ATTENTION - MAST SETTINGS !
An A Class rig (mast + sail) has to cover full wind range from 5 knots to 22 knots. In an effort to flatten the rig some sailors are using a lot more Cunningham , together with more Spreader rake and very high Diamond wire tension.
Imagine the mast being so 'pre-tensioned' with diamonds that it is close to its break limit. Then any extra force - even a small capsize - can take it past that limit.
They can also fail from torsional twist.
With full Cunningham and a lot of mainsheet tension the mast gets twisting moment when rotated (so like upwind foiling). Such torsional overloading can induce delamination between the sailtrack sides and back wall.
But you need to stop at some point – it is simply not possible to keep applying more force to the mast – eventually it will reach breaking point. If the sail is still too full with strong Cunningham then you must either try stiffer battens , of less luff curve in sail – the mast can not do it all !
A CLASS MAST SETTINGS
1) Spreader rake must not be greater than 70mm (Diamond wires intersection to rear of mast sailtrack)
2) Diamond wire tension must not be such that more than 20mm prebend is induced into mast
3) Cunningham purchase must not exceed the pre-installed 12:1 system
4) Do not use 'side-fitted' Goosenecks - they can also break masts. Be sure sail Clew ring is correctly positioned so that not excessive force is translated along Boom to Gooseneck.
It is also recommended to release some cunningham tension when sailing downwind - fully pre-loaded mast in downwind capsize is the most common reason for mast failure .
Fiberfoam produce three Mast Sections:-
'A Cat' Untapered Wing mast Section 145mm x 60mm .
Available in different stiffnessess to suit individual sailors.
Also made for F16 , iFly , similar.
Most successful designs for past 10 years.
Tube also used as FD Boom
'A Cat' Tapered Wing mast Section.
Available in different stiffnessess to suit individual sailors.
Most successful Foiler mast past 5 years.
F18 / F20 Untapered Carbon Wing mast Section 74mm x 160mm . Available in different stiffnessess & lengths .
F18 / F20 / Other small boats to mast length 11m
2022 A Class Europeans
The 2022 A Class Worlds in Lake Garda , Italy provided a range of conditions mostly moderate to fresh , with a couple for the Classic fleet of +25 knots and difficult waves.
Class rules say maximum 22 knots but this is sometimes overlooked in the pursuit of getting the races in.
The course quite 'normal' for Garda considering the area of lake selected for racing , being mostly right hand side favoured.
The Classic fleet Race 1 started in light wind with a couple of big shifts before the south wind settled in and young German sailor Mortiz Weiss was 1st.
Race 2 Scott Anderson led until about 100m from finish but again it was Weiss in 1st with better downwind speed.
Races 3 and 4 in stronger wind Anderson led the whole way.
The later part of the regatta was windy and in final analysis it was Anderson , Weiss , then Spanish sailors Gustavo Dorreste and Kike Cornejo.
And good to see the Classics close racing and 'older' boat designs still competitive .
In the Foiling Division there were plenty of stars but it was Steve Brewin who emerged the Nr 1 with a strong final race and consistent placings throughout.
Misha Heemskerk was second and Jakub Surowiec 3rd
In terms of material , below a list of top Foilers:
1st Steve Brewin Exploder 2022/Brewin sail
Fiberfoam T6.3 Tapered mast
2nd Mischa Heemskerk DNA F1/Mischa sail
Fiberfoam T6.5 mast
3rd Jakub Surowiec Exploder /Bryt sail/
Fiberfoam T6.3 mast
And for the Classics :
1st Scott Anderson
Nikita 2012 / North DS sail / Fiberfoam Untapered mast
2nd Moritz Weiss
Exploder / Felix Egner Landenberger DS sail / Fiberfoam Untapered mast
3rd Gustavo Dorreste
Exploder / Hammer DS sail / Fiberfoam T6.3 Tapered mast
Nine of top 10 inluding winners of both fleets used Fiberfoam Sailbattens.
Fiberfoam masts - either Untapered or Tapered filled the top 10 in both fleets.
The Class remains strong and since 2018 now has two stand-alone classes , the ‘Classic’ A Class and ‘Open’ A Class .
This is the result of the Class listening to its sailors worldwide , many of whom expressed a desire to remain non-foiling.
The Classic A Class is straight or curved foils, and sailied with at least one hull in the water in the course of normal sailing.
This has proved great for the Class , encompassing a large number of sailors , many of whom do not have the time to master foiling or keep up with foiling developments , plus who simply enjoy classic sailing.
The next worlds in Toulon , France in September 2023 , with unrestricted number of entries is generating lots of enthusiasm.