It's been a busy few months....
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July 2022 Newsletter
it's been a busy few months since our last newsletter, with a number of major championships completed. There's a lot more to come over the next few months, so it is time to make sure your boat is ready. In this newsletter: UK Nationals; charter boats and tillers; going grey (no not me!); PRISM compass damping; Mexico 2022 worlds roundup and more. Read on.
UK Nationals Sponsorship / 'Closure' Dates
Southeast Sailboats will be competing at the the UK Nationals at Hayling Island in a weeks time. Southeast Sailboats is also proud to be one of the event sponsors and is sponsoring the first day’s racing and spot prizes will be awarded at the Mexican themed evening dinner! In addition, Southeast Sailboats Ovington ILCA will be on display outside the clubhouse in collaboration with another event sponsor, Harken.
PLEASE NOTE: During the period 15-22 July when Southeast Sailboats will be competing we will be running a very reduced service. Some off-the-shelf parts will be posted out but not custom rigging. If you are in any doubt email us.
Going grey! TiiTAN kicker/vang block
Not surprisingly, the first batch of blue TiiTAN kicker/vang block have flown off the shelf. Building on the success of the popular XHL block, the TiiTAN is the latest Allen block with a titanium sheave and ceramic bearings for improved performance and reduced weight.
Southeast Sailboats are proud to have been involved in the development/testing of this great new block. You may have seen a prototype ‘bronze’ coloured one on European Champion Micky Beckett’s boat, and a red or grey one on mine! All TiiTAN based kicker/vang systems come in a free plastic box with spare fairlead. TiiTAN blocks are now a gorgeous grey!
The TiiTAN block is available by itself or as part of a custom kicker/vang system. Check out the links for more info and pricing.
PRISM Damping Factor
Of the two most popular digital compasses (Velocitek PRISM and RayMarine Micro ‘TackTick’) the PRISM is by far the simpler, displaying just heading, with no tactical or timer modes. Personally I love this simplicity and the large easy to read display. One thing that it does have that many users may overlook is a variable damping factor. Simply, this damping factor is the length of time over which the compasses averages the heading before displaying it.
In flat water where our upwind heading over a few seconds doesn’t really change, very little damping is required. However in big waves where you are making big heading changes as you steer up/down waves, you need a much longer averaging period to be able to get a correct indication of your actual mean heading. At the worlds in Mexico I set my PRISM to damping factor 2 in the windy/wavy conditions and it worked beautifully – I can still remember the numbers slowly clocking up from 210 to 225 as I sailed the lifting wind bend up to the windward mark on one day.
To change your damping level, switch on your PRISM by pushing the single button on the top. Wait until it displaying heading and then press the on/off button again. It will then display the currently set damping factor. To change the damping factor tilt the PRISM upwards/downwards to get to the damping factor 0,1 or 2 that you want, then press the on/off button again to store your desired damping factor.
Southeast Sailboats stocks both Velocitek PRISM and RayMarine Micro ‘TackTick’ compasses and associated brackets.
Chartering at a championship? Make sure you have the right tiller for your charter boat
With sailors heading off to championships around the world where they will be using ILCA charter boats (many for the first time), the importance of having the right tiller for your charter boat cannot be overstated. As we covered in a previous newsletter, everything has tolerances, and ILCA dinghies have subtle differences from earlier Laser Performance boats. Those differences will make a normal tiller that may be fine on a Laser Performance boat sit a bit higher on a newer ILCA dinghy. Even between ILCA dinghies there are small differences in the position of the gudgeons that may make your tiller sit even higher.
For Mexico where the charter boats were Element6 I took a Black Dog tiller with me as from measurements that I had made I knew it would be the best fit in terms of tiller height above the traveller cleat. The link to our previous article is below. We stock ILCA optimised tillers from Element6 (the Black Dog) and Rooster. If you need any more information or help in choosing just contact us.
Sails, Sail Service and Numbers/Country Codes
We have ILCA 4, 6 and 7 sails in stock together with traditional rounded numbers as well as ‘digital 8’ sail numbers, plus most country codes. Contact us for some great deals not on the website.
Re-roping systems
Yes we do re-rope kickers (and downhauls and outhauls). This one is heading off to a sailor who is getting ready for the ILCA4 worlds in Portugal in August. And, as shown in the photo below you can now have a white primary line if you want - perfect if you want to mark your primary line with a Sharpie or tape. Typical turn-around time from receipt of a system is 2 days. Just get in touch with us before you post anything.
Top Tips - Kicker/Vang Drop Nose Pins
Always ensure that the drop-nose is properly centered. There is a spring and ball bearing inside which in conjunction with the small detent in the drop nose toggle helps keep it central. Secondly, when sailing downwind and the kicker/vang lower fitting is hard over against the control line, this both rubs against the control line causing wear, and could potentially also disturb the drop nose. Top tip – as we normally sail downwind on starboard gybe, fit the drop nose pin with the smooth domed side on the port side as shown below.
2022 Mexico Worlds
Mexico didn’t disappoint and over a 4 week period hosted the ILCA7 Senior, ILCA7 and finally ILCA6 Masters events. I think that the ILCA6 event got the best of the very hot conditions with some absolutely champagne sailing in the windy and wavy conditions. I was never going to challenge the podium but was very happy to finish 6 in the 24 strong Grand Master fleet. Out of the 23 podiums at the ILCA 6 event an amazing 17 were Southeast Sailboats customers! Congratulations to everyone who took part and of course the prize winners and world champions, including Southeast Sailboats sponsored sailor Jon Emmett.
In addition to great sailing, amazing hospitality, it was lovely to meet long-time friends and new ones, and so many so many Southeast Sailboats customers from around the world.
New and Coming soon.....
Yes, you can now have a white kicker/vang primary line. Mega-bolt, transom bung, amongst other small things added to the website. Look out for some major product announcements later this year!
In case you missed it...
The most popular recent upgrade has been our hiking strap adjustment system that we released back in late February. Customer feedback has been just amazing. Available as a complete system, or if you already have the CL828-68AN micro clam cleat you can get just the line assembly.
Check out our YouTube channel
Latest videos on our YouTube channel are instructions on how to fit self-bailer springs, the deck block soft shackles and our traveller wear protectors. Just search for Southeast Sailboats on YouTube, click on the link or scan the QR below.
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, in alphabetical order:
Australia - typically 14-21 days. UPS typically 3-4 days
Austria – 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 – Post - Please note that this is a very slow service due to customs delays. 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 we have regrettably suspended deliveries to 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.
