Wings

Despite being away from Twelves for a while I’ve kept an eye on what’s been going on in the class and found the adoption of foiling rudders a really interesting development.   Historically, resistance to developments has either centred on preserving the Classes appeal as sea boats that can are sailed on restricted water or on maintaining the boats as an attainable challenge.  Daggerboards and fully battened sails are the most obvious examples that spring to mind.  Whilst both would almost certainly result in faster boats it has been argued that both are less suited to puddles and rivers.  The class has always been fairly cautious, at least in the last 30 years, allowing any developments that effectively outclass the existing fleet to quickly or eroded its club racer appeal.  Yet both of those historical defences appear to have been put aside or forgotten in the case of wings.  It strikes me that the very arguments used against daggerboards and battened mains actually have more weight than in the case of wings.  Both boards and battens could be easily retro fitted either by boxing in a centreboard case or through buying a new set of rags.  Whereas wings require an new foil and stock and modifications to transoms etc etc.  I have no idea what a professional retrofit would set you back but I suspect is would be well over a £1000.  Still there’s little point of bemoaning the fact that things have changed and the fact I’d have rather seen developments that make building easier rather than more complex. There’s now a critical mass of DCBs and Paradigms with wings it’s probably a development that will continue regardless of its impact.     

LP at Newquay Wales in 2005

I’ve only had a little bit of experience with wings in the Cherub class and they are a very different boat and have approached wings/foils in a different way.  It was at the 2005 nationals where I first saw real demonstrable evidence wings were faster even in relatively light conditions.  During the early part of the week Loco Perro (a Big Issue to N12 fans) was just faster than the Patterson 7 without a foil.  This was particularly obvious upwind in sub planing conditions where we came back from some terrible starts to be either first or second round the top mark.  Then midweek and overnight Mr Bloodaxe Patterson revealed his foiling secret. The next day, in the same conditions, he pasted us.  More annoyingly, from a personal point of view, he won the cherub champs with us just a couple of points behind in an N12 on steroids.  

I’ve also seen the advantages pulling on the foil on a Slug design and going from about 7kts to about 11knts (according to GPS) and standing well back on the racks - A very odd but very cool feeling.  So despite my reservations, the little I know will be translated into a home built retro-fitted wing arrangement for Silent Running.   I’ve got some ideas about how this little development will work and once I find a way of getting my brain to translate them into pictures I will post them here!