Notes from the Committee Boat v0.7
COVID-19
We at Hold Fast Sailing hope you and yours are keeping well. It is an unprecedented situation and we hope you are keeping your spirits high amidst the unsettled seas. The impact to sailing community is significant with two stories recently coming across our bow:
- At the time of writing, a Norwegian family is battling to find a safe harbour with multiple countries turning them away due to COVID-19 quarantines and closing borders.
- The Bark Europa, a crewed sailing experience vessel, was transiting while the pandemic escalated. Currently stationed in Ushuaia, the crew is currently unable to leave the vessel.
On a brighter note, there are some great resources out there while you are self-isolating.
- Check out Sail Universe for a curated list of their 15 top sailing movies
- NauticEd has a excellent selection of online courses to get you set for the sailing season here in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Dig into some good reading by visiting SVN Magazine for a free subscription to their eMagazine
Finally, make sure to keep your "social distancing" when you are out in public. Make it easier, fun, and with a sailing angle. Did you know 6 feet is also equal to 1 Fathom? Yep, keep one fathom of distance to stop the spread. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fathom
Store Updates & Discount:
While the times are still uncertain, we want to let you know we are still able to fulfill orders and can ship as long as the courier companies are still operating. Our poster may feel frivolous at this moment in time, but it could also be a nice addition to your home where you are spending much more time these days. It could also be a thoughtful gift for the sailor, or loved one in your life who you are unable to see because of the current climate.
We are offering an anti-COVID-19 discount if you want to inject a bit more sailing into your shelter-at-home local. Enter "GOAWAYCOVID19" at checkout to see 25% off store-wide with no minimums.
Sailing Class Primer - International One Meter
Our last newsletter had a great write-up on the DN class featured on our Sailing Vessel Class Insignia posters. We thought this would be a great way to let you all know more about the amazing, niche sailing vessels we've curated on the poster. For this week we've decided to feature the International One Meter.
The International One Meter, or IOM, is a remote controlled (RC) sailing vessel raced in over 30 countries worldwide. With an LOA of 1 meter, an unrestricted beam, and draught between 0.37m and 0.42m this boat is the most popular class of all the RC classes given the flexibility possible in hull designs. Even though these boats are dwarfed by a common Laser, this class races using the same racing rules of sailing (RRS) established by World Sailing.
The next time you see a fleet of these RC boats banging around the buoys, be sure to pause and see if you can connect the lead boat to the sailor on shore controlling its every move.