 Canoe SailingSailing the International 10 Square Metre Canoe is the most exciting challenge in single-handed dinghy sailing, and it is also one of the oldest forms of the sport. The pioneer was John MacGregor in the second half of the 19th century with his “Rob Roy” canoe, which was fitted with a simple lugsail to assist whenever the wind was favourable. In 1874 the Royal Canoe Club presented the Sailing Challenge Cup, which has been competed for annually ever since (with the exception of the war years), thus making it among the oldest of trophies which are still competed for todayOne of the early canoe sailors was Warrington Baden-Powell, brother of the founder of the Boy Scout movement, and many other famous persons have been associated with canoe sailing, including Uffa Fox, a name synonymous with the development of the sailing dinghy. The modern International Canoe, known affectionately as the IC, is a highly developed racing dinghy and the fastest single-handed monohull. It has a unique feature of a sliding seat which enables the helmsman to place his or her weight a long way out from the side of the hull. This makes the IC an exhilarating and challenging boat to sail. The hull is one-design, but the deck layout and sail plan are subject to minimum restrictions allowing the sailor to produce a boat to his own specification. Development of the asymmetric spinnaker rig has continued and events in UK and around the World are now being held for both the standard canoe and those with spinnakers, now becoming known as the AC. Rule revisions come into effect in 2001, the main one being a change in the policy of weighing boats from a minimum hull weight to a minimum all-up weight (less sails). The main statistics of the IC are as follows: Overall length: 5180 mm Hull beam: 1018 mm Sail area: 10.00 sq. m Sliding seat: Horizontal extension from centreline 2040 mm All up weight: 83.5 kg (min.) Ideal crew weight: 60-85 kg 2001 saw continued UK success on the water with Mark Goodchild winning the Europa Cup and Lester Noble winning the trophy for asymmetric spinnaker-fitted canoes. Mark and Lester also won the National Championships in their respective classes. Eyes are now turned towards the next World Championship to be held in August 2002 in USA. At the previous Championship in 1999 UK won gold and silver medals: this time there is also the championship for ACs to be won. |
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