December 2021 Newsletter

2021 - that's a wrap - well almost! 

Although still heavily influenced by COVID related travel restrictions, 2021 turned out to be a really good year.  Our sponsored sailors all had great performances:  Micky Beckett became Senior European champion; Jon Emmett the Apprentice Masters World champion; and Matilda Nicholls has just had a great result at her first senior worlds – more on that later.   Southeast Sailboats competed in UK events and finally was able to get overseas to the Masters worlds in Barcelona where it was great to catch up with old friends, meet new ones, and also have some great close racing. 

Rigging wise Southeast Sailboats released a range of new travellers including our ProMAX-99 that was used at the Olympics and was on the winning boat at the Europeans. We also introduced new downhaul systems using the Allen high load blocks, and broadened our range of offerings to include hiking straps and boat covers.  Plans for new products for 2022 are well underway - custom made drop-nose pins for the kicker/vang fitting, and improvements to the way we use the Harken 29mm FLY block as a kicker/vang block. Plus, we have formally proposed to ILCA a new rule change that will help avoid rope wear - see later in this newsletter.

Matilda Nicholls' world championship 

Southeast Sailboats sponsored sailor Matilda Nicholls has just completed her first senior world championships, and she has written the following specifically for the Southeast Sailboats newsletter.

“Wow what an incredible week at my very first Senior ILCA 6 World Championships! We sailed off the coast of Oman and were hosted by an incredible hotel with the boat park practically in its back garden. We had a couple days of training before the competition started to get into the conditions and ensure our charter boats were all set up nicely. A special thank you to Southeast Sailboats for the excellent rigging that is super easy to take from event to event and set up on the charter boats! We also managed to have a pretty cool day off before racing started in the nearby city, Muscat. We were able to have a look inside the Grand Mosque and explored around the Mutrah Souq which is a big market in the city. It is always really great when we get a chance to explore the culture and traditions of these countries we get to visit for our competitions!

Racing was due to kick off the next day but unfortunately, we did not manage any races as the wind did not fill in enough. Day 2 and the Women’s fleet was very eager to get going and after a couple general recalls we were off! We managed to get 3 races in before it got dark, and I was sitting in 20th after our first day of racing. The rest of the week we had similar conditions with 6-10kts every day and sailing until sunset to make sure we got some good and fair races in. Ahead of the final day I was sitting in 9th place at my first Senior Worlds which was incredibly exciting after I managed to string together a consistent set of results in the tricky light conditions. On the last day I was a little too line shy due to picking up too many Black Flags at previous events this year which made my last 2 races quite tough. But I still managed to finish the week of in 15th place overall which I couldn’t be happier with and felt super proud to make a mark in the Senior Women’s fleet. Emma Plasschaert from Belgium showed us her strong and high level of experience in the ILCA 6 Fleet by sailing a consistent week and winning the 2021 Worlds!

I am absolutely loving sailing at the moment and am trying my best to also balance my Psychology degree at the University of Exeter. The Worlds in Oman was a very motivating week watching and competing against the top ILCA 6 Women. I am now moving away from Youth Racing and becoming an almost full-time Senior sailor. I will kick off the New Year training with the British Sailing Team in Vilamoura and am very excited for what the next year of training and racing will bring. We aren’t far off from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games now and am ready to work hard on my goals both on and off the water to give it my best at the Olympic trials.”  Matilda Nicholls - Team GBR

The same venue is hosting the Youth Sailing World Championships which kick off tomorrow – good luck to everyone competing, especially GBR ILCA6 sailors Coco Barrett and Sam Dickinson.

Festive period closure 

In line with a lot of businesses we will be closed over the Christmas/New Year period from the 24th December to the 7th January.  Orders placed over this period will be shipped starting the 8th January.  Although we will be closed over the holidays we will still be monitoring email and answering questions.  With 10 days left before our Festive period closure there is still plenty of time to order something!  Below are a few ideas!

Gift Ideas

Treat yourself, a loved one, or just your boat this Christmas.  We have 'must haves' for your boat from £0.95 to £500+.  Browse the website to find that special thing, but here are just a few ideas:

Our traveller wear protection pads are very popular with over 1000 sets now sold worldwide.  Just £14.95/set.

Spliced, ready to fit outhaul, downhaul and kicker/vang systems from £49.50 upwards.

Kicker/vang high load top blocks from Allen, Harken and Ronstan will make your system that bit easier to use.

Covers to keep your boat nice and dry this winter.

The amazing Velocitek PRISM compass.

Sails - we have ILC4 and ILCA7 sails in stock. ILCA6 sails are due early next year.

Keep your boat nice and dry this winter

We have added Gorilla covers to our ever increasing range of products and solutions for your boat.  The top cover is constructed from the highest quality "Hydrolite" polyester and is a durable, waterproof, naturally venting cover that delivers the maximum protection for your hull. Top covers are in stock. 

The under cover is made from the highest quality, venting 420D "Grid Lock" Ripstop material which offers a natural venting of moisture away. Under covers have already sold out but will be back in stock soon.

Maintenance - don't overlook it! 

Look around the boat park at an Olympic classes event and you will see large tool boxes everywhere, with a lot of boat maintenance going on daily.  Thankfully we don’t have the stresses on our boats/rigging and the resultant maintenance needs that the 470, 49ers and some other classes require! 

The flip side to this is that we may not check our boats regularly enough and only find out problems when it is too late.  Did I check my boat over carefully even once during the Masters Worlds in Barcelona – I hate to admit it but no!  In my defence, it was a new charter boat and my rigging was all brand new. But there are things that should be looked at regularly, some obvious and some less so.  Southeast Sailboats together with Team GBR sailor Micky Beckett have put this simple checklist together of things that should be looked at regularly:

Modern covered control lines have a strong core and varying degrees of durability in the cover.  When the cover wears, either through cleating in normal use, or gets snagged, it starts to go fluffy which is the first sign that you should look at it more carefully.  There is a very fine line between a fluffy cover and one that suddenly lets go, and it is prudent to replace early rather than finding out that it is too late.

The kicker/vang system.  This is the system that gets returned frequently to re-rope for customers, and the one where I see the most problems.   Most often it is because the control line has worn, as mentioned above, but I always check the complete system over and I rarely return it without something else needing fixing - here are the three common problem areas:  

The first problem area is the small black fairlead behind the cleat which can get worn very quickly, especially if you are using some of the more durable rope types.  As soon as a groove has formed in the fairlead it will start acting more like a cleat than a smooth fairlead and will increasingly wear away your control line, as well as making it harder to use.  As soon as even a small groove has formed either rotate the fairlead 180 degrees or replace it.    NOTE - as a heads-up, earlier this year I submitted a formal rule change request into ILCA to allow the use a more durable fairlead using a metal insert. Look out for a vote on the proposed rule change soon!

The second area is the kicker/vang keys.  If you haven’t already changed your key to one of the newer, stronger ones from Harken or Allen, you should be checking your key regularly as they do break even on the Radial/ILCA6.  The first signs are a slight deformation or dishing of the circular top  (left image).  If it isn’t absolutely flat it is the first sign that it will break.  The second sign are very small, and very hard to see, cracks where the shaft meets the top disk (right Image).  

The final vang/kicker check is to make sure that your blocks are free running by pulling/releasing your control lines when washing your boat – this ensures that the sheaves in the blocks rotate and the bearings get flushed effectively.  If you have a block that still isn’t rotating freely, immerse it in soapy water overnight and then flush with clean water.

Elsewhere on the boat, check that the split rings haven’t snagged and become bent out of shape – the ones connecting the mast and kicker or the ratchet block.  TIP - To minimise the chance of split rings on the kicker/vang getting snagged on your control lines, put the split rings on the starboard side.  This ensures that when the vang fitting is hard over when reaching/running and the control line is rubbing up against the vang fitting (which we mostly do on starboard tack), that the split rings are on the other side.

Spars become cracked before snapping. They don’t snap without due warning. Check the bottom section at the rivets for the kicker fitting and again at the deck level. Check the boom at the kicker fitting and the rivets for the mainsheet blocks, also making sure that there is no movement.  If no cracks or movement then you’re good to go - any cracks longer than 1cm and you are dancing with the devil!  

The gooseneck breaking has been known to cause some people to use their discards.  It can break in a few different ways, but the root cause is always the bolt coming undone so keep it tight if possible. If you see any cracking in the gooseneck where it is holding the pin (see photo below) you need to replace it (find a friend with 6 rivets, a drill and a rivet gun).

Traveller Wear Protectors

Our traveller wear protectors are proving very popular with now over 1000 sets sold worldwide!  Available from Southeast Sailboats and from an increasing number of dealers worldwide.

Based on our own design concept these class legal traveller pads have been turned into reality by dinghy fittings company Allen.  The traveller wear protectors are available by themselves or a part of a cost saving wear protection bundle.  The following video explains all....

International Shipments 

Southeast Sailboats delivers all over the world with tax free pricing in multiple currencies.  To date we have delivered to over 40 countries!  For more information on what tax free means click on the link below.  

Typical Delivery Times - Based on recent tracked shipments  (which we can see when they are delivered), below is the latest guidance on postal and UPS delivery times to Europe, and other destinations:

Australia - typically 14-21 days

Austria (via UPS) – 2 days, post 12 days

Belgium - typically 7 days

Canada – typically 7-12 days.  UPS 2 days.

France - typically 6 days  

Germany - 6-14 days

Greece – typically 9-11 days

Hungary – 10 days

Ireland (Republic) – typically 3-8 days  6-8

Italy – typically 14-21 days.  UPS typically 4 days

Japan – typically 7 days

Netherlands - typically 6-14 days

Norway – typically 14 days

Poland – typically 6 days

Portugal – approx. 28 days 

Singapore – typically 7 days

Spain – Please note that this is a very slow service due to customs delays in Spain

Sweden – typically 4--14 days

USA - typically 6-8 days. UPS 2-3 days

For more information on tax free pricing click on the link below.

Southeast Sailboats Away/Closure Dates

Running a one person business isn’t easy!   I am designer, splicer, packer, despatch clerk, web master, book keeper etc. etc.!  Plus I have to try and juggle working with sailing, and other activities.  So occasionally I have to put up the ‘gone sailing' shop closed sign on the homepage banner and top notification line, when I am away for a sailing event or holiday.  Travel restrictions permitting Southeast Sailboats will be away for 1 week of training from the 3rd – 11th February, and we will be closed during this period.   

As a ‘heads-up’ Southeast Sailboats will be closed when I am competing at the following events in 2022: 

17-22 March - EuroMasters Malta

26-30 April - EuroMasters Spain

20-23 May - EuroMasters Belgium

9-20 June - Masters Worlds Mexico

25 August - 2 September - Masters Europeans Germany

As always, your understanding of the above is really appreciated. 

Popular upgrades

The following continue to be some of our most popular upgrades....

Harken 29mm bolt-on deck blocks.  Easy to fit, these blocks instantly improve your Laser. Available as the blocks by themselves or as an assembly including the block plate.

Our signature 8:1 downhaul/cunningham system.  We have built/shipped hundreds of these systems to sailors all over the world.  An essential upgrade if you are using the MKII standard sail, and also if you are struggling to pull on enough downhaul on your Radial or 4.7 rig.  Each system shipped is custom made using blocks from Harken, Allen and Ronstan, with options including rig type, termination and secondary lines types/colours. 

Transform your kicker/vang system with our range of great free-running block/key assemblies using blocks from Harken, Allen and Ronstan and stronger kicker keys.  Whether you are using a 15:1 or 12:1 setup, lower friction in your system makes it easier to pull on, leaving you with more energy to focus on sailing/hiking!