroud tensioners - enough to keep the jib luff tight.
Cunningham - nothing, don't worry about the lines in the sail
Kicker - enough to straighten the leach. Avoid backing the trailing edge.

Winds 5 - 10 knots
Jib halyard - around the halfway point between the bottom block and the mast gate. If you need more power pull it down and vice versa.
Shroud tensioners - enough to keep the jib luff tight and a little bit more.
Cunningham - if the wind is constant then you may not need any, however, if it is gusting then apply a few inches. You will feel the boat rapidly depower if you have applied too much.
Kicker - start to pull it in hard.

Winds 10 - 15 knots
Jib halyard - just below the mast gate. If you need mote power then pull it down.
Shroud tensioners - enough to keep the jib luff tight and a little bit more.
Cunningham - about 4 inches. If you feel you need to depower more increase the shroud tension as you apply more cunningham.
Kicker - pull it in even harder.

Winds 15 - 20 knots
Jib halyard - just below the top of the mast gate.
Shroud tensioners - apply good pressure
Cunningham - about 5 inches. If you you need to depower increase shroud tension as you apply more cunningham
Kicker - pull it in even harder. The main needs a lot of kicker in any kind of wind. It just needs to be let off down wind.

Balance
During maneuvers the crew's primary task is to act as a counter balance. Being quick enough to grab the other trapeze wire and go out, at least onto the side of the boat so as to keep the boat upright, takes priority over sheeting the jib. However don't forget to let the old sheet off! Many people have rigged the sheets onto the opposite trapeze so they don't have to worry about picking up the new sheet.

Tacking (from the helms perspective)
The boat is very light and therefore when the sails are not working will loose speed very quickly, so be bold and steer the boat through the tack. As the helm moves in from the side of the boat he eases a foot or so of main to stabalise the boat and knocks off his trapeze at the same time as stepping onto the gunwhale. The boat will move easily through the tack. Try to keep your weight as far forward as possible. Switch hands on the helm and with your new mainsheet hand locate your new trapeze hoop (possibly hooked on your crews harness if he hasn't tidied his buckles and straps!!) clip on and move out onto the side. At this point the rig will be starting to power up and hopefully the crew is out already. All that remains is for you to move out and sheet in the main as you do so.

Sailing in windy conditions
Keep the boat flat, or at least try to.
In general the crew should move around the helm. The helm needs a stable platform to streer from and this strangely enough will help the crew by providing him with a more stable platform. The helm will normally be on the trapeze.

Upwind
The rig needs to be back with a certain amount of twist. The helm should steer the boat up in the puffs, not so that the boat stalls or really slows noticeably but just so that the main is feathered and then resume course when the wind eases again.

Downwind
Hoist and drop on the run. When a puff comes through run with it by bearing away then come back up when it eases. Easing the kicker can help in the gybes. Be bold. Drop down wind talk to the crew so that he knows exactly what is going on when. Steer the boat positively through the gybe. Once the main has come over it pays to overcompensate in your steering (steering an 'S') to get the rig back over the centre of the boat so that the boat is stable before you move out on the new side and start the fun again. It also means that the spinnaker is out of play briefly which in these situations is a good thing.

Two sail reaching
This is where many big wipe outs happen. If you let the bow hit the back of a wave you generally don't recover but sit and watch the capsize from 25 yards in front of the boat. It's also a pain having to replace the shredded trapeze elastics. So the rule here is don't strong wind two sail if you can help it if you can't then get your weight right to the back. Over lapping helm and crews legs can also provide some additional stability if this feels comfortable and your crew / helm doesn't get personal.

Enjoy your sailing.

Class Association Contacts