Splash (dinghy)
Encyclopedia
The Splash Dinghy is 3.5m in length and all boats are identical, thus, as is typical in One-Design
classes, the sailor's ability rather than equipment is emphasised fleet racing. The boats employ an un-stayed mono rig with a sail area of 5.5 m2, which makes the class easy to handle by sailors ranging from 45 to 80 kg. This, combined with the low hull weight of 55 kg, allow the class to serve as a stepping stone between the Optimist Dinghy
and boats such as the Laser Radial
, suiting Sailors in the age range from 13 to 19 years.
Competitions are held at club, national and international level. In New Zealand, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, and many other countries in Europe, the National Splash Associations arrange many events during the season, ranging from the traveller's ranking series, training camps, coaching, national champs, and world selection trials.
New boats cost around NZD$7500, but second hand boats are considerably cheaper and some clubs have schemes whereby sailors can charter boats until they decide to continue with the class. Another version of the Splash is available called the "Flash" it has more sail area and a longer boom but the same size hull, this boat is designed for sailors weighing over 70 kg but it is not very common because most sailors prefer to move on to the Laser Radial where there is more competition .
The splash is capable of speeds of over 10 knots on a broad reach, and has performance very similar to a laser 4.7. It is similar in appearance to a Laser hull but is shorter and wider and has a vertical bow.
Recent world championship venues have included Tavira
, Portugal 2008, and Split
, Croatia 2007.
The 2009 world champs were in;
Pwllheli
, Wales on 8 -14 August.
Pwllheli Sailing Club
The 2010 world champs were in;
Takapuna
, Auckland on 2-8 January.
Takapuna Boating Club
One-design
One-Design is a racing method where all vehicles or boats have identical or very similar designs or models. It is also known as Spec series. It is heavily used in sailboat racing. All competitors in a race are then judged based on a single start time...
classes, the sailor's ability rather than equipment is emphasised fleet racing. The boats employ an un-stayed mono rig with a sail area of 5.5 m2, which makes the class easy to handle by sailors ranging from 45 to 80 kg. This, combined with the low hull weight of 55 kg, allow the class to serve as a stepping stone between the Optimist Dinghy
Optimist (dinghy)
The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15. Nowadays boats are usually made of fiber reinforced plastic, although wooden boats are still built....
and boats such as the Laser Radial
Laser Radial
The Laser Radial is a popular one-design class of small sailing dinghy, originally built by Laser Performance. It is a singlehanded boat, meaning that it is sailed by one person. The Laser Radial is a variant of the Laser Standard, with shorter mast and reduced sail area, allowing light sailors to...
, suiting Sailors in the age range from 13 to 19 years.
Competitions are held at club, national and international level. In New Zealand, UK, Netherlands, Sweden, and many other countries in Europe, the National Splash Associations arrange many events during the season, ranging from the traveller's ranking series, training camps, coaching, national champs, and world selection trials.
New boats cost around NZD$7500, but second hand boats are considerably cheaper and some clubs have schemes whereby sailors can charter boats until they decide to continue with the class. Another version of the Splash is available called the "Flash" it has more sail area and a longer boom but the same size hull, this boat is designed for sailors weighing over 70 kg but it is not very common because most sailors prefer to move on to the Laser Radial where there is more competition .
The splash is capable of speeds of over 10 knots on a broad reach, and has performance very similar to a laser 4.7. It is similar in appearance to a Laser hull but is shorter and wider and has a vertical bow.
World championships
The Splash is an ISAF international youth class yacht and each year a world championship is held.Recent world championship venues have included Tavira
Tavira
Tavira is a Portuguese city, situated at 37°07' north, 7°39' west in the east of the Algarve on the south coast of Portugal. It is 30 km east of Faro and 160 km west of Seville in Spain. The Gilão River meets the Atlantic Ocean in Tavira....
, Portugal 2008, and Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
, Croatia 2007.
The 2009 world champs were in;
Pwllheli
Pwllheli
Pwllheli is a community and the main market town of the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, north-western Wales. It has a population of 3,861, of which a large proportion, 81 per cent, are Welsh speaking. Pwllheli is the place where Plaid Cymru was founded. It is the birthplace of Albert Evans-Jones -...
, Wales on 8 -14 August.
Pwllheli Sailing Club
The 2010 world champs were in;
Takapuna
Takapuna
Takapuna is a central, coastal suburb of North Shore City, located in the northern North Island of New Zealand, at the beginning of a south-east-facing peninsula forming the northern side of the Waitemata Harbour...
, Auckland on 2-8 January.
Takapuna Boating Club
World Champions
| Year | Winner | Nationality, sail number | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Conrad Gair | 1346 | Stavoren, NL |
| 2001 | Erwin Veldman | 1488 | Carnac, FRA |
| 2002 | Shandy Buckley | 1768 | Weymouth, GBR |
| 2003 | Sandra van Meyden | 1039 | Stavoren, NL |
| 2004 | Jorne Knegt | 1642 | Nieuwpoort, BEL |
| 2005 | Hielke Dijkstra | 1980 | Puck,POL |
| 2006 | Blair Tuke | 2373 | Riva,ITA |
| 2007 | Willemart Mathieu | 2253 | Split,CRO |
| 2008 | Ben Lutze | 2488 | Tavira, POR |
| 2009 | Declan Burn | 2592 | Pwllheli, GBR |
| 2010 | Chris Steele | 1840 | Takapuna Beach, NZL |