NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS 

More new articles will soon be posted, either as stand alone pieces or as mini series.

The first of these will be....'Why call it Weymouth when it is Portland?

The much vaunted W&PNSA - Weymouth and Portland National Sailing Academy is now fully open for business and is expected to gear itself up as the venue for the 2012 Olympic Regatta. But what is the real story of this location. Bearface has been living on site recently and will be publishing an alternative view to all the hype.

Lasers wait for some breeze during the recent RYA/Volvo Youth Nationals. The event may have been focused on Youth, but the fact remains that there was little in the way on on site attraction for competitors or their families. A more detailed report and pictures is to follow.+++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Bearfacemedia is now 'on air'! Check out the short slots in Mitch Johnson's Friday Morning Show, target time is 0920. The programme, part of the popular Coast 106 broadcasts, runs from 0530 to 1000.

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Hooked On, the book of the Contender, is now in stock.

Go to

dougal@bearfacemedia.co.uk

to place your order.

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New series...One size does not fit all.

This new series will actually comprise a pair of blogs. The first will follow the work needed to bring the all wood Contender AUS 278 'jester' up to a specification that will make it an acceptable boat to take to the 2011 Worlds at Weymouth.

Is that a Contender? Ace builder Ian Ridge asked the question when he saw AUS 278 upside down on the tressels in the Metre Shed at Swanwick. Yes, both the hull form and the Rocker line are flat but the boat measures and has a certificate. At least it is 'all' wood - no hint of a questionable foam core here.

Amongst the many problems identified with AUS is a cockpit floor in very bad condition. It appears that at some point the floor may have been routed out to make an insert space for progrip. No problems there, or there wouldn't have been had the ply then been properly sealed. It wasn't, with the obvious result that the ply started to delaminate..

How this was dealt with, plus detailed reports on the other work undertaken on the boat will all feature in a series of articles starting soon.+++++++++++++++++++++++++

Mirror Mirror, on the wall - Sorry, Marauder Marauder.....

Just doesn't rhyme does it? The lack of a rhyming couplet was hardly the reason for the sudden fall in the popularity of the Mirror 14/ Marauder. The real reasons are.... well, it's a long story, but one that Bearface is proud to be a part off.

Not only was there the matter of some very quick Dennis Trott boats back in teh early 1990s, but the Marauder formed a part of the very first series commisioned by Dinghy Sailing Magazine - the Lost Classes. Bearfacemedia will be opening up a new section of the website dedicated to the Mirror 14/Marauder so...

IF YOU HAVE ANY PICTURES OF THE M14/MARAUDER

send them in and I'll add them to the site

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The second will focus on a new approach to the Classic Dinghy scene. Again, in blog form, the focus will be on 'what boat is best' for handicap sailing in the Classic Series. A single hander, Finn, OK or 'A N Other' or a more typical 2 hander - but what? Pegasus maybe, a Seafire....Merlin Rocket.... or maybe a real classic, a Fairey Boat. As the plan takes shape, follow the work needed to gain success at on teh Classic Circuit! 

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 Classic Dinghy Racing will now have a new section where news, a diary of events, reports, pictures and a whole host of useful information. Just click on the link titled 'Classic Dinghy Events' and follow the menu to the required page.

Classic dinghies waiting to go afloat at Netley during the 2008 Nationals. The famous Hornet 'Shoestring' is in the foreground.

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Bearfacemedia is home from Brisbane!

For once, the hype that proceeds any big event actually ended up being something less than that the reality. The RQYS (Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron) ran an excellent event and the conditions promised on the event website (sunshine and regular sea breezes) made for perfect racing conditions. Most of all, the event was, as the Beach Boys used to sing

"Fun, fun, fun"

It matters not how quick you're sailing when you are having as much fun as this. Suellen Hurling, who enjoyed the success that comes from running such a well managed event, took some time out to capture some great photos. Here the strip planked AUS 278 looks to be behaving beautifully.... but with a set of rig and foils cobbled together for the event the result was slow with a capital S.

AUS 278 may have been slow, but the problems were clearly more an issue of rig and foils (not to mention some poor sailing) rather than a fundamental issue with the hull itself. As is to be expected from a hull with minimal rocker, the boat appeared to prefer the flatter water, though in these conditions the lack of a working kicker and clew control probably had a huge impact on overall performance (a quick look at the picture above shows the leech falling away)

Watch out for ongoing reports on the work to update and improve AUS 278 as preparations start for the Europeans that will be held at La Rochelle in July.

(both photos Courtesy Suellen Hurling/RQYS)

AUS 278 showing off the attractive woodwork that makes up the hull construction, a build technique that seems incredibly strong. The word is that when the bare hull was first laid up it was light, with extra stiffening going in to the decks to bring the weight up to nominal.

What the picture does not show is that the hull is right on the tolerances along the rocker line and is also very flat in the aft sections. Interestingly, the hull seemed fuller in the bow sections which could account for the fact that in the washing machine conditions in Moreton Bay that the boat seemed less inclined than other Contenders to dig the bow in.

Read the blogs from the event that have been posted on this site, just go to 'Brisbane Worlds' and follow the event from there.

During the work required to complete 'Hooked on' (the story of the Contender) this picture came to light. It shows the author sailing at Weston in K254, the first boat out from the new Tony Smith mould. The rig is a proctor Alpha, complete with high set forward diamonds and a 'Gale-Smith' sail. Light and very stiff, the boat proved an immediate success but suffered a major structural failure at the 1978 Europeans at Lake Garda and was eventually written off.