I finally succumbed to buying a DF 95 to enable extra racing in 2024 to develop my skills. I have to say these boats are beautifully engineered and a delight to assemble. I have spent a few hours putting boat and rigs together, longer than I would have expected but when you do something for the first time it always takes longer. The instructions are 1st class and I am not surprised that the class has done so well globally. The build is nearly finished and I am pleased with the results. It will take a while to bed in the four rigs and I suspect the C and D will be rarely used then all I have to do is learn the nuances of the boat.
With the DF, Marblehead and IOM, I will have 3 National championships, one Europeans and a cluster of ranking days so my racing skills should be sharp by the time I get to the IOM Europeans.
Back to golf for a few days in this glorious weather and then off to Eastbourne next Sunday for an IOM District event.
Chipstead on Wednesday proved to be a good work out with 17 out of 19 wins with the open meeting rig. It would have been easy to lose focus but my goal was to maintain concentration all day. The discards were a 1st and two 2nds. Now if only I could do that in a ranking event.
Hi Nigel, Welcome to the world of DF95 sailing! I think these boats are brilliant. They require a lot of patience to set them up properly, but once you discover the sweet spot you can compete on pretty much the same terms as anyone. Don’t get me wrong I love IOMs too, but the simplicity of the 95 is very appealing and it’s so much easier to slip the boat in the back of the car for a quick session on the water! I hope you enjoy the journey.
Martin