18ft Skiff
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The 18ft Skiff is considered the fastest class of sailing skiffs. The class has a long history beginning with races on Sydney Harbour, Australia in 1892. The boat has changed significantly since the early days, bringing in new technology as it became available. Because of the need of strength, agility and skill, the class is considered to be the top level of small boat sailing. Often this boat is called the "Aussie 18" due to its inherent connections to Australia.They are the third fastest dinghy on the yardstick rating, and are placed higher than boats like nacras and hobies. This extremely fast boat is hard to sail, but is very agile and fun once you get the hang of it.
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[edit] History
The 18ft Skiff has come a long way in more than 100 years of continuous development. From heavy boats carrying a crew of ten or more, to today's high-tech, light-weight, high performance design. A complete history of the early days of skiff sailing, between 1892 and 1945, is found on the pages of the Australian 18 Footers League.
[edit] The modern 18 ft Skiff
Today there are two modern hull designs racing. The "International 18" is based on a design by Iain Murray, while the B18 was designed by Julian Bethwaite. The Australian 18 Footer League allows only one design racing, using the International 18, while the European Class Association allows both designs to compete against each other.
Although there are differences in the sailing aspects of the two designs, their measurements are very close, with a waterline length of 18 ft (5.49 m) and an average beam of 6 to 8 feet (1.83 to 2.44 m) including the wings. When the boat is dry it should weigh not less than 375 lb (170 Kg) including wings, foils (centreboard and rudder) and the number one rig of sails, spars and ropes.
The 18 ft skiff has a maximum mast height of 33 ft (10 m) which can support an unlimited sail area, which is controlled by three trapezing crew members.
The boat will plane upwind starting at a true windspeed of about 6 knots, and off the wind can reach speeds of up to twice the true windspeed. This is possible through the very high sail-carrying power to total weight ratio, which is above 30% with the no. 1 rig and approaches 40% with the no. 3 rig (for reference, a 30% ratio is needed to plane upwind and a 10% ratio is needed to plane at all. Most cruising boats have a ratio under 5%). The 18 ft skiff forms one of the biggest fleets in Australia, especially in Sydney where it is seen racing down the harbour sometimes against the ferry.
However, the 18 ft skiff is not without is dangers. The high speed makes it hard to handle and requires extremely fast reflexes and a broad awareness of your surroundings in order to anticipate changes. Major accidents can occur with inexperienced and experienced sailors alike.
The 18 ft skiff is currently one of the fastest monohulls on earth. With its massive sail-plan of over 100 square meters on the no. 1 rig and three crew members on trapeze it can outperform nearly everything on the water. It combines extreme speeds with an element of danger and is thought by many to be one of the biggest spectacles in sailing.
Current world champions: Michael Coxon, Aaron Links, Nathan Ellis
[edit] The Historical 18’ Skiff
In Sydney and Brisbane Australia there has been a revival of the early days of 18’ skiff sailing. Replicas of famous 18’ skiffs from the period of 1930 through to 1950 have been built using original techniques, including wooden hulls and spars, gaff rigs, several-piece spinnaker poles and unrestricted sail area. These boats race under the rules of the Australian Historical Skiff Association, which bans wings, trapezes, cleats for controlling ropes for the mainsail, jib and spinnaker, and most of the other modern equipment which makes sailing easier.
The class has proved very popular with former sailors of modern 18’ skiffs who, to quote a class champion John Winning, are looking for a challenge because “the modern boats have become too easy to sail”.
The historical 18’ skiffs have a crew of between 6 and 9, which often leaves an opportunity for visiting sailors to have a ride.
At present the class is raced out of the Sydney Flying Squadron in Sydney and the Brisbane 18 Footers Sailing Club Inc. There are also bi-annual challenges against the New Zealand 18’ Kauri-Clinker M Class.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Sydney Flying Squadron
- Australian 18 Footer League
- European 18 Foot Skiff Class Association
- UK 18 Foot Skiff Class Association
