Devotti One singlehander

[John Meadowcroft]

This new singlehander looks a lot of fun to me.
http://www.devoti-one.com
They have just had their first event and the following were notable inclusions in the sailing instructions:

Revolutionary Road
<font style="font-size: 12px"> 
Here are some of the ideas will be testing in Torbole:
 
Fewer races - maximum of 5 over three days (one discard)
Last race - Triple Points (so no one wins until it’s finished)
Limited intervention by judges and umpires (they can only act on the protest of another competitor. If a competitor initiates a protest and loses, he is disqualified).
 
The emphasis of the D-One format is “Putting the fun back into sailing.” We believe that these changes will make sailing more enjoyable, more accessible, less exhausting, less confrontational than the racing formats which govern most small-boat regattas these days. But we’re going to test everything, until we find the format that sailors really want, not the one that they are expected to conform to. </font>

I think that they have got some good ideas here and it will be interesting to see what emerges

[andymck]

I think they are being short sighted here, I love the odd event where there are lots of short races, the fireflys and rs's hae short course champs which is supposed to be an excellent format.
The wright up suggests what a lottery the triple points for last race can be, the two main protagonists sailed into a hole, and it became a lottery, triple points seems too much of a bias on one race.
The protest thing I can only see as a retrograde step, umpires are there to make us sail to the rules, and having been on the end of some bad behavior in various classes, I have always enjoyed sailing with umpires. And a disqualification for the protestor is very harsh, and just a recipe for he shouts loudest on the water, I wonder how this sits with ISAF. Propulsion rules protests should also be allowed from the race comittee.
As far as their concern about putting the fun back into sailing, they should just get a 12, and sail with a crew, always knew these single handers were boring. and its even uglier than a 1970's lark.

Andy

[James Taylor]

Has anyone see Roosters project X desgin by no other than Salcombe N12 sailor Keri Harris, 
 
See link below
 
http://www.roostersailing.com/wordpress/?p=3
 
Looks interesting.....
 
 
Cheers James

[JohnMurrell]

Having seen pics of the project, Keri has produced a very pretty hull shape too.

[Tim L (Guest)]

was passing and thought I'd add my two pennies worth from a perch 100 miles north of Shetland in 70kts of breeze...leaving me with rather a lot of time on my hands.

Not sure how having a triple points final race is likely to reduce confrontation, and seems like the entry of medal races by stealth into non-olympic scene.  A do or die final race isn't really necessary  unless you're trying to please uninitiated press/public spectators which 99.99% of sailing isn't.
 
The long races thing - something to do with finn class influence perhaps, they seem to be keen on the idea.
 
The umpiring idea is interesting, certainly seemed at some of the big events with the Europe that the attitude was do whatever you liked if the umpires aren't looking and they were the only ones doing any protesting despite the endemic bumpercars throughout the fleet.  Better to move back towards self-policing and ultimately not really a problem in small friendly classes like the twelves.  Most people seem to act pretty sensibly.
 
As for the D-One, of all the singlehanders jostling hopefully to be a modernisation of singlehander sailing it seems the real franken-boat.  Bit of 1720, vaguely Lark/Kestrel-ish, racks from the EPS (if that's not an omen...), Vareo-esque rig, traveller from almost any 1960's dinghy you care to name, colour scheme and styling from the same...

Swift Solo or the ugly duckling to almost a swan progress of the Blaze/Halo seem much more attractive in that niche. 

[Martin]

...........and the forthcoming RS100 will certainly be one to watch.