Introducing The Experts

Your questions now answered by our new panel of experts

We are pleased to announce another major development for subscribers to The Daily Sail.

We have put together a panel of highly regarded and prominent industry experts who will be providing answers to your burning questions. Aimed at every racing sailor, from club racers to professional sailors, all our experts are onboard to help you with your racing.

Questions: How do I set up the rig on my RS400 for choppy conditions? What should I look for when buying a new suit of sails? How do I calibrate my instruments? What should I do about my sore back from hiking too hard? How can I tell when the seabreeze is coming? What are the advantages of a carbon rig, and should I replace my existing aluminum one? Should I use J clips on my jib sheets? What software choices are there available for routing? I got DSQ'd at the weekend, what did I do wrong?

Answers: The Experts

Simply email experts@thedailysail.com and we will filter, sort and send selected questions on to the right expert. We will then publish the question and answer. The Experts have their own dedicated area on the site where all questions and answers will be archived, ensuring that the resource grows and is available to all readers whenever you need it.

The Experts can be found via the button above on the main navigation bar.

So who’s on the Panel:

Navigation and Electronics
Steve Hayles, Technical Director of Diverse Yachts

Steve is most well known as an offshore navigator. He competed in 93-94 Whitbread Race as the youngest navigator in the history of the race, and since has been involved two other Round the World Races, most recently with the Volvo 60 Tyco as navigator.

He started sailing professionally at the age of 15, after being thrown out of school, and has competed in the majority of offshore classics such as the Admiral’s Cup, Fastnet, Sydney Hobart and transatlantic races.

On land he is the Technical Director of Diverse Yacht Services. The company has developed products such as Racevision and supply electronic hardware and software to many of the top racing teams worldwide.

Steve is currently working on developing a number of new products and software programmes in conjunction with partner companies and specific race boat projects.

Racing Rules
Richard Thompson, Vice Chairman RYA Racing Rules Group

Richard’s main role in the sport is as Vice Chairman of the RYA Racing Rules Group. This is combined with the additional duties of RYA National Judge and National Umpire.

He has crewed for many years in International 14s including once winning the Prince of Wales Cup. Having now hung up his harness and cancelled his extreme sports insurance, Richard spends his summer racing a Swallow in Chichester Harbour, with occasional success. Winter time is spent on the water as a team racing umpire.

Richard asks to ensure that questions are specific to an incident or problem encountered, and to give as much detail as possible. He is also keen to point out that his answers are inevitably a personal opinion and not those of the RYA!

Yachts Spars and Rigging
Eric Hall, Ben Hall and Phil Garland, Hall Spars

Eric Hall founded Hall Spars & Rigging in 1980 with Phil Garland. With two engineering degrees from the University of Michigan, Eric’s interest in aerodynamics and advanced composites is unquenchable. Eric is the source of a constant flow of ideas and challenges, and is the leader of research and development in Hall spar projects. Eric can often be found at the helm of a Swan or the Hall floating R&D platform Blackwing the modified J/90 with a rotating, free standing, carbon wing mast.


Eric, Phil and Ben

Phil was the winning navigator in the 1989 and 97 Fastnet Races and a two-time Mumm 30 North American champion. He has recently joined the Etchells class where he finished second in the 2003 Midwinter Series. Phil’s focus on the racecourse is legendary, as is his understanding of rigs and rigging. He tests new ideas on his other boat, the Quest 33 Samba, and is constantly searching for new and better rigging products to complement Hall spar technology.

Ben Hall joined Hall Spars & Rigging in 1984. The resident speed freak, Ben races the A-Class catamaran, and is a three-time North American champion. His envelope-pushing masts have led to tooling innovations for a wide range of craft. He is also Hall’s leader in many development classes, including the maxZ86 and America’s Cup rigs. Hall are the supplier of spars to Alinghi America's Cup Team.

Sails
Kevin Sproul, Sales Director of Sobstad UK

Famed for his Scottish accent and catchprase, ‘I knew that’, Kevin has a broad racing background from 420’s to Wally yachts.

He was RYA Youth Champion in the 420 and 4th at the Youth Worlds in 1981, he then went on to mount a 470 Olympic campaign. His first major role in the marine industry was with Topper, where he was involved with the development of the Iso, Buzz and Boss. During this time he also started to make a name for himself as a one design sailor, picking up the European titles in the Melges 24 and Mumm 30.

A move to Hyde Sails as Sales and Marketing director meant more yachting for Kevin and many championship wins in a variety of classes from IRC to Farr 40s. Now Sales Director for Sobstad Sails UK, he regularly races as tactician for Glynn Williams on Wolf.


Weather
Libby Greenhalgh, MSc Meteorology

Libby has an MSc in Applied Meteorology from the University of Reading. Younger sister of skiff sailors Pete and Rob, Libby was a top Optimist sailor before progressing to 420s. With Cailah Leask she competed in four World Championships and came 7th at the Youth Worlds in 1998. More recently she has been racing 470s with Ali McLeod and has sailed at the Worlds and Europeans. Her team won the BUSA Team Racing Championships in 200 and she has completed in match racing events both as helmsman and crew in Sonars and First Class 8s. She is currently putting together an Olympic 470 campaign.

Since becoming the resident meteorologist at The Daily Sail, with her expert weekend forecasts and the post weekend tutorial following on Mondays, she has now earned the title of Mystic Libby.

Dinghy and Keelboat Rigs
Chips Howarth, Performance Products Manager of Proctor Masts

Chip’s role at Proctor includes managing all aspects of the design, development and supply of the Proctor spar range.

Chips is also the personal coach of the top GBR 470 team, Nick Rogers & Jo Glanfield, coaching them to a 1st in Hyeres in 2001, this followed his role as 29er National Coach where his boys dominated with a 1st & 2nd in the 2001 World Championships.

As a sailor, Chips has campaigned a 470 on the Olympic circuit and been a National Champion in no less than 9 dinghy and sports boat classes, as well a European and World Champion and Endeavor Trophy winner.


Health and Fitness
Timo Malinen, Tim Spalding and Mark Tomson, TTT Yachting Medicine

A newly formed group of healthcare specialists, whose focus with TTT is to provide specific and appropriate advice and treatment to the sailing market.

Timo Malinen is a qualified Chiropractor and Physiotherapist from the University of Glamorgan and Tampere College of Healthcare Finland, respectively. He most recently was the Medical Coordinator for the Volvo Ocean Race and the representive for the Medical Advisory Committee during the Race.

Timo is an experienced sailor, having completed four Gotland Runts, the Fastnet and attended many other racing regattas. He has sailed a wide variety of yachts from Minis to Grand Mistrals. He is also famed for his guitar playing.

Tim Spalding is an Orthopaedic Consultant at Coventry Hospital. This means he knows an awful lot about bones and joints and specialises in knees, a common problem for sailors. His current active research area is the prevention of offshore yachting injuries. Tim has raced for many years; he was Optimist National Champion in 73 an 74 and has had notable success in the J24 fleet. He currently races an Etchells on the Solent. Tim has been Medical Advisor to the Volvo/Whitbread Race since 1989.

Mark ‘Tommo’ Tomson (right) is a GP. Well known as an experienced racing yacht crewman (which includes Admiral’s Cups and World Championships in many classes), he has had many sick and wounded sailors through the doors of his Hamble surgery. Tommo specialises in providing on board medical kits and has been Medical Advisor to top racing teams such as Kingfisher, ENZA and Royal Sun Alliance. Tommo has been Medical Advisor for the Whitbread/Volvo Race for over 10 years.

Sailing Law
Stephanie Calvin and Jonathan Oddy, Burgess Salmon Solicitors

Steph and Jonathan form part of law firm Burges Salmon’s Sports Law Unit, which advise clubs and owners of organisations and stadia throughout the sporting world as well as its leading participants. The team comprises a number of lawyers who are accomplished sportsmen in their own right and who have diverse legal specialisms including tax and trusts, commercial property, employment, commercial contracts, intellectual property, sponsorship, corporate finance and contentious matters.

In relation to sailing matters, Steph and Jonathan acted for GBR Challenge on its 2003 America's Cup Campaign and have been instructed as exclusive providers of legal services to GBR on its 2007 America's Cup campaign. They are also advising Nick Bubb in relation to his Mini Transat campaign and have previously advised clients on the Vendée Globe Challenge, the Admiral's Cup, and the Seattle Challenge for the America's Cup.