yachting world diamond keelboat

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• Sailboat Guide

Yachting World Diamond

Yachting World Diamond is a 30 ′ 1 ″ / 9.2 m monohull sailboat designed by Jack Holt starting in 1961.

Rig and Sails

Auxilary power, accomodations, calculations.

The theoretical maximum speed that a displacement hull can move efficiently through the water is determined by it's waterline length and displacement. It may be unable to reach this speed if the boat is underpowered or heavily loaded, though it may exceed this speed given enough power. Read more.

Classic hull speed formula:

Hull Speed = 1.34 x √LWL

Max Speed/Length ratio = 8.26 ÷ Displacement/Length ratio .311 Hull Speed = Max Speed/Length ratio x √LWL

Sail Area / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the power of the sails relative to the weight of the boat. The higher the number, the higher the performance, but the harder the boat will be to handle. This ratio is a "non-dimensional" value that facilitates comparisons between boats of different types and sizes. Read more.

SA/D = SA ÷ (D ÷ 64) 2/3

• SA : Sail area in square feet, derived by adding the mainsail area to 100% of the foretriangle area (the lateral area above the deck between the mast and the forestay).
• D : Displacement in pounds.

Ballast / Displacement Ratio

A measure of the stability of a boat's hull that suggests how well a monohull will stand up to its sails. The ballast displacement ratio indicates how much of the weight of a boat is placed for maximum stability against capsizing and is an indicator of stiffness and resistance to capsize.

Ballast / Displacement * 100

Displacement / Length Ratio

A measure of the weight of the boat relative to it's length at the waterline. The higher a boat’s D/L ratio, the more easily it will carry a load and the more comfortable its motion will be. The lower a boat's ratio is, the less power it takes to drive the boat to its nominal hull speed or beyond. Read more.

D/L = (D ÷ 2240) ÷ (0.01 x LWL)³

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds.
• LWL: Waterline length in feet

Comfort Ratio

This ratio assess how quickly and abruptly a boat’s hull reacts to waves in a significant seaway, these being the elements of a boat’s motion most likely to cause seasickness. Read more.

Comfort ratio = D ÷ (.65 x (.7 LWL + .3 LOA) x Beam 1.33 )

• D: Displacement of the boat in pounds
• LOA: Length overall in feet
• Beam: Width of boat at the widest point in feet

Capsize Screening Formula

This formula attempts to indicate whether a given boat might be too wide and light to readily right itself after being overturned in extreme conditions. Read more.

CSV = Beam ÷ ³√(D / 64)

Commissioned in 1960 by the editors of ‘Yachting World’ magazine for a high performance one-design open keelboat at a reasonable cost. Boats could be wood, fiberglass or aluminum. For racing, 2-4 crew with one trapeze permitted. Originally called YACHTING WORLD KEEL BOAT.

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Diamond Keelboat

The Yachting World Diamond Keelboat (abbreviation: YW Diamond) is a multiple- chine sailing yacht nominally 30 feet in overall length, designed for racing and short-range inshore cruising.

Specifications

Australian history.

In 1958 the editors of the British Yachting World magazine proposed a high-performance sailing yacht that could be built cheaply from modern materials then entering common usage such as marine plywood for the hull skin and light alloy for the spars. Definitive plans were drawn up by well-known sailing dinghy designer Jack Holt and a prototype named Zest was completed in time for the 1961 International Boat Show in London . [1] Plans were sold under the name Yachting World Keelboat in the hope that it would be adopted as a National and International racing class. Zest carried on her sail the identification number 1 below a black diamond , and after many years being nicknamed the Diamond Class, the name Yachting World Diamond or YW Diamond was officially adopted for the class in 1967. [2]

The YW Diamond has an overall length of 9.18 metres (30.12 feet), waterline length of 7.3 metres, beam of 2.03 metres and draws 1.3 metres. The original designs called for three or four sails and could be raced with a crew of three or four. The design also called for two sleeping berths forward and potentially two inflatable mattresses aft for overnight trips, with rudimentary domestic facilities. Sitting room forward was enabled by the fairly prominent camber of the fore-deck. [3] [4]

YW Diamonds are considered to have become far more popular in Australia than any other country. The first local example was built at Pittwater ( New South Wales ) in 1962 and decade later about 130 had been built in all states, racing regularly as a class in all states except South Australia , as well as holding National Championships in the participating State capitals. Cooperation between state-based VY Diamond Associations saw uniform numbering schemes introduced in 1967 with the state postcode digit and a two digit identification number, for example the first four completed in Tasmania in 1965-67 carried numbers 701, 702, 703 and 704. The system was revised in 1971 to a simple diamond above a number that was allocated roughly in order of completion, the first four Tasmanian boats, for example, becoming 45, 42, 63 and 74. [5]

From the mid-1970s YW Diamonds began to be built from fibreglass and resulting lower weights allowed improved performance. However they soon lost popularity as more modern designs appeared and relatively few of the 130 timber versions are believed to survive, and even less racing actively. However, there is a current resurgence of interest in the class and several are based at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria in Williamstown and the Royal Geelong Yacht Club in Geelong , Victoria and race weekly.

The most recent Victorian State Championships were held in February 2021 at the Royal Yacht Club of Victoria (RYCV) and won by Paul Sandles and crew on "Do Not Engage"

Related Research Articles

Yacht racing is a sailing sport involving sailing yachts and larger sailboats, as distinguished from dinghy racing, which involves open boats. It is composed of multiple yachts, in direct competition, racing around a course marked by buoys or other fixed navigational devices or racing longer distances across open water from point-to-point. It can involve a series of races when buoy racing or multiple legs when point-to-point racing.

The Heron Dinghy is a dinghy designed by Jack Holt of the United Kingdom as the Yachting World Cartopper. The Heron dinghy was designed to be built by a home handyman out of marine ply over a timber frame, but can now also be constructed from marine ply using a stitch and glue technique or from Fibreglass. Modern dinghies will usually have built in buoyancy tanks, older craft will have bags or retrofitted tanks.

Cowes Week is one of the longest-running regular regattas in the world. With 40 daily sailing races, up to 1,000 boats, and 8,000 competitors ranging from Olympic and world-class professionals to weekend sailors, it is the largest sailing regatta of its kind in the world. Having started in 1826, the event is held in August each year on the Solent, and is run by Cowes Week Limited in the small town of Cowes on the Isle of Wight.

The Portsmouth Yardstick (PY) or Portsmouth handicap scheme is a term used for a number of related systems of empirical handicapping used primarily in small sailboat racing.

A regatta is a series of boat races. The term comes from the Venetian language regata meaning "contest" and typically describes racing events of rowed or sailed water craft, although some powerboat race series are also called regattas. A regatta often includes social and promotional activities which surround the racing event, and except in the case of boat type championships, is usually named for the town or venue where the event takes place.

The Star is a 6.9 metres (23 ft) one-design racing keelboat for two people designed by Francis Sweisguth in 1910. The Star was an Olympic keelboat class from 1932 through to 2012, the last year keelboats appeared at the Summer Olympics.

Sailing/Yachting is an Olympic sport starting from the Games of the 1st Olympiad. With the exception of the 1904 and the canceled 1916 Summer Olympics, sailing has always been included on the Olympic schedule. The Sailing program of 1908 was open for a total of five sailing classes (disciplines), but actually only four Sailing events were contested. The planned venue of all races, named matches , was Ryde, Isle of Wight.

One-Design is a racing method which may be adopted in sports which use complex equipment, whereby all vehicles have identical or very similar designs or models.

The Snipe is a ​ 15   1 ⁄ 2 foot, 2 person, one design racing dinghy. Designed by William F. Crosby in 1931, it has evolved into a modern, tactical racing dinghy with fleets around the world. The class is governed by the Snipe Class International Racing Association (SCIRA) and recognized by the International Sailing Federation as an International Class sailed in 30 different countries. There have been over 31,000 Snipes constructed worldwide.

The International rule , also known as the Metre rule , was created for the measuring and rating of yachts to allow different designs of yacht to race together under a handicap system. Prior to the ratification of the International rule in 1907, countries raced yachts under their own national rules and international competition was always subject to various forms of subjective handicapping.

The Dragon is a one-design keelboat designed by Norwegian Johan Anker in 1929. In 1948 the Dragon became an Olympic Class, a status it retained until the Munich Olympics in 1972. The Dragon's long keel and elegant metre-boat lines remain unchanged, but today Dragons are constructed using the latest technology to make the boat durable and easy to maintain. GRP construction was introduced in 1973 and the rigging has been regularly updated.

The One Ton Cup is a trophy presented to the winner of a sailing competition created in 1899 by the Cercle de la voile de Paris (CVP).

Sail Canada is Canada's governing body for the sport of sailing. Sail Canada is a "Member National Authority" of World Sailing. Organization of sailing in Canada is divided into four groups: yacht clubs, Provincial Sailing Associations, class associations, and Sail Canada itself.

The Launceston to Hobart yacht race is a 285 nautical mile race, commencing at Beauty Point on the Tamar River, with competitors sailing out of the Tamar River, east along the northern coast of Tasmania, through Banks Strait and south down Tasmania's East Coast, through Mercury Passage between mainland Tasmania and Maria Island, across Storm Bay, to a finish line in the Derwent River. The race departs on 27 December each year. The race is known as the L2H race despite the race commencing at Beauty Point, some 45 kilometers north of Launceston.

The Royal Geelong Yacht Club is a yacht club founded in 1859 and based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club received its royal patronage in 1924.

Alexander Robertson & Sons was a boatyard in Sandbank, Argyll and Bute, Scotland, from 1876 to 1980. The yard was located on the shore of the Holy Loch, near the world famous Royal Clyde Yacht Club (RCYC) at Hunter's Quay, in the building that is now the Royal Marine Hotel which was the epicentre of early Clyde yachting. Alexander Robertson started repairing boats in a small workshop at Sandbank, Argyll in 1876, and went on to become one of the foremost wooden boat-builders on Scotland's River Clyde. The 'golden years' of Robertson's yard were in the early 1900s when they started building some of the first IYRU 12mR & 15mR racing yachts. Robertson's was well known for the quality of its workmanship and was chosen to build the first 15-metre yacht designed by William Fife III. More than 55 boats were built by Robertson's in preparation for the First World War and the yard remained busy even during the Great Depression in the 1930s, as many wealthy businessmen developed a passion for yacht racing on the Clyde. During World War II the yard was devoted to Admiralty work, producing a wide range of large high speed Fairmile Marine Motor Boats. After the war the yard built the successful one-class Loch Longs and two 12-metre challengers for the America's Cup: Sceptre (1958) and Sovereign (1964). Due to difficult business conditions the Robertson family sold the yard in 1965, and it was turned over to GRP production work until it closed in 1980. During its 104-year history, Robertson's Yard built 482 numbered boats, many of which are still sailing today.

RS Sailing is an international designer, builder and supplier of sailboats and dinghies and associated goods and services supported by a worldwide dealer network and class associations.

The RS Elite class is a 24-foot keelboat class designed by Phil Morrison. Built to meet the requirements of the Hayling Island Sailing Club, the class has a start at Cowes Week and events around the United Kingdom. Fleets can be found at the Royal Burnham Yacht Club in the UK, as well as at Falmouth, Belfast Lough, Cowes, Hayling Island and Lymington. Outside the UK, the class can be found in locations such as the Caribbean, Guernsey, Holland, Norway and Sweden.

The International Cadet Australian Championship is an annual series of championship races held in Australia as the top racing event for the Cadet class sailing dinghy in the country. Generally held as a qualifier for the world cup, the championship will reach its 50th event in 2011 when it will be held at Lake Macquarie in New South Wales from 27 December 2011 to 4 January 2012.

Matthew Bugg is an Australian sailor. He represented Australia at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in the 2.4mR class sailing event. He won a bronze medal at the 2015 IFDS World Championships. He won a silver medal in the 2.4mR at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.

• ↑ Yachting World , January 1961
• ↑ Geeves, M. D. et. al., Sailing On... A History of the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania 1880-1980 , RYCT 1980
• ↑ https://sailboatdata.com/sailboat/yachting-world-diamond

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Sailing yachts

Yachting World Diamond Class

• Designer: Jack Holt
• Builder: Bristol Aircraft Plastics
• Location: Devon
• Length on deck: 30'2"
• Beam: 6'11"
• Draft: 4'4"
• Tonnage: 1528kg

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Full specification

Wooden Ships Comments on this Yachting World Diamond Class

Yachting World Diamond, designed by Jack Holt and built by Bristol Aircraft Plastics in 1960.

She was sail No.7 and was the first example of the class built in GRP, a very new and exciting material at the time.  Her name, Bristol 1, is a direct result of her heritage.

The current owner bought her as an abandoned wreck in 2013 and had her professionally rebuilt to a very high standard.  The hull was stripped back, re-sheathed in epoxy glass cloth and finished in Awlgrip gloss.  The keel was removed and replaced with new bolts, the bulkheads and sole boards right through were replaced along with the varnished teak details on deck.  The rig was replaced ne to the original design using a Z-Spars alloy mast and new sails from Doyle.

Bristol 1 is now sitting on a custom made SBS road trailer and is ready to be taken on and used immediately.

The owners have raced successfully in various events, be it classic or modern yacht regattas with some success.  She can be a very fast boat and if desired can give her crew some exhilarating sailing.  She has been raced under IRC and had a valid certificate for the 2018 season.

A very unusual boat that could be raced successfully in many different events giving her next owners a wide variety of competition and areas to choose from.  At 1.5 tonnes she has the ability to be towed behind a normal vehicle making her a very versatile and cost effective boat to run.

Length on Deck                 30’2″

Length Overall                  30’2″

Length Waterline            24’4″

Beam                                    6’11”

Draft                                      4’4″

Weight                                 1528kg

Construction

Hull built from GRP, heavily laid up as was common in the early days of using this material.  Hull treated with a GelPlane and re-sheathed professionally in 2013, finished in AwlGrip gloss.

Double chine hull profile.

Fin keel of 500kg with lead bulb on the bottom.  Stainless steel keel bolts new in 2014.

Epoxy sheathed plywood decks with varnished teak toe rails.

Varnished teak hand rails.  Bronze cleats and fairleads.

New marine plywood bulkheads in 2014.

Large cockpit with varnished teak coamings.  Painted marine plywood sole boards with varnished slatted teak thwarts.  Close cell foam buoyancy under the sole.

Tiller steering with a blade rudder

Fractional bermudan sloop rig on a deck stepped alloy mast with alloy boom.

Spars by Z-Spars new in 2013.  Rigged with lighting and aerial cables but not currently used.

Stainless steel standing rigging, new in 2014, to internal stainless steel chain plates.

Split standing adjustable backstay.

Under deck Bartels roller furling system on the jib

Mainsheet rigged to a track across the middle of the cockpit.

All running rigging led to the cockpit for ease of use.

Mast rigged for 2 trapeze’s each side, supplied with harnesses.

All sails less than 5 years old, fully battened mainsail, jib, genoa and spinnaker.  Second older jib.

Pair of bottom action Anderson sheet winches.

Outboard motor fits on a stainless steel bracket starboard side by the cockpit.  Suitable for getting in and out of harbour.

SBS custom made road trailer

TackTick Micro compass mast mounted

Bulkhead steering compass by the helm

Hand held VHF bracket

5kg Stock anchor

5m of 6mm chain + length of 12mm polyprop warp

Fully battened Mainsail by Doyle sails, 154sqft

Jib by Dart Sails, 68sqft

Spinnaker by Doyle Sails

Genoa by Doyle Sails, 159sqft

Olderjib by Dart Sails, 68sqft

Cockpit cover

2 x trapeze harnesses with trapeze wires and fittings

2 x Manual bilge pumps

Fenders and warps

Disclaimer:

These particulars have been prepared in good faith from information provided by the Vendors and are intended as a guide, Wooden Ships cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. The Purchaser should instruct his agent or surveyor to validate all details as necessary and satisfy himself with the condition of the vessel and its equipment.

Wooden Ships classic yachts brokers have an extensive database of boats for sale. With a wide range of sailboats , classic yachts , motor yachts and small classic boats , Wooden Ships has one of the largest selections of traditional wooden boats and yachts for sale in the UK.

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YW Diamond Keelboat.

Discussion in ' Sailboats ' started by DennisRB , Apr 28, 2007 .

DennisRB Senior Member

The Yachting World Diamond Keelboat is an old 30foot racing design. Here is a modified one with bigger rig. All the info I can find says they are all 30 foot. But I am looking at purchasing one which is nearly 35 foot as a cruiser racer. Has anyone heard of any Diamonds over 30 foot? Could this yacht be something else, or maybe a one off larger boat? In any case does anyone know much about the Diamonds? Are they a good boat? A modified 30 footer called "Saltash II" seems to be a fast boat in the Brisbane to Gladstone race giving more modern yachts a good run for their money. Does anyone know what mods it has?  

Andy Senior Member

They are all 30ft AFAIK. But lots of them have been modified to varying degrees. There was one on the Firth of Forth up here in Scotland that had a reverse transom added (like the one in your pic) which brought it up to about 33 foot and gave the boat extra waterline length. I've seen another couple in GB which have had cabins added. There is an Aussie (i think) one which has been chopped in half and widened with a different rig etc too (dont know why they didnt just build a new one tho...). They seem to be nice boats to sail by all accounts - a bit hard work to windward but VERY fast reaching and running due to the very light displacement. This is supposedly why Saltash II keeps winning the Sydney to Gladstone. I considered buying the one on the Forth but chickened as I have too many boats just now. If one ever comes up at a bargain basement price up here again I would consider it - add a stern extension, build lightweight interior (6 mil ply) and cabin house, new rudder (see Phils Foils website for an example of a new Diamond rudder), possibly new keel too, for a cracking weekender/racer for not many bucks. Andy  

Mychael Mychael

My mate who at the time owned a Dragon, spoke well of the Diamonds said they were quite fast. Faster then his Dragon. Mychael  

Thanks guys. This boat struck me as a fast looking boat the moment I laid eyes on it. It has a small cabin midships and room for an aft cabin to sleep 2 at the rear if the deck is raised.. It may be a scaled up 30 footer. It doesn't have a stern extension that I can see. I should measure her beam. I think it could be fitted out with a decent interior for a few weeks cruising. (I am used to cruising on a 24 foot Hi Way trailer sailor) The interior reminded me of the old Hi Way with its ribs and plywood. I wonder if this thin plywood construction would be seaworthy on a larger boat? Being 35foot it seems like a decent sized boat, but it really isn't that big as it has a very low profile and narrow beam.  

This here should help you identify the boat. This is a standard Diamond without a stern extension. The one in your pic has a stern extension. http://www.philsfoils.com/Diamond/diamond.html Andy  

The hull shape looks very similar. I am going to measure it to make sure it is as big as the seller says it is. Anyone got any pics of Saltash? Here is another pic of a Diamond. The keel seems to be one formed piece of metal with a smoothly integrated "bulb" rather than the squarish looking bulb on the pics of diamonds I have seen. Its probably not even a diamond. It just looks a lot like one. Are there many boats which look similar?  

CT 249 Senior Member

The above pic seems to be a standard Daimond hull with cabin added. Saltash has been modified over the years. I think the first mods included fitting the engine and cabin and a new rudder, which later bent; streamlining the keel bulb; and changing to a "soft" mainsail and possibly a new mast. Since then, the keel and rudder have been replaced again, to Andy Dovell designs, and I think the foretriangle has been changed. Originally the modified boat was about half ton pace around a triangle course as it remained a bit under-rigged and had extra weight and the prop drag. Last time I asked the crew, I think they reckoned it was now about Etchells pace around a triangle course and I think it did well at the IRC states. Downwind, of course, it flies. I've never heard of a 35' Daimond or anything similar.  

Thanks for the info on Saltash CT. But what does half ton pace and Etchells pace mean? Is that good bad or mediocre?  

I found out it is a Diamond designed by Jack Holt like the YW Diamond. Apparently he came up with a bigger version.  

Just had a good look at it. The port side hull is very rotten and at least a 3rd needs to be replaced along with the ribbing and some decking. Plus a quite a bit of other ribbing has been affected. The owner only reckons that the ply skin is stuffed in one section and wants 8 grand for it. It has a 11hp diesel, new sounder and GPS plotter. Most of the sails are stuffed too. It has been two packed, and looks good, but only hides the rot. It would probably take months of work just to get it seaworthy. What would something like this be worth in this condition, and restored with an interior?  

Ramona Senior Member

DennisRB said: ↑ What would something like this be worth? Click to expand...

There are currently 2 diamonds in what are claimed to be VGC for $15K. One is wood with cabin, the other is glass with no cabin. Then there is one is claimed VGC for only $9K. This rotten one we are looking at is 35 foot so is a quite a bit larger and has much better cruising ability due to the extra room, plus has a 11hp diesel, new sounder and GPS plotter. It's still not worth $8K is it, no way. Were were going to offer him $4 given the serious rot which he denies it has. Is the Van De Stadt 30 any good for cruising or racing? The Diamond 30 looks to be very cramped for cruising which is why we were looking at this 35 foot version. Edit. http://www.stadtdesign.com/products/vds409.htm That looks awesome! Is that the type thing you saw on ebay? Surely it must of had a reserve much higher than that. I take it there is a crapier version?  

DennisRB said: ↑ Thanks for the info on Saltash CT. But what does half ton pace and Etchells pace mean? Is that good bad or mediocre? Click to expand...

DennisRB said: ↑ Edit. http://www.stadtdesign.com/products/vds409.htm That looks awesome! Is that the type thing you saw on ebay? Surely it must of had a reserve much higher than that. I take it there is a crapier version? Click to expand...

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Thanks mate. A mate and I are sick of sitting on land and need to get sailing again. I think my mate has the contact details of the guy selling the Black Soo and we might take a look this weekend.  

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Bill Wright

High-tech composites key to champion keelboat’s revival

The nifty Jack Holt-designed keelboat, Saltash – eight-time winner of the Brisbane to Gladstone Race – is being given a new lease on life by the craftspeople at Norman R. Wright & Sons, using the latest generation epoxy and carbon fibre products.

Currently upturned in the yard at Norman R. Wright & Sons, dwarfed by the carbon fibre bulk of supermaxi Comanche at the Rivergate complex, the hull and skeletal superstructure of Saltash belie her glorious past and pedigree.

Saltash is a 30ft Yachting World keelboat (which changed to Diamond in the 60s), conceived by prodigious designer, Jack Holt as a simple “build-her-yourself” sailboat aimed at dispelling the perceived elitism around the pastime in those optimistic post-war years.

According to Ian Wright, who grew up playing among the sawdust and tools of his grandfather’s operation at Bulimba on the banks of the Brisbane River, the vessel’s history, achievements and the shared memories of its crews earn it a new lease on life.

Built in 1966, she was bought by the Wrights in 1981 for the princely sum of $2,800, with the intention of enjoying her on Moreton Bay. But fate, and design, had something more in mind for this compact cruiser.

The Diamond was the first keelboat in the world ever designed to plane and as Ian Wright explains “she was a very fast yacht back in the day”.

“She only weighs 1,500kg – the same as an Etchells – and she easily jumps up on the plane.”

Following in their father’s footsteps, Ian and his brother Bill converted their open cruising boat to comprise a cabin and cockpit with inboard engine and the safety features to suit Category 3 ocean racing standards. They entered the 1985 Easter classic with the aim of continuing the family tradition.

Over two decades, Saltash won eight times, under three different sets of Handicap rules and with a stable crew of Ian and Bill Wright, Tony Riek, Billy and Peter Cavill, John Gower and Trent Rowell.

So stunning were her wins, Saltash was widely referred to as “the freak” for her ability to nimbly pass yachts many times her size.

“We did 20 Gladstone Races, then we decided that was enough and we would have Easter at home.”

Not that Ian has been idle in the time since then. Norman R. Wright & Sons has a proud 110-year history of boat building – commercial, recreational and custom. Renowned for their timber vessels, their craftspeople moved into and mastered fibreglass and more recently, carbon fibre.

“In the 80s, we pioneered several techniques of wrapping timber in layers of different types of glass or carbon fibre,” states Ian. “The advantages are lower maintenance, strength, light weight and impervious to water.”

And now, Saltash is poised to undergo a total overhaul in a labour of love that will see her revived to the pinnacle of her prowess.

“We have a long history with ATL Composites and they’re the first people we consulted when we took on the rebuild,” says Ian. “We want her to be the best quality, to make her as good as she can be, beautiful, and yes, still competitive.” ATL Composites is supplying WEST SYSTEM epoxy products for bonding, laminating and filleting applications and a lightweight carbon plain weave to laminate the hull to provide strength and stiffness while retaining the light racing weight. 

“For over 30 years we have been working with Ian, Bill and the team at Norman R. Wright and Sons,” says Lorraine Murray at ATL Composites. “Such is the synergy, that Ian, Bill, Tony Riek, Dave Kircher, Dave Fussell and Alistair Harvey joined us in Hobart and we co-exhibited at this year’s Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Tasmania, and Dave Kircher gave a practical demonstration using WEST SYSTEM products.

“We have supplied materials for the construction of multiple timber boat projects from medium and large bay cruisers, to repair and maintenance projects, through to commercial pilot boats for the Brisbane City Council, and in more recent years we have collaborated on a multitude of composite projects, like the recently launched Aura, a 60ft Sportfisher designed in-house by Bill Wright.

 “We are certainly proud to have a hand in restoring Saltash and can’t wait to see her back in the water and racing, or cruising, again.”

For more information visit www.westsystem.com.au and www.atlcomposites.com .

ATL Composites, 12-14 Production Ave, Molendinar, Queensland. Tel:  07 5563 1222.

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The yachting season has been extended: The power of the wind opens a base in Gelendzhik

The Power of the Wind opens a branch in Gelendzhik, the windiest city on the Black Sea coast.

The second southern base (the first one is in Sochi) will host training sessions, races, a New Year's sailing camp, lectures and much more. The camp is designed for both beginners and experienced sailors.

November 23, 2020, Moscow. The Power of the Wind decided to extend the yachting season - the largest yachting community in Russia opens a branch in Gelendzhik. Now, at the second southern base (the Power of the Wind opened in Sochi at the beginning of the year), it will be possible to train, participate in races, listen to lectures, sign up for a sailing camp and spend the New Year holidays.

Trainings and races will be held on the boats of the own production of the Power of the Wind - SV20, which were transported from Moscow to extend the season. The sport class SV20 is a planing keelboat equipped with a gennaker, staysail and mainsail. The optimal team is four people.

Beginners will be trained by instructors from the Moscow bases "Power of the Wind » who specially came to Gelendzhik. Yachtsmen who already have experience and their own crew will be able to independently cut through the expanses of the southern bay by renting an SV20 without an instructor for the whole day.

In addition to standard training, a real sea adventure with parties, lectures and hiking in the mountains will be arranged on New Year's holidays. The branch in Gelendzhik will work until the end of April.

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Building, restoration, and repair with epoxy

High-Tech Composites will Revive Champion Keelboat

Saltash gets a new lease on life, by atl composites.

The nifty keelboat Saltash —an eight-time winner of Australia’s Brisbane to Gladstone Race—is getting a new lease on life from the craftspeople at Norman R. Wright & Sons using WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy and carbon fiber. Currently upturned in the yard at Norman R. Wright & Sons (and dwarfed by the carbon fiber bulk of the supermaxi Comanche ) at the Rivergate complex, the hull and skeletal superstructure of Saltash belie her glorious past and pedigree.

Built in 1966, Saltash is a 30′ Yachting World Diamond keelboat by designer Jack Holt in 1958. The editors of Yachting World commissioned Holt to create a one-design, affordable open keelboat to dispel the perceived elitism around the sport in those optimistic post-war years. He conceived the Diamond as a simple, stitch-and-glue “build-her-yourself” sailboat. The Wright family bought Saltash in 1981 for $2,800, intending to enjoy this compact cruiser on Moreton Bay.

The Diamond was an early planing keelboat, coming about ten years after Uffa Fox’s 1947 Flying 15 design. Ian Wright explains: “She was a very fast yacht back in the day. She only weighs 1,500 kg (3,300 lbs)—the same as an Etchells racing sloop—and she easily jumps up on the plane.”

Saltash’s modifications

Ian Wright and his brother Bill modified Saltash by adding a cabin, cockpit, inboard engine, and safety features to suit Category 3 ocean racing standards. They raced her in the 1985 Brisbane to Gladstone Easter Classic and over the next two decades, Saltash would win eight times. This boat was widely referred to as “the freak” for her ability to nimbly pass yachts many times her size.

“We did twenty Gladstone Races, then we decided that was enough and we would have Easter at home.”

Not that Ian has been idle since then. Norman R. Wright & Sons has a proud 110-year history of boat building—commercial, recreational, and custom. Renowned for their timber vessels, their craftspeople moved into and mastered fiberglass and more recently, carbon fiber. “In the eighties, we pioneered several techniques of wrapping timber in layers of different types of glass or carbon fiber,” Ian said. He explained that the advantages are reduced maintenance, greater strength, lighter weight, and imperviousness to water.

The overhaul of Saltash

Saltash is now poised to undergo a total overhaul that will see her revived to the pinnacle of her prowess. “We have a long history with ATL Composites , and they’re the first people we consulted when we took on the rebuild,” said Ian. “We want her to be the best quality, to make her as good as she can be, beautiful, and yes, still competitive.”

ATL Composites is supplying WEST SYSTEM Epoxy products for bonding, laminating, and filleting applications along with a lightweight carbon plain-weave fabric to laminate the hull. This will provide strength and stiffness while retaining Saltash’s light racing weight.

“For over thirty years we have been working with Ian, Bill, and the team at Norman R. Wright and Sons,” said Lorraine Murray at ATL Composites. “Ian, Bill, Tony Riek, Dave Kircher, Dave Fussell, and Alistair Harvey joined, co-exhibited, with us at the Australian Wooden Boat Festival in Hobart, Tasmania, and Dave Kircher gave a practical demonstration using WEST SYSTEM products.”

“We have supplied materials for the construction of multiple timber-boat projects from medium and large bay cruisers, to repair and maintenance projects, to commercial pilot boats for the Brisbane City Council. More recently we have collaborated on a multitude of composite projects, like the recently launched Aura , a 60′ Sportfisher designed in-house by Bill Wright.”

“We are certainly proud to have a hand in restoring Saltash and can’t wait to see her back in the water and racing, or cruising, again,” Murray said.

For more information visit atlcomposites.com

Editor’s Note: Thank you alert reader Jim Peniston of Lyndhurst Ontario, who caught the oversight of Uffa Fox’s Flying 15 design in the original version of this article.

Home  News  2024 U.S. WingFoil Championship Perspective from Phil Muller  

2024 U.S. WingFoil Championship Perspective from Phil Muller  

From Phil Muller, US Sailing’s Youth Performance Manager:  

After logging 150 miles of WingFoil racing, I now find myself at San Francisco airport on Sunday night, in a state of euphoria and exhaustion that might make me look like I’ve spent too much time on Haight-Ashbury. But the truth is, I just attended an almost spiritual reunion of sailing’s purest vanguards.  

This event attracted WingFoilers from all corners – California, Washington, Hawaii, Mexico, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Florida, Puerto Rico. Boys and girls, men and women , from ages 12 to 68 years spent the weekend chasing one of St Francis’ favorite sons, Johnny Heineken, around the city front.   

My host and longtime windsurfing campaigner and friend, Steve Bodner, commented that if it weren’t for the AC72s ripping across the City Front during the 34th America’s Cup, we wouldn’t have the WingFoil races we did today. Who’s to say exactly which factors led us to this moment, but the fact remains that San Francisco has always been the heart of innovation in our sport.  

What strikes me as particularly satisfying about the 2024 Wing Ding is how it brought together people from all different age groups and various parts of our extended sailing family, for example:   

Legendary designer Pete Melvin and his son James; Windsurfing Hall of Famer Nevin Sayre  and his son Rasmus; regatta host Geoff Headington and his son Morgan; 4x SUP World Champion Fiona Wylde brought a crew of water-women from Hood River; former Stanford Sailing Captain, Yuri Namikawa, and husband Cole Hatton both competed; F4 founder Al Meril and son Kai; WindClub Hawaii showed up with van full of gear and a posse of under 19 foilers that lit up the water; and the list goes on.   

As the sailing world tackles issues of participation, representation, and enjoyment the phrase “back in my day” reveals a growing divide between generations. My own catalog of sepia-toned memories from yesteryear continue to call me back to the water. For those who don’t consider these Wing Dinging highfliers true “sailors,” that’s fine. The fact remains that whatever barriers hold us back, a bunch of sailors from every corner accumulated nearly 10,000 miles of buoy racing in San Francisco Bay this weekend.  

Copyright ©2018-2024 United States Sailing Association. All rights reserved. US Sailing is a 501(c)3 organization. Website designed & developed by Design Principles, Inc. -->

• Yachting World
• Digital Edition

Glassy conditions for Finns in Moscow

• August 23, 2007

Wind plays havoc on third day of Finn junior world championship in Moscow 23/8/07

According to Robert Deaves, the forecast for today is no better so the organisers have decided to go ahead with the lay day giving sailors will get a chance to visit Moscow and see all the sights.

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