Die 505er Europameisterin Meike Schomäker soll für Deutschland die Skiffs austesten, ist aber erstmals Katamaran gesegelt. Sie berichtet neben Nathalie Keller und Maximilian Said aus Santander.
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3 Antworten zu „Santander Olympia Trials: Eindrücke von den Frauen Skiffs und dem Nacra17 Kat“
sagt:
Hier gibt es einen sehr lesenswerten Bericht einer schweizerischen Seglerin von den Skiff Trials:
Nathalie Keller’s final report of the evaluation trials for women’s skiff
First of all I want to thank all the people helping to realize this event. All of us learned a lot during this week and we go back home with a bunch of experience. There were so many great sailors involved, European and World champions and everyone was really nice. I want to thank my helm Haylee Outteridge (AUS). Usually, we are both helms, but during this evaluation I was crewing most of the time, so she needed a little patience with me. Nevertheless it was very interesting and I was learning a lot.
But now let me go back to the boats. It’s amazing how your mind about a boat can change. All in the beginning you have positive feelings or prejudices. After having sailed a boat in different conditions your judgment about the boat is more sound. In the beginning I was sceptical about the FX but felt attracted by the RS 900. At the end it was just the opposite �
Let’s start with the smallest boats. The Arup is very small and light. The rudder with the T-foil is difficult to handle. None of the sailors really liked it. As a team you have to be very light and small. I think this boat has no chance to be an olympic class. The 29erXX is small as well and no one really liked it compared to the other Skiffs. It is small but the kite and the main’s load are very heavy. It’s just not a god feeling sitting on this boat. The original 29er on the other hand feels quite good and balanced. However in the political discussion which will go on after this evaluation the 29erXX could have an advantage. A fleet already exists and European and World Championships are established. It is spread all over the world. On the other hand it is quite old fashioned compared to other boats like Arup, Aura or Rebel. New boats are expected to have a higher performance and new technology. Over the years new developments indead had been achieved and made the boats faster and better. The fact that a boat is new, can have a negative impact as well. You don’t know much about the quality of the boat. A 49er hull is getting soft after one year of intense sailing. However, we don’t know much about the longevity of the other boats either.
The Aura has a different rudder case than all the other boats. You can fix the rudder in any position not only in its lowest. It’s an interesting approach but it’s less stable. The Aura is moving in the water very differently than the other boats. There’s always water flowing over the boat. Especially when it’s a little wavy the kite is always soaked when one should hoist it at the top mark. In the beginning some sailors were complaining about the gap between the hull and the rack, but this is something your getting used to. One big negative aspect of this boat is the recovery after capsizing. As it’s so difficult to get on the centerboard, the boat can even be considered as ’not safe‘. The RS 900 looks really nice and light even with its solid wings. Truth is, it is only 11kg lighter than the Mackay FX. Unfortunately while sailing you realize that the RS doesn’t feel good. It is somehow unbalanced and it takes a big effort to sail it. The load on the sheets is too heavy. They are planning to use a different rig in order to improve balance. It’s not a good sign if you have to change a whole rig. Who knows whether or not the new rig will be better? However my major concern is the hull. When you step on it you can see it bending and you can feel, that it is soft. The boat looks much better than it feels while sailing. One of the fastest boats is the Rebel. With its wings and the net it looks like an 18 footer and even the behaviour is more like a 18 footer than a 49er. For example while tacking, the crew has to move in much earlier than the helm, whereas on a 49er everything should be done in sync. Therefore the Rebel was quite difficult to handle, especially in the maneuvers. You need to have a good balance. It would be a tough challenge for women skiff sailors.
My favoured boat is the Mackay FX. I’m sharing this opinion with many of the evaluation sailors. It is a very balanced boat. The load compared to the other boats was very good and you can feel exactly, when the boat is fast. One of the worries is the weight. Some people think, that the best crew weight for this boat is about 125-130kg which is in the upper range of the ISAF limits. We did have some troubles in the beginning of the week, when it was very windy. My explanation is, that I was too tired and exhausted to get into the boat after being in the icy cold water more than a few minutes. When we tested the boats in waves, the FX was the one which was sailing and not capsizing. It has a very low tendency to pitchpole and bearing away was to handle easily. Next to the Rebel it is the fastest boat and sailing an FX gives a really good feeling. In the beginning I had some prejudice. I thought the hull could be too heavy for a smaller rig and it might be difficult to handle. But the conclusion is: It was the best boat.
The decision will be made on a political level as always, but I hope the sailors
experience and feedback will be considered at least as much as all the other
aspects.
Nathalie Keller
sagt:
Und ich Aura gegen RS 900.
Obwohl ich aus alter Verbundenheit den 49er Radial auch irgendwie knuffig finde. Ist doch ne super Idee, es den Lasern nachzumachen.
sagt:
Wünsche mir ein Duell von Tornado und Nacra