18ft skiffs at the RYA Dinghy Show

Rob Greenhalgh's new Holt-sponsored weapon on display

The 18ft skiff class will be making a return to the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show 2009 at stand C58 in the centre of the Great Hall. On display will be Rob Greenhalgh’s brand new Holt-sponsored boat featuring a unique new UK designed and built rig and sails package from Selden and Norths.

Also on display will be video footage from the 2008 UK circuit showing the boat and the rest of the class in action as well as footage from last month’s JJ Giltinan Championship in Australia. The class will be announcing details of the 2009 UK and European circuit and further information on the inaugural Mark Foy Trophy for the International Championship to be held at Carnac in Brittany in June.

Finally the latest headcam equipment from Predator, who have committed to supply equipment for the 2009 season, will be on view.

Mark Foy trophy

The inaugural International Championship for the class, an initiative of the newly constituted global class association, will be held in Carnac, Brittany over 27 June-4 July. With up to 40 teams expected from across Europe, Australia, NZ and the Americas, the event is building up to be the largest and most competitive 18ft Skiff regatta in the history of the class.

Rig Developments

The 18ft skiff class has made substantial progress in both spar and sail design over the past few years, primarily driven by the Australian fleet, with a move to square top mains and hi-modulus carbon mast sections. The latest example of this will be in display at the stand with the new profiled hi-modulus carbon mast developed by Selden UK and a new sails package from the North One Design's UK loft both developed for Rob Greenhalgh’s new campaign. The package has already proven to be almost unbeatable on the UK circuit and the spars showed great promise in the recent JJ Giltinan Trophy regatta on board Andy Budgen's skiff Project Racing.

2009 circuit

Full details of the UK and European circuits, which in addition to the Mark Foy Trophy, include a UK National Championships at Hayling along with the fleet’s customary European pilgrimage to Lake Garda, will be available on the stand.

Video and head cams

On the stand at the Dinghy show will be footage shot at the 2008 Grand Prix event on the Solent by 1080 Media. A perfect days skiff racing in a force 3-4 with some classic Solent chop showing the flying eighteens at their best. Sailcam.tv have produced an exclusive montage of footage from last month’s JJ Giltinan Championships for the show, taken form their forthcoming 18ft skiff DVD.

For the circuit 2009 the class also will be supplied with the latest Predator head cams which can be seen on the stand. Expect to see a lot more of the thrills and spills of skiff racing up close and personal.