Editorial Will Loy
Merry Christmas and a very successful New Year to all our members. It has been quite a di ffi cult 2025 for myself, various injuries keeping me out of my Thresher but fortunately not stopping me from getting afloat to cover some great Solo events. The Nation’s Cup on Lake Como my highlight though the action in North Berwick was as dramatic as the storm that hit the Italian town at the opening ceremony. The camaraderie between the UK and Dutch fleets continues to blossom though there seems to be a shift in power towards the Orange army. No surprise as their own class association has really stepped up the game in terms of promotion and coaching, the UK fleet send our regards and look forward to renewing there friendly rivalry in Quiberon in 2026. I fully recommend anyone to book this Championship in, it will be epic. Royal Torbay is an iconic British venue and the National Championship in August is over 4 days so we hope you can compete at both events and they are both family friendly! Lastly, thank you to all who support the NSCA, we hope that all the events we organise in 2026 provide you with the impetus to race your Solo, whether at club, open meeting, Super Series or Championship level. In this issue
Tim Law continues to perform at a level few could match and at an age when most would be walking around with a stick, Though his major successes have been in the Laser/ILCA class, which I might add is a very demanding design, he has finished in the top ten in all the Solo Championships he attended and these include podium places. His article on crossover skills and fitness is some pretty handy information, I suggest you consume it and copy for instant improvement. Mark and Simon Maskell have been competing with each other since birth, the two Essex based sailors now racing their respective Solos after some time sharing the Fireball. They both featured at the recent Midland Championship, Simon just a little too punchy in race 1, OCS but he does have the bragging rites over who has the brightest Solo. The Eastern Area fleet is growing in size and talent, these twins should feature heavily in 2026.
Paul Davis had an awesome season, read his article.
The B Plan sail has been around for longer than anyone can remember but it has been used in anger very rarely, possibly because it is only seen as an absolute last resort to get on the water. With the Committee’s approval I am investigating ways to make the B Plan more user friendly, my aim, to provide a rig that operates at its optimum and looks as close to the A Rig in silhouette. I would like to see those who are possibly too light for the A Rig choose this optional rig so they can enjoy the virtues of the Solo design without being overpowered in anything over 12 knots. Steve Townsend has some wonderful memories of Solo yesteryear and has probably owned more Solos than Chris Brown and Patrick Burns combined. His article gives us an insight into some of the designs that are now obsolete and some that are still worth saving. The Vintage Solos are still close to my heart and I hope to race my Thresher at some in 2026 while continuing to provide media, albeit from the back of the fleet. See you at the 2026 Dinghy Show, prelude to a great season.
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