kSail - kSail KnowHow by Keith Sammons

Sanitising Boats and Equipment

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 10:43:45 +0000

The RYA Sailing & Racing in Mixed Households guidance identifies the potential COVID transmission risk of using shared equipment. Following the publication of the guidance, kSail worked with multiple partners to help develop and supply a practical solution to sanitise sailing equipment between users. During Autumn 2020 kSail supported the RYA to deliver its keelboat racing events as well as centres and schools to deliver their training programmes.

As we look toward to the end of the latest lockdown, we hope that providing more information about what was done may help and benefit others who are managing their own return to activity.

Key Requirements

Initially concentrating on our core activity of team racing, we wanted to understand the implications of the RYA guidance at a team racing event where crews may change between boats after every race. Quarantining equipment for the prescribed 48 hours between users is clearly impractical.

If events with shared equipment were therefore going to be possible, we identified the following as the challenges that needed to be addressed.

Prevention of Transmission of COVID-19
Whilst nothing can guarantee to be 100% COVID-safe, we needed something which had been tested and proven to be effective against coronaviruses.
Ease and Speed of Application
We wanted to be able to quickly make a boat usable for a new crew without needing an army of volunteers or specialist equipment.
Toxicity
There could be no concerns over safety for those using the cleaned equipment or those who may be doing the cleaning between users.
Environmental Impact
Many cleaning solutions do not degrade and will build up over time; potentially causing even greater problems in the future. Given the nature of the sport, it is inevitable that whatever product is used will end up in the water. It therefore must be as safe as possible for use in a marine environment.
Impact on Equipment
The equipment, boats and clothing we use in sailing is complex and involves lots of different materials. Frequent cleaning should not have any impact on any equipment.
Zero Residue
It was important that there should be no surface residue that could become slippery or have an impact on the safe operation of equipment.
Cost
Finally, any solution should not be so expensive that its use may be limited by concerns over cost.

The Solution

There are a significant number of products available on the market which meet many of the above criteria, however we were introduced to BioBax, the makers of Zwype.

Zwype was a new product in development, primarily destined for the care home sector. Its' development needed to meet exceptionally high standards and, rather surprisingly, a set of requirements similar to our own. In the care home, Zwype must be quick and effective to use, safe around people of all levels of vulnerability and not impact the surfaces and materials it may encounter, from kitchens and bathrooms to the personal belongings of residents.

What was exciting is that while Zwype, as the name suggests, is primarily a wipe-on product, it can be also be effectively used as a spray. With just a 30 second contact time it made the possibility of sanitising a whole boat a very real possibility.

The final part of the puzzle was the determination of the development team to produce a product that had minimal impact on the wider environment. All of these types of products require their active ingredients to kill bacteria and viruses; Zwype's primary ingredients remain active for no longer than is necessary and therefore don’t create larger problems when they invariably end up in the environment. No cleaner and sanitiser can claim to be environmentally friendly - however few seem able to come closer to this than Zwype.

The Practicalities

Put simply, what initially was going to be a huge challenge, instead presented few problems and was surprisingly straight forward. Possibly the greatest challenge in late Summer 2020 was that Zwype was yet to complete it’s testing process; we therefore had to use a slightly less perfect alternative for the first few events.

Garden type pressure sprayers, of 5L or 1.5L, make application quick and simple and require little instruction or training. The most appropriate sprayers cost a little more, but have been designed for robustness with brass nozzles, are clearly labelled and have a fixed nozzle so that the correct spray pattern is used. If you decide to source your own sprayers, ensure that they are clearly labelled and thoroughly cleaned before use.

At the start and end of each day, volunteers completed a comprehensive spray down of the crew area, as well as sails and other equipment. For boat changes during a session, we quickly realised that the sailors themselves were the best people to help with the process. Where crew changes happen afloat, it seemed easier for the sailors changing into boats to be responsible for cleaning. For crew changes where boats come ashore, cleaning before and after each use is quick and simple.

While all users and scenarios are different, the pressure sprays are very efficient at dispensing the sanitiser; just twenty litres of sanitiser were used at the British Keelboat League Finals cleaning the working area of six RS21s, six umpire and changeover ribs and two committee boats. The three days of competition encompassed nearly sixty crew changes.

There are several additional benefits of Zwype’s development for the care home sector. As a cleaner and sanitiser it can be used in all areas around the club or centre. It is a food safe product for use in kitchens and is ideal for use in changing areas and toilets.

Looking Ahead

Clearly we all hope there is a future without COVID requirements in place. In the meantime numerous clubs, centres, schools and groups are already using (or planning to use) Zwype to ensure their activities and venues are as COVID safe for everyone as possible.

kSail is a distributor for BioBax. Zwype is therefore available through kSail and can be supplied in a range of sizes from 750ml to 1000L.

For more information please visit www.ksail.co.uk or email sales@ksail.co.uk.

Ordering Zwype

Useful Links

Team Racing Footnote

Wider restrictions have meant we have not yet been able to run a Team Racing event; we have worked hard with Clubs, including Spinnaker Sailing Club to make robust sanitisation plans for the UKTRA Championships that should have happened in March. There are Team Racing events planned in the reasonably near term; Zwype will be helping them happen! #LetsGoSailing #TeamRacingIsAwesome

Face Coverings

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 14:07:32 +0000

Face Coverings when Sailing

Following a series of discussions on Facebook about the relative challenges of wearing a face covering while sailing. Keith had a fun morning with James Oborne (Spinnaker Sailing Club's Chief Instructor) to experience first hand what it could be like to wear different types of face coverings when sailing.

Keith and James have written a review of their experiences while trying out the face coverings.

Download Review

Additional Information

RYA Return to Boating

Spinnaker Sailing Club

Spare Parts at a Firefly Team Racing Event

Wed, 13 Nov 2019 18:49:22 +0000

When you are running an event, it is possible to collect a reasonably modest set of spares, parts and tools which will allow you to fix nearly everything; particularly if your boats are well prepared and maintained.

With the priority at a Team Racing event to get a boat back racing; repairs often needs to be the “best that can be done at the time” and will need to be followed up and made good after the event.

The following lists covers items which we think need to be made available as part of an event bosuns kit. Should you need anything from the list, as the specialist supplier of Team Racing parts and spares for Fireflies, kSail will hold everything in stock and can usually dispatch next day.

Spares and Parts

Tools and Equipment

Spares and Parts

Pre-Cut Ropes	Mainsheet Jibsheet Toe Strap and Strops(for thwart and bullseye ends) 6m of 4mm Control Line (is enough to replace/repair all control lines) Mini Reel of 3mm line for general use
Hardware and Blocks	Tiller Extensions (with right UJ’s) Spare UJ’s and rivets Rudder Drop Pin (Pintle) Spare rudder pivot wing nuts Shear pin(s) Spare Blocks – Kicker Double, 20mm generic, 40mm for mainsheet on boom.
Shackles and Pins etc	Jib Tack Clevis Pin(s) Shroud Base Clevis Pins Jib Halyard Rigging Link(s) Shroud Base Rigging Link(s) Generic 5mm D and Twisted Shackles Split Rings Split Pin(s) for Mainsail tack R-clip(s) for Trolley wheels

Firefly Event Spares

Firefly Toe Strap - Individual

£8.50

Firefly Toe Strap - Individual Add to Cart

£8.50

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers

£7.14

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers Add to Cart

£7.14

kSail Stickers

£1.00 - £2.75

kSail Stickers View Details

£1.00 - £2.75

Firefly Jib Halyard - Wire and Rope

£36.75

Firefly Jib Halyard - Wire and Rope Add to Cart

£36.75

Firefly Batten - Set

£26.25

Firefly Batten - Set Add to Cart

£26.25

Bailer - Plastic - White

£3.20

Bailer - Plastic - White Add to Cart

£3.20

Sponge

£2.25

Sponge Add to Cart

£2.25

Draft Stripe

£1.30 - £2.40

Draft Stripe View Details

£1.30 - £2.40

Cleat - Cam - Ball Bearing Large

£48.18

Cleat - Cam - Ball Bearing Large Add to Cart

£48.18

Beta Pin / R Clip - 4mm - Stainless Steel

£1.05

Beta Pin / R Clip - 4mm - Stainless Steel Add to Cart

£1.05

Drop Pin - Threaded Ends

£22.00

Drop Pin - Threaded Ends Add to Cart

£22.00

Firefly Rudder Stock - kSail

£290.00

Firefly Rudder Stock - kSail Add to Cart

£290.00

Tiller Extension - 915mm - Black - Allen Brothers

£57.55

Tiller Extension - 915mm - Black - Allen Brothers Add to Cart

£57.55

Cloth (Duct) Tape (50mm)

£7.25

Cloth (Duct) Tape (50mm)View Details

£7.25

Electrical Tape (PVC)

£1.50

Electrical Tape (PVC)View Details

£1.50

Sail Repair Tape - Heavy Duty - 100mm x 2M

£19.94

Sail Repair Tape - Heavy Duty - 100mm x 2M Add to Cart

£19.94

Sail Repair Tape - Mylar - 50mm x 3M - 25 micron

£5.16

Sail Repair Tape - Mylar - 50mm x 3M - 25 micron Add to Cart

£5.16

Clevis Pin

£0.68 - £6.80

Clevis Pin View Details

£0.68 - £6.80

Rigging Link - Pressed - 5mm x 8mm x 18mm

£4.74

Rigging Link - Pressed - 5mm x 8mm x 18mm Add to Cart

£4.74

Shackle - D - 5mm - Cast

£1.24

Shackle - D - 5mm - Cast Add to Cart

£1.24

Shackle - Twisted - 5mm - Cast

£1.90

Shackle - Twisted - 5mm - Cast Add to Cart

£1.90

Split Pins

£0.19 - £0.31

Split Pins View Details

£0.19 - £0.31

Firefly Shroud - Pair

£80.50

Firefly Shroud - Pair Add to Cart

£80.50

Tools and Equipment

Tool Box	Socket Set and/or spanners and adjustable spanner Screwdivers Hammer Blind Rivet Gun Hacksaw and spare blades Drill and drill bits (and spare battery)
Other Equipment	Tape – Sail and Sail Window Repair Tape Tape – Electrical and Gaffa Cable ties Vinyl Sticker repair patches

Preparing a Firefly for an Event

Thu, 29 Nov 2018 00:08:50 +0000

We thought we would put some flesh and bones onto our Firefly Pre-Event Checklist and provide more details about how to best prepare your fleet of Fireflies for your Team Racing event.

There is no substitute for a well planned maintenance routine - checks shouldn't be left so late that spare parts can't be ordered in time. kSail carries enough parts in stock to cover nearly all eventualities and can usually dispatch for next day delivery if required.

The intention with your preparations is to make sure that your boats and their equipment are able to withstand the increase in usage and likely pressure that will come from event use; and also to identify and prevent any issues that may cause problems going forward.

At events, it is recognisable that competitors are likely to treat boats in the same way that the boats appear. A boat that appears well cared for and maintained will be better looked after by a competitor than one which is held together by bodged gaffa tape and frayed lines. It may seem like a waste of time but often the best preparation that you can give a boat before an event is a wash and clean!

Hull

The Firefly hull is usually source of few problems, however there are a couple of good things to check pre event.

Tanks and Hatches
Drying tanks is obviously important every time you sail, however making sure that every tank is dry at the start of the event will help you should any damage occur during the event. Make sure all hatch covers have seals and that the hatch frames are well sealed to the boat.
Gunwales and Protectors
If you have gunwale protectors, make sure they are secure and if wooden, any splinters/cracks are sanded back or covered. Check along the Hull/Deck moulding join; any cracks are easily repaired however if knocked hard during an event will spread very quickly.
Bailers
Check bailers are either working or disabled and not leaking.
Shroud Bases
Check under the gunwale at the shroud bases. Some boats have been known to fail in this area can lead to a very expensive repair of the deck and the hull/deck join.

Sails

At an event your sails are going to get more use than during a significant amount of regular training time. General checks will include:

Repairing any holes or tears
Check seam stitching.
Check each corner and its fittings

Mainsails

Sail Numbers
Make sure sail numbers are clear and match the hull numbers. Temporary event/championship numbers need to be removed to help your umpires.
Battens
Are all there and in one piece. If not done so already, adding a couple of stitches at the back of the batten pocket will make sure battens can't be lost when sails are flogging.
Luff Rope
Is it OK? They often chafe around the mast slot which can quickly spread if not dealt with
Sail Window
Make sure there are no holes. Rips or tears will get worse. Use proper sail window repair tape; do not use Gaffa it will ruin the window which will need to be replaced.

Jibs

Luff Wire
Feel the length of the luff wire. It will be twisted; however if there are any hard kinks or bends it should be replaced before it breaks. Check the eyes at each end for any frayed strands too.
Sail Window
As with the main, make sure there are no holes and repair with window repair tape if required.
Leech Seam
With the amount of flogging that a Team Racing Jib does, the area around the leach seam is often the first point of material failure. Where possible a proper repair should be made but lengths of sail repair tape can prevent things getting worse during an event.

Cutdowns/Storm Sails/Reefing

Sail Numbers
If they don't match hull numbers, make a plan for which boat each should be used on. Check them as per your mainsail checks. Particularly battens and batten pockets.
Reefable Sails
If you don't have specific cut downs and have reefing points in sails, don't wait for the event to have started to find that you need lengths of string for reef points or tack/clew lines. Make sure you have everything you may need ready to go as well as enough spares - sods law dictates that you will end up needing to reef twice during an event if you are not prepared for it! Don't forget, everyone rigs a reef in a Firefly slightly differently, make sure there are enough of your own sailors who are able to explain to other teams what to do!

Rig & Rigging

Checking the rig is really important. Few venues and events have access to spare boats or spare masts which means a rig failure can cause real problems with your event. We will be writing an article about the importance of monitoring your rig and rigging.

Tape, Tape, Tape!
Please make sure every split ring and clevis pin is taped properly. A few seconds will prevent all sorts of problems.
Rope
There are a couple of ropes onboard which will fail more regularly than others:

Mainsheets and Jibsheet sheathing failures. End for end them before the outer fails which will give longer life. If outer is failing; replace it.
Jib Halyard Tension and Kicker - primarily where tied to tangs or beckets - check the knots!
Halyards - Check the main halyard where it goes over the top sheave for chafe. Similarly, broken strands on a jib halyard where it goes over the sheave should not be ignored. Make sure jib halyard tails will not break!

Shrouds
Check the terminals of shrouds for lose strands. Pay particular attention to the shroud where it passes the spreader, strands will often break in this area. Any broken strands = replace shrouds.
Spreaders
Check the spreader bracket on the mast and also read through our article about spreader end protection.
Forestay
Make sure it is not tight. It should be just tight enough that the mast cannot fall out of the back of the mast gate.
Boom, Gooseneck and Tack Fitting

Boom End Protectors (article coming soon)
Check the mainsheet is passing through the webbing strop.
The aft mainsheet block on the boom is particularly liable to damage.
Check the split ring in the gooseneck pin. Make sure the tack pin for the main fits the boom end properly (and is tied on!).

Hardware and Fittings

Hardware failures during an event are annoying and waste time. Worse is if you don't have a spare of the broken part available. Often if something is going to fail you can usually see that it is worn before the racing starts. Much better to replace something before it breaks if possible; most items are not that expensive and if replaced before they fail, the old part can often be OK as a backup spare for later.

Tiller Extensions and UJ's
You should work towards making sure that all the UJ's in your fleet are the same. Therefore you can have a couple of spare tiller extensions which can be swapped in when UJ's fail. Any small split in a UJ will accelerate it's failure. UJ's also fail more quickly in colder weather and when they are left bent over.
Rudder and steering gear
Several things to check on the rudder & stock:

Downhaul/Shear Pin
Are spare pins tied on or downhaul working and cleating properly
Rudder Drop Pin/Pintle
If these are of the hooked top type, make sure split ring is in the bottom. Much better to upgrade to threaded end type when you can
Cracks or damage to rudder stock
Particularly if standard wishbone type stock. Again, much better to upgrade to the kSail version over time. Regardless, make sure you have some spare available for the event.
Rudder Stops
The rubber stops under the transom bar; these will prevent further damage to the tiller arm and help prevent failure.

Toe Straps
Toe Straps will always get harder use at an event than in training. Check the loops in the webbing to make sure they are not wearing through. You should pay particular attention to the amount of fraying of the rope strops where they go through the thwarts.
Jib Halyard Cleat
Particularly if used with either the wrong size or type of rope, these can often wear too quickly. It is not an expensive change however is time consuming at an event.
Double Kicker Block
The tang on the rear of the double block which attaches to the mast can shear. Check where the tang meets the body of the block; if the tang is misshapen, replace the block.
Jib Sheet and Kicker Cleats
A little maintenance will make a lot of difference. Lubricate with teflon or dry spray (Not silicon or oil). For both cleats, often if they are not gripping rope properly it is the springs inside that need replacing not the whole cleat.
Centreboard
Check the rubber stops are in place at the head of the board and that the block, uphaul and downhaul (bungee) are all in good order.

Other Useful Items

Trollies
If you are borrowing boats, make sure you have identified who's trolley is who's. Coloured bands of electrical tape are an easy and cheap indicator.
Hull Numbers
Bow and sail numbers are great for start and finish boats; they are not perfect for the umpires. Numbers on the stern quarter and/or transom are a helpful addition.

Download Checklist

Firefly Event Spares

Firefly Toe Strap - Individual

£8.50

Firefly Toe Strap - Individual Add to Cart

£8.50

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers

£7.14

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers Add to Cart

£7.14

kSail Stickers

£1.00 - £2.75

kSail Stickers View Details

£1.00 - £2.75

Firefly Jib Halyard - Wire and Rope

£36.75

Firefly Jib Halyard - Wire and Rope Add to Cart

£36.75

Firefly Batten - Set

£26.25

Firefly Batten - Set Add to Cart

£26.25

Bailer - Plastic - White

£3.20

Bailer - Plastic - White Add to Cart

£3.20

Sponge

£2.25

Sponge Add to Cart

£2.25

Draft Stripe

£1.30 - £2.40

Draft Stripe View Details

£1.30 - £2.40

Cleat - Cam - Ball Bearing Large

£48.18

Cleat - Cam - Ball Bearing Large Add to Cart

£48.18

Beta Pin / R Clip - 4mm - Stainless Steel

£1.05

Beta Pin / R Clip - 4mm - Stainless Steel Add to Cart

£1.05

Drop Pin - Threaded Ends

£22.00

Drop Pin - Threaded Ends Add to Cart

£22.00

Firefly Rudder Stock - kSail

£290.00

Firefly Rudder Stock - kSail Add to Cart

£290.00

Tiller Extension - 915mm - Black - Allen Brothers

£57.55

Tiller Extension - 915mm - Black - Allen Brothers Add to Cart

£57.55

Cloth (Duct) Tape (50mm)

£7.25

Cloth (Duct) Tape (50mm)View Details

£7.25

Electrical Tape (PVC)

£1.50

Electrical Tape (PVC)View Details

£1.50

Sail Repair Tape - Heavy Duty - 100mm x 2M

£19.94

Sail Repair Tape - Heavy Duty - 100mm x 2M Add to Cart

£19.94

Sail Repair Tape - Mylar - 50mm x 3M - 25 micron

£5.16

Sail Repair Tape - Mylar - 50mm x 3M - 25 micron Add to Cart

£5.16

Clevis Pin

£0.68 - £6.80

Clevis Pin View Details

£0.68 - £6.80

Rigging Link - Pressed - 5mm x 8mm x 18mm

£4.74

Rigging Link - Pressed - 5mm x 8mm x 18mm Add to Cart

£4.74

Shackle - D - 5mm - Cast

£1.24

Shackle - D - 5mm - Cast Add to Cart

£1.24

Shackle - Twisted - 5mm - Cast

£1.90

Shackle - Twisted - 5mm - Cast Add to Cart

£1.90

Split Pins

£0.19 - £0.31

Split Pins View Details

£0.19 - £0.31

Firefly Shroud - Pair

£80.50

Firefly Shroud - Pair Add to Cart

£80.50

We hope you found the above helpful. If you think we have missed something that you regularly check or have problems with, please drop us a line.

What sort of Rope...?

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 18:19:35 +0000

What type of rope should you use to rig a Team Racing Firefly...?

There are lots of choices out there, however before purchasing rope for your Fireflies, there are a couple of general rules which are worth considering.

Team Racing Fireflies get a lot of heavy use, rope should be hard wearing. All rope will fail over time.
Control lines should be easy to replace; when they break they need to be quickly changed. Splicing lines onto your boats looks great however when they fail they are slow to replace - a real problem at an event! Much better to use a rope that holds a tied knot well and can be easily undone or cut.
Other than the main halyard, some stretch is a benefit on the lose rigged Firefly.
High performance fibres can shorten the life of other hardware items - eg. a Jib Halyard tension cleat will wear more quickly with an over-spec dyneema/spectra line.

In short, keep it simple! Often the slightly cheaper control line is a better choice. At kSail we stock a full range of rope and cordage which can be supplied in either full reels or pre-cut lengths.

From experience we have selected Kingfisher evo Performance and evo Sheet to use for most of our pre-cut lengths.

Firefly Pre-Cut Ropes

Firefly Jib Halyard - Wire and Rope

£36.75

Firefly Jib Halyard - Wire and Rope Add to Cart

£36.75

Scoring a Team Race - RRS D3

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 02:12:58 +0000

The rules that govern how to score each individual Team Race is given in the Racing Rules of sailing Appendix D - specifically Rule D3.1. The following provides some basic interpretation as to what each section of D3.1 actually means for whoever is scoring your racing.

D3.1 (a)Each boat finishing a race shall be scored points equal to her finishing place. All other boats shall be scored points equal to the number of boats entitled to race. A boat that does not start or does not finish will be scored as the number of boats entitled to race.
e.g. in 3 v 3 any boat not finishing the race is scored 6 points. Unlike in fleet racing, there is no +1; for example, a boat which fails to finish after a capsize would be scored 6 points and not 7 points were it a fleet race.

D3.1 (b)When a boat is scored OCS, 10 points shall be added to her score unless she retired as soon as possible after the starting signal.
This is probably the scoring rule that creates the most confusion. 10 points is added to any boat that is over the start line and does not return, eg if a boat finished third but was OCS it will be scored 13 points.
Another big difference from fleet racing is that other boats do not have their scores adjusted – for example if a team win 1,2,3 but the boat in third was OCS they would be scored 1,2,13 = 16 points and the opponents will be scored 4,5,6 = 15 points
The start boat needs to record which boat (e.g. boat 5) was over the line so that the results are accurately recorded. Similarly, at the finish the order in which every boat crosses the line needs to be recorded, regardless of whether they were OCS or not.
D3.1 (c)When a boat fails to take a penalty imposed by an umpire at or near the finishing line, she shall be scored points for last place and other scores shall be adjusted accordingly.
This quite frequently happens when a boat is penalised around the finish. It is worth noting that it is a situation dealt with specifically in a rule; again however even if this rule applies, the boat would still (in 3v3) be scored 6 points.
D3.1 (d)When a protest committee decides that a boat that is a party to a protest hearing has broken a rule and is not exonerated:
1. If the boat has not taken a penalty, 6 points shall be added to her score;
2. If the boat’s team has gained an advantage despite any penalty taken or imposed, the boat’s score may be increased;
3. When the boat has broken rule 1 or 2, rule 14 when she has caused damage or injury, or a rule when not racing, half or more race wins may be deducted from her team, or no penalty may be imposed. Race wins deducted shall not be awarded to any other team.
These penalties can only be given by a protest committee – scorers should liase with the chair of the protest committee (or the chief umpire) to confirm if any penalties have been awarded.
If you are using HLS and some other formats; the scoring for this may be changed by the sailing instructions. When using HLS for example, a ‘wins’ penalty this is changed to be both a wins & points penalty.

D3.2 When all boats on one team have finished, retired or failed to start, the other team’s boats racing at that time shall be scored the points they would have received had they finished.
If a team is very behind, they can be scored 4,5,6 without having to sail the course. This means changeovers can be sped up.
D3.3 The team with the lower total points wins the race. If the totals are equal, the team that does not have first place wins.
The last sentence deals with race ties and is very important for 2 and 4 boat team racing where the total points available mean that ties frequently happen. In 2v2; while the rule is worded to count against the boat that has first; the more colloquial "last boat loses" is often an easier way to explain. Unfortunately it is not quite so straight forward in 4v4!

Firefly Hints and Upgrades - Gunwale Protection

Wed, 31 Oct 2018 19:00:15 +0000

There will always be bumps and scrapes in Team Racing, while we are committed to being a non-contact sport it is inevitable that there will be contact at times. As a fleet manager or owner, you will want to ensure that your boats are able to deal with the every day wear and tear with minimal damage as well as minimising the damage that may be caused by a training or event impact. There are lots of ways to help with protection - we are going to be writing more articles soon; however in recent weeks and months, gunwale protection has been a recurring topic of discussion. There are currently three main types of firefly gunwale protection in general with a fourth being introduced by Rondar on some new boats in 2018.

Type	Description	Advantages	Disadvantages
Rubber Moulding	Usually white rubber in a "U" or "D" shaped profile; usually secured with bolts or rivets.	Cheap; easy to install Good protection in gunwale to gunwale impact Little maintenance. rarely tears or breaks	Bolts or rivets easily pull through Little protection from point impact (Bow/Gunwale); does not spread loads. Stretches and sags; looks shabby after a short time Hard to repair if damaged
Hardwood Moulding	"L" shaped moulded hardwood; standard Rondar wooden gunwale fit; often secured with rivets.	Easily Installed; particularly when riveted Looks great! Comfortable to hike Reasonably easy to repair; unless riveted.	Impact protection very limited; does not spread loads can crack and splinter easily repairs reduce effectiveness Expensive to replace the full length. requires maintenance.
Laminated Hardwood	Double thickness of hardwood; glued and bolted around gunwale radius.	Very strong, spreads impact load Looks great Can be repaired without reducing overall strength.	expensive and challenging to install can be uncomfortable to hike over can splinter in gunwale to gunwale rubs.
Plastic Extrusion (New 2018)	Solid plastic D shaped extrusion; first introduced in 2018.	A little to early to make any conclusive observations however first impressions: Looks good Cost effective easy to install appears strong in all types of impact will not splinter Not yet tested or proven in significant use May be subject to some stretch and sag?

Hints and Upgrades 6 - Tiller UJ's

Mon, 19 Mar 2018 22:30:17 +0000

Where ever possible, try and be consistent with your Tiller UJ’s across your fleet. This means you can quickly and easily replace a tiller extension without worrying about whether the UJ will fit.

Consider a UJ as a consumable item; make sure you carry spares and know how to replace them. Some people replace a whole tiller extension rather than just replacing the UJ. If possible, have a few spare tiller extensions available so that when a UJ does break you can easily swap the tiller extension (knowing that the UJ will fit!).

If you are regularly running events, it is often sensible to use the RWO Omniflex UJ which has a rope core. This means that when the UJ breaks the boat can continue sailing and therefore minimises the need for resails. They are about three times the price of the standard Allen Brothers UJ that would have been supplied with the boats.

The two options for the Allen UJs are those with square bases or oval bases. The Allen UJ’s are priced such that to replace a whole flight of boats with the same UJ’s is no more expensive than replacing a single tiller extension.

kSail stock a good range of Allen and RWO UJ’s.

Universal Joints

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers

£7.14

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers Add to Cart

£7.14

Universal Joint - RWO Omniflex Race

£21.43

Universal Joint - RWO Omniflex Race Add to Cart

£21.43

Universal Joint - RWO Omniflex Standard

£8.20

Universal Joint - RWO Omniflex Standard Add to Cart

£8.20

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers (Oval)

£7.14

Universal Joint - Allen Brothers (Oval)Add to Cart

£7.14

UK National Team Racing Championships - Seeding

Sun, 18 Mar 2018 23:15:29 +0000

For the 2018 UK National Team Racing Championships the race committee decided to run a trial to determine if it was possible to use competitor crowd sourcing to establish a ranking for seeding ahead of the event. Each team was provided details of all three helms and then invited to submit who they believed were the top 12 teams. Given the event was curtailed prematurely, it is not possible to rank all the teams in order of their actual performance and so there is no good data to compare to. Therefore, it is not possible to draw any firm conclusions about the usefulness of this data. However, we have shared the information here for interest. Everyone is welcome to analyse the data and propose a potential seeding solution which could be used at future events. Some of our observations:

There was a high response rate, with 19 out of 24 teams responding.
The majority of teams provided their top 12, but a few did not feel they knew the teams ranked 8-12 well enough to be able to provide a ranking.
As shown in the table below, the teams who the community thought were the better teams (labelled in the table as crowd sourced gold teams) produced rankings which were more consistent with the consensus. Hence a future seeding process could be to find out who everyone thinks are the top 8 and then base the seeding on the opinions of those top 8.
Despite the helm data being sent to competitors, there was some confusion about who was who. This was particularly pronounced for the team representing Oxford and Cambridge Sailing Society - who had sailed as Royal Thames Blue for the previous 2 seasons. They were consistently ranked 2nd or 3rd by the higher ranked teams, but did not even feature in the top 12 of some of the lower ranked teams.
Whilst not shown here, teams tended to overstate their own ability. 10 teams ranked themselves higher than they were ranked by their competitors but only 2 teams ranked themselves lower. (2 teams were spot on and 5 teams did not include themselves in the ranking).

Please do get in touch by emailing results@ksail.co.uk with any comments, feedback or proposals for changes in the future. The table below provides the submitted results:

Note: The crowd sourcing seeding was calculated by awarding 12 points to whichever team was ranked 1st, 11 points to 2nd etc. The total points were then summed and the teams ranked on this basis.

Scoring a Team Race - OCS

Mon, 19 Feb 2018 02:57:24 +0000

Everyone knows that in a team race, the boat in 1st gets 1 point, the boat in 2nd gets 2 points, (etc.) and the team with the fewest points wins.

However, what happens to boats that are OCS, do not start or retire? Looking at the rule book you will find:

D3.1 (a) Each boat finishing a race shall be scored points equal to her finishing place. All other boats shall be scored points equal to the number of boats entitled to race.

D3.1 (b)When a boat is scored OCS, 10 points shall be added to her score unless she retired as soon as possible after the starting signal.

Therefore, in 3 boat team racing: If a boat doesn't start, retires during the race, or fails to finish correctly they are scored 6 points.

If a boat is OCS and does not return, they are given their finishing position and 10 points is added to their score.

It is worth noting that this is different from what you would do in fleet racing which does sometimes create confusion for those who are new to team racing.