The Paterson designs were undoubtedly favoured in the predominantly lightish conditions at last week’s Cherub nationals at Stone SC (see http://www.ybw.com/auto/newsdesk/20030602093704Sailpower.html). Both had good upwind speed and able to go very deep downwind. They both used a tall Superspar/Caws rig with moderate pre-bend, quite flat mainsails and masthead spinnakers.

Sims’ and Goodwin’s boat, designed and built and featuring sails and spars built by Sims, was undoubtedly extremely quick in moderate conditions, and it seems likely that the bowsprit breakage in race four cost them the series, as they would probably have won race four, and race five would also have been to their liking. Their rig is the tallest of the top contenders, with a lot more prebend in the topmast, and the monofilm mainsail is fuller than the Caws sails. Kinchin’s and Robert’s boat, designed and built by Roberts with a home built mast, has a quite different rig with a lower home built mast setting Batt Sails which or notably much fuller than those used by Sims or Paterson. They use the straightest mast of the three.