470 Class
We’ve been excited to showcase this class for a while now. The Sailing Class Insignia Poster features the 470 class. It is the Olympic class, double handed dinghy of record. In our last boat class feature we discussed the Albacore which is within 10% of the 470 specs (upwind sail area, beam, draft, LOA) and similarly features tight one design rules. However, these boats diverge significantly when sailing off the wind. The 470 features a symmetric spinnaker and trapeze rigging to support the added sail area. Add into the mix a design which can accommodate greater discrepancies in combined body weight and the result is a dinghy class well suited to mixed and same sex teams.
So, if you want to learn to sail, hoist, douse, and trim a spinnaker, you may have found the boat class to learn the basics and advanced sailing techniques. Further, you can sail this boat from the cottage right onto the starting line of the Olympics. The 470 has been a part of the Olympics since 1976 and the double-handed dinghy used by both males and females. If you didn’t know, almost a quarter of all the sailing athletes participate in the 470 class.
So, if you are looking to hone your skills, look into your local 470 class. The bigger fleets, higher skill level, and smaller discrepancies in boat speed should allow you to make some bigger improvements in skill.