High Resolution Image: The world championships in Finland last August provided a shop window for the latest gear. However, the true connoisseur in gadgetry was probably disappointed at the lack of novelty and new thinking. It was mainly variations on existing themes.
1. Finnish Lonnfors boat showing carbon fibre
in hull and timber An exception was the Finnish Lonnfors boat sailed by both Finns and Swedes. Of pretty well all glassfibre construction, some (including that of the Wilén brothers who finished third overall) were reinforced with carbon fibre. Their performance was equal to both Parker and Rondar boats although their appearance lacked the latter's good looks. The fineness of the bow near the keel appeared excessive but it is within the permitted tolerances. The Wilén brothers had a Proctor Beta mast fitted with a jumper stay and strut above the hounds to control the flexibility of the top section. The tension in the stay was controlled by a bottle screw anchored to the mast step just forward of the mast.
3. A powerful Swedish kicking strap
system. The Finns and particularly the Swedes are very keen on stiff spars for their usual 'hard' winds and many a Swede regretted the passing of the original Proctor E section with the thick top. This is quite contrary to the current thinking outside Scandinavia where the preference is for thin top sections. Jean-Marie Danielou brought some of his new Z spars from France. These are very similar to Needlespars. The maker claims that his formula of lightness, size and stiffness is more competitive than the British spar although this did not show in the results. The finish was of good quality. The Swedes almost to a man sail with very stiff booms and transom sheeting. Many use the 3in. jumbo Needlespar. Hard leach tension is provided solely by kicking straps whose purchase systems have to be seen to be believed. The transom main sheet exerts no downward pull and on some Swedish boats, a stainless steel framework raises the height of the lower mainsheet block to the end of the boom.
Hard kicking straps cause mast bend problems above deck level. Derek Farrant controls this with an adjustable strut between the forward side of the mast and the deck.
A feature of some Scandinavian boats was a fixed forestay around which the jib luff was zipped. Luff tension is adjusted by a control line from the tack running across the foredeck. With this system, the jib furler cannot be used. Hard kicking straps cause mast bend problems above deck level. Derek Farrant controls this with an adjustable strut between the forward side of the mast and the deck. Among other ideas were large stopwatches set in the diagonals of some French boats and a cocktail bar fitted to the fore bulk head of the German boat aptly named 'Whisky'. The latter bore a notice proclaiming that opening hours were from 07.00 to 06.59 daily except on Sundays.
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