New women's Olympic match racer

We take a look at the newest Olympic Class, the Elliott 6

Last weekend the Elliot 6m was officially selected as the class of choice for the Women’s Match Racing at the 2012 Olympic Games.

With Match Racing being an entirely new event for the women, there was much discussion had by the ISAF Council around this decision before they eventually decided on the New Zealand designed, three person keelboat.

At the beginning of the meeting there were nine classes in the frame all of which had been approved at the Mid-Year Meeting in May. These were: Elliott 6m (Modified), J/22, J/24, J/80, Laser SB3 (Match), Sonar, Star, Ultimate 20 and the Yngling. However, before the Council could get into the business of selecting their preferred equipment there were two submissions pertaining to this decision that needed to be dealt with. The first was Submission M03-08 which, if passed would allow non-international ISAF classes to be selected for the Women’s Match Racing event. Obviously it was very important this went through as there are very few suitable keelboats that are an international Class. This submission was passed easily and with little need for debate.

The next submission was a bit more contentious and so the discussions went on significantly longer. Submission M04-08 called for the equipment selection for Match Racing to be postponed until the mid-year meeting. The reasoning for this was, unlike other disciplines, the class of boat used for Match Racing is much less important so a delay would not have an adverse effect on Olympic teams’ training and would allow the Council more time to select the right equipment. After much discussion, this submission was passed meaning the Council would be able to delay the decision if they wanted to. However, they then voted in favour of making the decision then and there, effectively negating the vote in favour of submission M04-08.

The next step was to make a decision whether the class would be a three person boat of a four person boat. In reality there was little choice to be made, the ISAF have been directed to reduce athlete numbers by the IOC – hence the removal of the 11th Olympic Medal – so to introduce a four man boat to replace a three man boat – the Yngling - would clearly have been a step in the wrong direction. In light of this, the decision was quickly made that only a three man boat would be suitable for the event. With this in mind the field of possible classes had been reduced significantly with only the Elliott 6m, Laser SB3, Ultimate 20 and Yngling still left in the running.

Finally, after voting on whether the boat would be supplied at the Olympics and Olympic Qualifying Events – Council decided it must be – and after deciding that, where possible, the Olympic Qualifying for Match Racing will be aligned as closely as possible to the Olympic Events, Council voted in favour of the Elliott 6m by a significant majority.

The Elliott 6m

Although the Elliott 6m has been voted in by the Council it is actually a modified version of the boat that will be used. Primarily the changes would be based around making the boat easier to transport – allowing a lifting keel – and having a wider wind range when sailed by three women – therefore an 11% reduction in sail area.

While the Elliott 6m is well known down under, there are many, particularly in the northern hemisphere that have never heard of this boat or seen one. The class was designed by New Zealander, Greg Elliott after the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron asked him to come up with something to replace his earlier design, the Elliott 5.9 for their Youth Sailing Scheme. It did not take long for the Elliott 6 to find its way into the world of Match Racing and is widely used throughout Oceania, particularly for Youth and Female Match Racing, though is not used extensively elsewhere about the globe. The boat is sailed four up for match racing events, though it is also sometimes used in the three person format, mostly for men’s regattas.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Elliott 6’s past, specifically in respect of the Women’s Match Racing event at the Olympic Games was its use at the Women’s Match Racing World Championships earlier this year in Sydney. What this means in reality is that many of the match racers who sail outside of the Southern Hemisphere have all had the chance to race the boat and make some opinions about how suited to the job it is. One team from Britain who attended the World Championships - eventually finishing fourth – were Josie Gibson, Barbara Watson, Rachael Blackburn and Rebecca Marriott, who let us know their thoughts on the boat. “All this time we've been saying that ISAF should choose the Elliott 6s and now they have. I think I speak for most when I say ISAF have done great on their choice,” comments Marriott.

It would seem the boat is likely to be a popular choice and it is not particularly difficult to see why. Being designed as a symmetric spinnaker boat is a major bonus in match racing terms when many of the modern sporty boats tend to be asymmetric. What this means in effect is that the boat does not have to be adapted for match racing and yet is also quick and modern in feel.

The Elliott 6 is also very physical for the team as it is an out and out sports boat hiker, rewarding effort from every member of the crew. “The Olympics are supposed to be physically challenging,” Marriott continues. “[The Elliott] has a very powerful rig which was great for four girls and now its only 3-up they are reducing it, which is the correct thing to do, as well as adding the lifting keel.”

Interestingly, Marriott thinks the cockpit was a little cramped with four people in it at the World Championships and believes three will be much better in terms of space. However, the removal of one crewmember will make things very tough on the remaining three sailors. “From a boat handling aspect, we realised we needed three and a half people to sail it best really but that will be the same for everyone and just makes it more challenging until you have organised your crew work.” A major plus with the boat is that the sheet loads are fairly low due to it being fairly sporty. With this in mind there is no need to winch the jib with either a very small winch or a ratchet block being used. This means no-one will need to be down to leeward grinding out of tacks, which again will help in the high speed manoeuvres often required in match racing.

In terms of layout the boat is very modern with an extremely open and clutter free cockpit. In fact we are told the boat looks and feels much closer to a dinghy than a keelboat - with spinnaker bags at the front of the cockpit and the spinnaker pole stored on the boom it is very similar to a 470. With this in mind much of the bow work is done from within the cockpit, though this may change as the boats begin to be sailed with three instead of four.



What will be particularly interesting with the Women’s Match Racing will be the convergence of those already involved in the match racing scene and those coming in from the Olympics and Yngling racing (above). The weight limit for the Elliott 6 is currently 205kg – though there is talk of it changing or being removed – which would mean many Yngling teams will have to add something in the region of 20kg to their overall crew-weight, with most sitting below the 190kg bracket at the Olympics this year.

Adding a lifting keel to the boat is obviously going to be a major advantage in transporting Elliotts around the world and should allow four boats and all the associated kit to fit into a standard 40ft container. In terms of getting boats out to teams as quickly as possible and supplying equipment for the Olympics and qualifying regattas, the Elliott 6m is in a very strong position. The boat itself is manufactured by McConaghy Boats in China, and Elliott Marine Limited claim they will be able to get 100 boats out on the water in the next year.

Although we are still dubious about the addition of Women’s Match Racing to the Olympic Games, it does seem the ISAF have made the best selection when it comes to the class of boat used. The Elliott 6m is fast and physical, good looking even, and is already widely used for match racing. There should be few problems with supply and getting four to a container is a big bonus in terms of travel expenses. The Elliott 6 offers match racing everything it needs to be successful at the Olympics, now it is a case of waiting to see if this discipline can deliver.