Page 49 - Folk Boat Year Book 2023

he will let us know the results. Secondly, it has been suggested that on the
continent, spinnakers are used for international events. At present
spinnakers are only permitted in the UK, Finland and Estonia. We will have to
wait and see as it is understood that there is strong resistance to the use of
spinnakers on the continent. Thirdly, a new NFIA rule 13.21 is being
proposed where everyone on board must stay in the cockpit with both feet
while racing upwind. We wait and see whether the new rule or a derivative
of it is adopted. Fourthly, it is proposed that the mast and boom’s material
shall be recorded on measurement certificates. In anticipation of that, Nicky
and the TC have included that in our certificate and application for
certificate. The UK’s Revised Rules and Regs. - Incidentally, to remind you
that the UK’s Rules and Regulations and our Constitution were reviewed and
revised a couple of years ago and are on our website.
Ed and Cy’s Tuning Thoughts - You’ll know that Ed and Cy have learnt ‘state
of the art’ techniques and tuning tips gleaned from their racing experiences
on the Continent, often learnt the hard way from what we hear. This is very
generous of them to share their hard gleaned knowledge with us. At least, if
some of it rubs off we’ll all improve and the standard of racing will improve.
Helmsman’s Seat - The question of the helmsman’s seat often comes up. The
weighing rule 10.0 requires that when a boat is weighed, the helmsman’s
seat must be on board. The standard seat is made from Teak or Iroko and
slides underneath the aft deck and is quite heavy. Several boats have
exchanged their wood seats for a lighter version which is broadly a
trampoline type construction comprising a fabric stretched over an
aluminium usually tubular frame. In the rules the construction of the
helmsman’s seat is not specified and so as far as I can see provided a
substitute for the standard wood version can perform as a ‘seat’, then its
legal.
Mast and boom black bands - The positioning of the black bands on the mast
and boom is included in NFIA rule 6.1.11 and 6.3.3 respectively and if you
haven’t done it lately, they are worth checking now most masts are still out
of the boat awaiting launch. Beware though, the positions take a bit of
working out. A common mistake is in finding the position of the black band

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