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Tushingham Youth sail: Coaches & Sailors Speak Up

The Junior competition scene is thriving in this country under the helm of the Team 15 initiative. A recent National training camp at Hayling Island saw 52 juniors from the Zone Squads all sailing on the new one design: the Bic Techno293 and the all NEW Tushingham TK rig, recently chosen as the UK Youth sail.

We asked the coaches & sailors who have to sail & win on this NEW rig what their initial findings were.

First up, sailor Redmond Scales from the RYA National Squad:

Redmond: The sail works well in light winds, we were planing in 7-8 knots! I only weigh 45kilos but I found I could control the board in strong winds (above 18 knots) as it is able to release a lot of the pressure. I found the main differences from the Aloha 6.5 rig are that it feels lighter, releases more power in strong winds but doesn't pump as nicely in light winds. It does, however, work much better with the Techno board. With the old Aloha sail the power was too far back on the board, but with the TK68 it seems just right.

Redmond's RIGGING TIPS: To set the sail for light winds I use little downhaul and little outhaul. For strongwinds it needs loads of downhaul to release the power at the top of the sail, and then it is also necessary to extend the boom and apply a fair amount of outhaul.

Now onto Oli Woodcock, the RYA Junior National Coach.

Firstly, the sail is an open class internationally, what does that mean?!

The sail had to fit certain criteria set by the Techno organisation. It was not to be bigger than 6.8. The mast must be less than 100% carbon and the boom needs to be alloy. The rig has to be kid friendly, and cost no more than £500 (700euro). Tushingham simply had the best sail within this criteria & was therefore selected by the RYA.

So how does it differ from the Aloha sail?

It is much more forward pulling, which suits the Techno One Design board well. It is a lot more stable when windy, even though it is a little bigger. It also looks a lot cooler being a modern design. It can be set like a formula sail or a free ride sail so it has a really all round appeal and a wider wind range.

What mast and boom does it use?

A HPL taper boom (185-235cm) and a new Tushingham 60% 460 carbon mast, which is a huge improvement over the old Aloha stuff.

So what sails have other countries chosen for their YOUTH rig?

The Tushingham is one of the few sails that has been designed specifically for the cause. The other sails that are registered are the: Aerotech Phantom, Bic Speedster, Challenger Fluido, Lodey 6.8, Neil Pryde Saber, Neil Pryde V6, North R Type, Severne C2
Severne Powerdrive.

THE STATS

MORE INFO

Techno website   Tushingham Youth   RYA website