Page 66 - Folk Boat Year Book 2022

are on the website together with guidance notes as to what has to be on or
off the boat for weighing. The NFIA rule is Rule 10 the NFIA Rules are also on
the website. The best time to weigh is when you are launching or retrieving
and the RLYC have a certified Weighing Machine which we use. I or my
deputy will meet you there prearranged, the whole thing takes a bout 45
mins. Nicky will then issue a new Cert. after I’ve sent her the weight and
other details. We also have a class weighing machine which I can use if
weighing elsewhere. To give you a sense of scale, I weighed 5 boats in 2019,
1 in 2020 and 10 in 2021 all for various reasons eg. curiosity.
There are a few minor amendments to make to the rewritten UK Rules and
Regs. which I’m working on and will soon finalise.
The current NFIA rules are Edition 2021 effective for the period September
2021 until 2024. The latest changes are not significant and include a
clarification that backstay adjustment is free, previously there was doubt as
to whether or not it could be adjusted with a mechanism below deck; not
more than two spinnakers can be used in any one race; Iroko is permitted
instead of Teak.
There’s another wooden Nordic being built at the Lowestoft Boatbuilding
school by Chris Barker. I’m in touch with him and we’ve agreed a measuring
programme. I completed the first 3 measurement stages last Autumn and
found all well. I’m told that the next stage which is hull planking complete
and deck beams in could be reached at the end of this year.
You may be aware that some GRP Nordics have experienced structural cracks
in way of the mast which has been traced back to problems caused by the
huge upward pull on the tabernacle from the main, jib and spinnaker
halyards, cunningham, outhaul etc. The remedy is to fit tension wires below
deck from the root of the tabernacle beneath deck down to the mast
step/keel. some boats have done this already.
For those doing the Sessan Cup in September and in any case may I
recommend that you reappraise yourselves with NFIA’s rules. We are in the
process of considering boat checks during the week. As you know we’ll be
using just two sails, no spinnakers and if you’re interested there’s some great

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