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Unfortunately I cannot make it as I am sailing my British Moth that weekend.  What I can say is that we had our Nationals last year at Staunton Harold and it is a great club and a very nice piece of water.  Would be a shame if I couldn't take the N12 next year.

I just think that an official letter from the Technical people at the class would have much more weight behind it.  They could also explain what initiatives are making the latest boats faster - initiatives that my Paper Dart will never have.

One thing I think should be done right away:  The Class Chairman, Chairman of the Technical Committee and Chief Measurer should jointly write a letter to be sent to all clubs where N12's are sailed explaining the reasons that the class have derived age-related handicaps and asking them to implement them in club racing.  This will help us with older boats get more recognition at club level.

Just wanted non N12 people visiting this forum to know

Having looked at the range of suggested PY’s I’m kinda with Martin that makes sense look into adding another suggested PY.  For either boats not designed for winged rudders or boats not simply not using winged rudders.   I’m also wondering if it is worth taking it further and introduce prizes for boats not using winged rudders. As it might help entice those people who don’t want to get involved with playing with hydrodynamics out and about racing.

 
A prize is given out to Non-foiling boats.  I think one thing we cannot criticise the class over is there attempts to keep people happy by handing out prizes.  The list of different prize winners at Burton Week is pretty long...
 

 
I also turned up in my hopelessly uncompetitive Paper Dart to the Inland Championships 2012 and took away more prizes than any other boat - 4th AC, Oldest (surviving) boat, and first GILL event.  Best weekend sailing I've ever had.

What of the rest of the fleet?....Have they retired from the arms race, to potter around in their 'non-competive old boat' at thier local club?  Join the vintage fleet?  CVRDA?

In the Midlands, we have quite a competitive AC fleet, with a lot of competing boats.  Adding to that the 4-plank series and the Vintage champs and prizes, we almost have a prize for every era of boat here.

In my opinion, this is a development class, what is actually needed is more builders to explore more ideas.  The boats have got more complicated, because no-one has built a simpler N12 that can compete.  If someone could make a boat with just kicker, downhaul, out-haul, main & jib sheets that could compete with the top boats, then I'm sure the trend for more and more complicated boats would be reversed.  If the price was significantly lower, it might force the P2 & DCB builders to find ways to lower their prices.
 
What I believed happen is a change of how people build boats.  Instead of lots of amatures building their own boats, I believe people are buying boats and adding new ideas to them.  Although it is possible for any-one to build a epoxy-carbon hull, it is not simple and certainly not the same as creating something out of wood.
 
As a final thought, there was a new design in 2011, Sweet Chariot that could be ordered in pack form to be built at a seamingly very resonable price of £2300 (minus mast, foils & fittings).  I have no idea how competitive this design has been, but the consept harks back to an older era.
 
(p.s. I have a very uncompetitive Paper Dart but have a lot of fun in it - I believe that there are lots of people like me at clubs around the country.  This doesn't help the visual impact of the top-end of the class though)

That picture is brilliant!!
I know people who have straightened masts and so it is do-able.  I bent a mast on a capsize and my insurance had no problems in paying for a new one (I had new-for-old cover) so check your policy - you may be able to get a new one and then straighten the old one as a spare.
I believe that you would have to get the mast measured, to insure the black bands were in the right place for your sails.

Well done guys.  I was there in a British Moth and thought you were looking good when you passed me very early on. It was a great day and brilliant fun.

Hi
I would like to crew for you if you still need one.  I have sent you a message with my contact details, respond here if it hasn't arrived.
 
Jonathan Twite

Sorry, Goose Hunter wont be able to make it this time.  That means you will have lovely gentle winds all day and not the howling gales we get every time I turn up...

 

Thanks to all who organised and competed.  We had a great time, us river sailors enjoy letting our outhauls off occasionally...
 
If I tell you Graham and Zoe turned up, there's no need to tell you who won all three races and so the event.
Results: http://www.carsingtonsailingclub.co.uk/results/open-events/2013-open-events/national-12

Assuming that the weather is ok, we should be their with N2709 (forecast as I type is great, although over the last week the predictions for Sunday have ranged from Sunny to 30mm rain, and from 5knts to 45knts)
 
Jon Twite

I have plenty of experience in filling up my Paper Dart, but as we sail on a river, we struggle to get the water to go out of the back.  A beam reach is usually straight at the shore... This is the method we have come up with.
A Paper Dart has quite a deep cockpit and so we can easily have a bucket perminantly stowed up the front, but still out of the way.
- The Helm rights the boat "scooping" up the crew.  The Helm does NOT get in but stays floating next to the shroud.  In doing this, they can control the rate that the boat comes up so limiting the chance that the boat will keep comming over and capsize the other way. They can then help balance the boat by holding the shroud.
- The crew then unattaches the bucket and bails like mad.  It only takes a couple of minutes to get the water level below the centreboard case.  We have a small hand bailer that the Helm helps with, bailing from outside.
- Once the water is below the centreboard case, the Helm can get back into the boat.
What happens next depends on the conditions.  If it is blowing a gale, we concentrate on getting a large amount of the water out so we can then concentrate on sailing.  If the wind is less, the helm concentrates on sailing, while the crew keeps bailing.
 
An old Enterprise trick is to stuff something (Shirt, Towel etc.) in the top of the centreboard case after capsize so water doesn't come back up it as you are bailing out.
 
Happy Swimming!
Jon
2709