Supernova class steps forward in 2024
by Chris Hawley 14 Jan 2024 22:57 PST
Even the most successful one design boats like the Supernova need to make tweaks from time to time in order to keep the class fresh. Sometimes these tweaks are small and sometimes they are more fundamental.
2024 sees one of the largest steps forward in the class in its history - a new sail. This is the first major change in over 10 years since the transom was opened and the build moved to epoxy resin.
The Committee have been making some minor refinements to help keep the class current and at the forefront of the UK dinghy scene.
New sail
Hartley Boats have been busy designing and testing a new "square top" mainsail which was launched at the start of January. The new sail has been designed to help improve the usability of the boat, with increased gust control, increasing the already wide weight range (top sailors vary from 70kg to over 100kg).
The sail continues to be fully battened, a distinctive design feature of the Supernova, but now takes on a more modern silhouette with the square top.
The Class Association managed to get their hands on a pre-release copy of the sail and prepared a short video and review as part of the communication with their valued members:
The initial review from the Class Association has indicated the sail does exhibit better gust control and there doesn't appear to be a material difference in speed compared to the current sail (time will tell) - an impressive result from the sail loft at Hartley Boats.
Hartley Boats are currently running a '1 per person' new sail launch deal (available until 23 January 2024) agreed in negotiation with the Class Association. To date they have received nearly 200 orders (wow!) and the first batch are expected to be shipped in the coming days.
With 100+ entries expected for the 2024 nationals at Plas Heli (28, 29, 30 June) we expect the sail loft to be busy producing sails for the weeks and months ahead.
Other changes
The Class Association have decided that a prize structure based on age was quite archaic and have dropped this structure in favour of new 5 fleet system based on ability. This new fleet structure will help spread prizes through the fleet and allow individuals to focus better on personal targets. With an annual recalibration of the fleets, it will be good to see who gets promotion and who suffers relegation.
Our members have been busy working on the running rigging for the cunningham and the Class Association have shared some helpful hints and tips on this and other "tweaks" to help everyone enjoy their time to the max in their Supernova.
2024
The Craftinsure travellers circuit is now live on the Association website, with the first event being the Winter Championship at Bowmoor on 2 March 2024.
We expect nationals entry to open soon - what a time to be in this exciting class.