Christian sent me a heads up for the Contender web site
http://www.sailingsource.com/contender/ and a note about the videos there of
their 2004 championships at Lake Garda. I downloaded (right click and "Save
As") the large video which was filmed, edited and set to music by Andrea
Garofalo. The video runs for an hour and I was glued to the LCD for that time.
I've watched it several times now and I wanted to let you all know about it. If
you are the least bit interested in single handed skiff sailing its really a
great production to watch.
I recommend however that you download it over an evening while you are doing
something else (it took 4 hours with my Verizon DSL connection, your mileage
may vary) as it does not play well as a streaming video. Also the small mpeg
version on the web site is grainy and out of sound sync.
For those who have not see one, the Contender is a 16ft single-handed skiff
that can be home built of wood or bought from commercial builders. (you can
also buy a glass hull and make your deck). It was designed in 1967 by Bob
Miller who was later renamed Ben Lexcen and went on to design the first hull
ever to beat a US Americas Cup defender and to become somewhat a national hero
for that. The Contender class tightly regulates the hull shape and materials
but allows latitude in rigging. It is a cat rigged trap skiff that has no
spinn, looks like a large laser with a trapeze. Albeit with hugely better
performance than the laser.
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