Start them young!

flaming

flaming

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Back from Cowes week and just about recovered.

There was a boat in our class called Tontin Pups. Sailed by 2 adults and their 5 kids. Absoultely phenominal. The driver was 7 I think, and they were peeling kites and surfing downwind in 25kts+ just like the rest of us. Absolutely awesome to watch, and you've not been called Starboard on until it's been squeaked at you by a kid who can barely see over the side deck, and for whom English is a second (or probably third) language.
Such an amazing example.

http://www.aamcowesweek.co.uk/web/c...ide=&section=multimedia&page=video-highlights

200020.jpg
 
Another similar image from West Highland Week a couple of weeks ago (credit to Yachting Images):



Nothing better than seeing youngsters enjoying our sport.
 
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Amazing - full respect, not many families could do that. Must have been a good fleet in class 4 with Flaming out of the chocolates (but still getting a very respectable result)!
 
Racecruiser said:
Amazing - full respect, not many families could do that. Must have been a good fleet in class 4 with Flaming out of the chocolates (but still getting a very respectable result)!
Click to expand...

I heard it called the toughest IRC fleet in the event, though I'm guessing those who were up against Yes might disagree!

We had a Commodore's cup boat from the winning French team (who won the week), 2 JPK1010s, with semi pro crews and a Belgian A35 (in addition to Tontin) with a mainsail plastered in sponsors logos. Then a GS37 with a towering rig and the biggest kite I've ever seen on a 37 footer. They were ridiculously quick in the light, and it was light for most of the week...
No arguments that those boats were a level up from us, but we like to think we kept them honest, and we only failed to take a race off one of the JPKs. There were only really 3 proper beats to start all week, and we were in the top 3 on the water at the first mark for each of them, so generally pretty happy with how we were going. The beats up the shore were so painful though, we draw 40cm more than the rest of the fleet, and every time we tacked out when others stood on we lost so much ground.

Overall a lot of fun pitting ourselves against such great crews, and we think we'd have been a little bit higher up on a week of ww/lw racing.

However we beat the guys we race against all year fairly comfortably though, so that was nice!
 
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