I thought that there may be some who are interested in what the youngsters out on the Derwent are up to and what we have planned over the next few weeks/months.



We've been working hard to get as many up and coming new guys on this exciting, one-design class as we can, and now the fruits of our efforts are showing. We have 7 guys ranging from 17 to 13 and we have 3 scheduled trainings a week, 2 after school and one weekend. This group atmosphere is awesome to be a part of, and its a great place for the new guys to learn off some of us more experienced boys - but having said that, I am constantly surprised by some of the brilliant things the lads come up with and how often I think 'what a good idea'.



These trainings aren't ALL for fun however, because lots of the squad will be heading interstate over the summer holidays to compete in the Australian Youth Championships, in January on the warm waters of Perth. So far we have myself, my brother Angus Calvert and Morgan Davies booked into make the trip and I'll be trying to get as many as we can to join us! The Youth Championships historically hasn't been a hugely popular event for the Techno 293 class (recognised by Yachting Australia as the feeder to the Olympic RSX) and have been vastly outshone in recent years by those sailing more conventional dinghies like the Laser or 29er class. While this is unlikely to change, it is great to see that we have so many currently in Tas this year when we only had 5 people compete at the nationals in the January we just had. We can only hope this growth has occurred in the other states and we can start an upward trend. This will help YA continue to see the value in supporting the windsurfing class.



With Tassie claiming the top two steps of the podium last year, we will be looking to go one better this year and take all three. So we'll keep training and I'll keep this thread updated with all of our progress, maybe some photos/videos and any other relevant information. These young lads are the future of windsurfing in our state and it will awesome to watch them learn and get the skills to win!

Fantastic effort Jock
Don't forget we have four learner boards in the south so if you need them for a beginner/introduction day let me know

That's great stuff Jock. I had no idea there was any organised race scene in Tasmania.

Great to see the younger sailors out having a crack and doing so well on the national stage. Maybe post a few pics of the action.

What is the max recommended sailor weight for these boards?

Clarence

-yRNPM6nb76Ul7wI made this video a year or two ago, but it still shows the class pretty well - please excuse the poor gybes and editing.


In terms of weight, it doesn't have as much impact as you might imagine. With a 200L board for all conditions and the choice of either a 6.8 or 7.8m sail, and a centreboard, it is more about racing skills and windsurfing techniques that win races. In the really light wind (less than 10 knots) weight is not important at all, fitness and pumping technique is key. In medium wind (13-17 knots) some of the lighter kids have an advantage as they can plane sooner, but the bigger kids can generally pump harder, so it evens out a little - advantage light kid though. But when it builds ( 18+ knots) the heavier sailors can hold more power and go heaps faster around the course, in terms of speed and upwind/downwind performance.

We have adjustable downhaul and outhaul systems so we can rig up the one sail for the day and adjust it on the fly if required - this is so useful for the newer kids - they hardly ever get stuck in a situation where they cant get home - they just pull on more downhaul. They can de-power enough to sail (and sometimes compete) in up to 40 knots! Yes, thats right, 200L and a 7.8 in 40 knots! But in terms of actual numbers - I weighed in at 76kg for both of my national titles, this year ill be weighing in closer to 80kg but I will be by far and a way the biggest person to ever sail a techno... Most kids will wont end up weighing more than 70kg, and the kids who are winning the international regatta's are probably 65kg. The important thing to remember is that the techno is purely a learning class - a feed to the RSX. So when you get a bit big for your techno (like me) and you get some good skills up then you don't hang around, you jump onto the RSX and start that pathway. (I have RSX video's on my youtube channel if anyone is interested).

great gibes.........great editing.
Interesting the flex in the sail when the camera is on top of the mast

Nice report and video Jock, well done mate

Fantastic to hear the current news on the youth racing scene Jock, I often watch you guys out on the river through the binoculars from my place. Great to see the dedication you put into the training regime. Nothing better than good close course racing on sailboards. Keep the updates coming and all the best to the team for the nationals in WA.
Also Jock, so refreshing to see you taking on a leadership role and promoting the future of sailboard course racing in the state. Seven Techno's is a great start. Perhaps in years to come we may see a fleet of RSX's racing on the Derwent and an Olympic rep from Tassie.
Go youths!!!

Adjustable downhaul? Most guys struggle to get enough when they're rigging on the beach. What is the system to get enough tension while sailing?

Do you sail them upwind llike a course board or slalom board? I note no railing straps and a fair bit of nose rocker, which would make railing upwind with the centreboard down appear to be not so efficient.

Clarence

Below is the system that we use, and it really makes the process so easy - no cranks needs, don't even need to use a harness or screw driver! Let me explain: On to the bottom of this system there would be a length of formuline attached, and that will still connect through the blocks on the sail and the extension as normal. Instead of starting as a knot, travelling through the blocks and finishing at the cleat in the extension though, it starts on the bottom of the adjustable system, travels down through a metal eyelet in the sail and goes down into the extension, following the blocks and ending in the cleat on the extension. The system is then tied to the mast with the light blue rope at the top of the system with a non slip knot (far too hard to explain, but its genius and doesn't move an inch even under extreme force). The red rope can then be pulled through the system and as it is anchored at the top, it will pull the formuline up from the blocks on the sail, which is more downhaul! It means that we don't rig block to block when we head on the water, in fact there is a gap of about 5 centimetres. This means we can sail with a tight leech in the light wind and have lots of power, and if it get windy pull it on and in about 5 seconds be block to block and fully de-powered. We can of course also be any where in between - this means that we can set the gear perfectly for every condition. At 5:25 in my video above, you can see the blocks are at the bottom of the mast and haven't been pulled tight - you can also see the gap between sail and extension - and it is quite powered up. At 0:48 you can see that lots of rope has been pulled through the system and the gap between sail and extension is smaller, and its less powered up. I hope that explains it! It is hard to visualise! But it adds so many more blocks to the whole equation and makes it much easier!It takes purchase from 6:1 to 12:1 - it makes it twice as easy!




They LOVE going upwind! There are holes in the board for a railing strap, but we have found that by putting the front foot in the planing strap and the back foot right behind it we have much more speed and height on the centreboard. It is pretty unique to this board I think - I don't do it on my RSX - but it is fast and is accepted all over the world especially for bigger guys. The rocker is actually a big help when on the rail, because as the board 'heels' over from the sideways force of the centreboard, it means that we can bear away and plane without the tail lifting up and nose diving the board - the techno is SO SO SO fast in these conditions, it just loves it.

Yea awesome reading Jock - keep these updates coming mate.

I agree with what everyone is said - you're doing a great job for our community where it counts - with the kids!
You've absolutely got our support.