What We Sail

At Winsford Flash we sail a variety of boats. On a race day you can see many boats out on the water, from RS200's to Comets. As well as using your own boat, the sailing club has a wide range of boats that members can rent for the day.

LASER

The Laser is a single-handed racing dinghy. The Laser is a challenging boat that rewards athleticism, subtle steering and trimming techniques, as well as tactical excellence. It is a single handed Olympic class boat and is sailed at the club, national and international levels. With over 200,000 boats in 140 countries, it is clearly the world's most popular adult and youth racing sailboat.

RS200

Rhe RS200 is a 4m, double handed, hiking, racing dinghy. Designed in 1995 by Phil Morrison and manufactured by RS Sailing. It has a lightweight polyester GRP with Coremat hull construction. The RS200 utilises a single line asymmetric spinnaker system and low sheet loads on the sail controls. It can be sailed by weights of between 16 and 26 stone. The open transom allows the RS200 to virtually self drain after a capsize and a moulded self bailer removes any remaining water.

COMET

The Comet is a single handed, light, easily transportable (and launchable by one person) boat. It requires low maintenance and offers challenging performance but most of all is ONE DESIGN. The Comet is fast but surprisingly forgiving. Plenty of sail area for exciting sailing and amazing light wind performance but easily reefed for beginners. Extremely comfortable to sail with a roomy cockpit. Whether you want to race fast and close with other Comets, learn the basics or simply have fun sailing with a friend. As the wind picks up, the Comet really takes off, planing easily but still always staying manageable and under control. Great for family fun on holiday The Comets two piece mast and lightweight hull enable easy car topping. Quick and simple to rig for maximum time on the water.

OPTIMIST

The Optimist, also known as the 'opti', 'oppie', or 'bathtub' is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children up to the age of 15. Contemporary boats are usually made of fibreglass, although wooden boats are still built. It is one of the most popular sailing dinghies in the world, with over 150,000 boats officially registered with the class and many more built but never registered. The Optimist is recognized as an International Class by the International Sailing Federation.

GP14

The GP14, designed by Jack Holt in 1949, was originally conceived as a general purpose family dinghy with a mainsail and small jib. Modern GP14s have three sails; a mainsail, an overlapping foresail called a Genoa, and a symmetrical spinnaker set on a pole. GP14s are used for all levels of sailing from training beginners through to club racing, cruising, competing on the Open Meeting circuit and in major GP14 Class Association championship events. It is an exciting racing boat and can be sailed by people of all ages as there is a wide tolerance of all-up crew weight. It is a two-person sailing dinghy but its stable design means it is big enough for a family to cruise in and easy to sail so especially suitable for learning the basics of sailing.

ALBACORE

The Albacore as a boat that is simple to get into at first, but one that will challenge the tuning and tactical skills of a sailor for the rest of their life. The Albacore is frequently used as a first boat for those who are just learning to sail, and as a very competitive racer for more advanced sailors. The boat is often sailed by husband/wife and parent/child combinations. A deep aerofoil section centre-board and rudder make the Albacore highly manoeuvrable. The Albacore's rig uses swept spreaders supporting a tapered mast, a powerful vang, and adjustable jib halyard and other sail controls to depower in high winds. This adjustability enables light crews and heavy crews to race head-to-head in all but the most extreme conditions.

TOPPER

The Topper is so simple, safe and stable that it inspires confidence in young or novice sailors. The boat is stronger and lighter than any other comparable boat, so it is easier to handle on the water and ashore. The Topper is virtually maintenance free, and a proven track record of reliability means that resale values are sky high. It is easily rigged in a matter of minutes, is rugged and safe for beginners and an exciting race boat too as your skills develop. It is car-toppable so it truly is the most versatile of sailboats.

MIRROR

Compared to racing dinghies which tend to have low gunwales, are a wet ride, capsize easily, and cannot be rowed or motored; the Mirror is more like a traditional boat with relative comfort inside the cockpit, plenty of room for stowage, and both the crew and gear remain dry in light winds. In heavy winds, the hull form is very stable and this makes them very reliable for the more adventurous cruiser, knowing that capsize is less likely than racing boats of comparable size. Their small size and light weight means they are easy to handle, launch and recover, transport, tow, and store on land.

RS AERO

The RS Aero is a single-handed recreational sailboat, built predominantly of fiberglass. It has a cat rig, a raked stem, a vertical transom, a transom-hung rudder controlled by a tiller with a hiking stick extension and a retractable daggerboard. It displaces 66 lb (30 kg). The Aero can be fitted with one of three different rig and sail sizes to accommodate a range of sailors of different weights. The boat was also named the Sailing World Boat Of The Year in 2015, as Best One-Design. It was cited for its "construction quality, lightweight hull, versatile rig with multiple combinations, technical details, and price".

MIRACLE

The Miracle is a forgiving and versatile sailing dinghy, ideal for beginners or experts, children and adults alike. There is a class association based in the UK, with several active fleets around the country.

SUPERNOVA

While the Supernova is fundamentally easy to sail it is a demanding boat to sail well. A strict one design asfar as hull, sail plan and foils are concerned there is some freedom to adjust fittings and cordage. Even with only three control lines there are many permutations to try and the adjustments possible to rig tension and mast and spreader positions add to the possible variations. The boom is relatively high and the self draining cockpit is roomy. With a standard arrangement of the centre main sheet and the side deck control lines all adjustments come easily to hand.

NATIONAL 12

The National 12 is a well established UK dinghy class. They have a light hull (78kg inc mast and centreboard), two sails and a crew of two, supporting combined weights of between 15 and 23 stone. The 12 is a development class which means designs have evolved since the first boats hit the water in 1936. Modern boats are carbon/composite foam sandwich whilst many beautiful wooden vintage boats are still actively sailing.The variety of designs means there's likely to be one that's perfect for you. Some are better for lighter crews whilst others carry weight well.Some are great for tight tacking on restricted waters whilst others excel on open water.

ENTERPRISE

An international sailing class, the one-design Enterprise with its highly distinctive blue sails, is a very popular boat at all levels. One of the finest boats designed by Jack Holt in the 1950's, the Enterprise is still a well-supported class. The Enterprise design has withstood the test of time and the class provides some of the best sailing and racing to be found anywhere. It has excellent qualities both as a cruising and two-person racing boat. The Enterprise has a combination of size, weight and power which appeals to all ages and experience levels. It is a particular favourite with inland clubs because of its performance in light winds. Enterprise fleets provide close, tactical racing. As a one-design class, boats of all ages can be well matched which makes it ideal for club racing - even older ones can still be competitive.

Last updated 22:06 on 26 February 2024