Hello UK Flying Fifteeners!

from FF World Jan 2020

Hayling Island Sailing Club pay tribute to the continued sailing succe es of Roger and Barbara Palmer

Communication is vital for enhancing the sense of being involved and being part of the Flying Fifteen family – the association recognises that we all have a choice when it comes to sailing and choosing a Flying Fifteen above other fleets is as much about the group of people who sail fifteens, the healthy competitive nature of racing and the camaraderie of those involved – as we suggest ‘the most fun you can have with a keel on’!

King of ‘Comms’, Simon Thompson, ably aided by Jeremy Arnold, launched our new website in the autumn – this will make it easier for those who prefer to access via mobile phone; currently 44% of site visitors.

Secondly, to facilitate ‘Association’ business we have introduced ‘Slack’ as a communication channel and have five sub-channels – Association Business; Championship Events; Fleet Captains; General; Newsletter and have invited those interested to participate – anyone who suffers FOMO (fear of missing out!) by all means contact Keith or Simon for inclusion. This approach has reduced individual emails and speeded up decision making – we sometimes forget that those who help are giving their time freely, and time is something we all lack in our busy lives.

One output has been the newsletter by way of keeping members informed of recent happenings and forthcoming events – whether for the website or the newsletter, we crave action shots of people having fun sailing Fifteens whether at club level or in events, please do forward to Simon. If there is anything you would like to see and read about, likewise do get in touch.

Sailing:- 2020 is a World Qualifier year for those interested in Sailing the worlds in Freemantle, Perth, Western Australia in February 2021 – a fabulous place to sail and party – there is a very active fleet at the nearby South of Perth Yacht Club where Bobby Salmond sails every November – and a lot of fun should be had without too much need of the Freemantle Doctor!

We look forward to visiting Weymouth (Southerns), Morgat (Europeans), Grafham (Inlands), Holy Loch (Scottish), Bassenthwaite (Northerns) and Hayling Island (Nationals).

Meanwhile, and well ahead in the future, UKFFA are supporting Weymouth in their exciting bid to host the worlds in 2023 – the UK has hosted the event twice in the last 30 years, and it would be fun to see the event back on these shores.

The Northern & Southern Traveller Series offers club sailors with a touch of competitive mojo a chance to visit many diff erent waters and sail in diff erent conditions – last year saw the introduction of Traveller series sailing at Aldeburgh, Blackpool & Fleetwood and Ullswater, where local enthusiasm has seen a resurgence in their respective fleets which is great news. These events are as much about the social element as the sailing; the camaraderie off ers up excellent advice to get more fun and success from sailing a Flying Fifteen. The proposed list of events will be issued in Q1 2020 Club Sailing is the most important element of sailing Flying Fifteens – a healthy and enthusiastic team of Fifteeners draws in other sailors – and is the foundation bed for winners at National and World level in the future. UKFFA’s collective focus is on how we can help develop and support local fl eets – the Fleet Captain’s Slack channel provides a good forum to encourage the exchange of ideas.

There are several good starter boats on the market (3700-3900s) for sensible monies (<£9k) and with new boats in build 2020 should be a good year.

Finally, we would like to thank all those involved in supporting UKFFA and respective club fleets – Boat Builders (Ovingtons); Fitter outers (Phil Evans; P&B); Sail providers (Goachers, Hyde Design; P&B).