A number of classes, including the Fireball and Flying Fifteen, have moved from 2:1 jib halyards to 1:1 systems. The reasoning behind this has been weight and windage, but it has doubled the load on the turning block in the mast. This also came at a time when the classes started using higher rig tensions, further increasing the stress on the block, leaving Selden Mast’s Andy McCormack with a problem to solve and a solution to find… something he excels at.
The previous sheaves had ball-bearings and we asked Andy what problems this was causing in the jib halyard turning block, “The problem with ball-bearing sheaves is that they are designed to take a low load at high speed; they are low friction, with a rolling contact rather than sliding contact. The problem we had with this application (on certain dinghy classes) is that it’s a high static load, with very little movement once the jib is up. The ball bearing race wasn’t doing anything for you apart from reducing the bearing area, so we decided to move to a plain bearing.”
A plain bearing typically has no moving parts and can be made of a polymer, loaded with PTFE which is pressed into a housing and runs around a plain stainless steel shaft.
“In a static load situation the load handling is all about the area. The load is distributed over half the area of the shaft and all we need to do is stop the shaft and the sheave from deforming. The sheave still rotates very slightly as it is transmitting the full rig tension; the only time it has to rotate quickly is when the jib goes up and down which is under very light load where the sheave spins very well, without the need for ball bearings.” Andy explains.
So instead of a ball-bearing sheave, where the small contact area of the upper ball bearings take the full rig tension, the load is spread throughout the top of the plain bearing: a far greater surface area.
“We already had a lot of experience with very high specification PTFE plain bearings which we use in our deck hardware, so we first of all tried using a standard one of those in this application, but because the loads on this tiny sheave are huge even that wasn’t enough area. So we introduced an additional stainless steel bush inside the sheave to increase the load bearing area, increasing the load bearing diameter to 20mm. This meant – from a production point of view – we could keep the standard sheave box and pin so that it can be retrofitted into an existing mast.”
The new sheave is already proving popular and is getting the results. Most recently Steve Goacher and Tim Harper used the plain bearing sheave box on their Seldén Epsilon mast while winning the Flying Fifteen Worlds in New Zealand. The sheave has been thoroughly tested throughout 2016 by Team Seldén riders on the Fireballs and Flying Fifteens.
www.seldenmast.co.uk
The Houston Yacht Club hosted the J24 North American Championship this past weekend. 29 boats competed in the three-day event. Will Welles skippering Bogus won the regatta handily with a total of 22 points that included four 1st places in the ten races. Mike Ingham on Nautalytics finished 2nd with 31 points. Finishing one point behind Ingham was Travis Odenbach on Honeybadger for 3rd place.
2017 North American Champion Will Welles and his team Bogus
Eckerd College, and up-and-coming sailing school, is making waves in the ICSA. They just qualified for, and finished 9th overall, in the ICSA Team Race Nationals, and also are competing at the ICSA Fleet Race National Championship in Charleston, SC. Led by Coach Kevin Reali, the team continues to impress the college sailing world. You can visit their results this season 
An oasis of learning in a vibrant city
Our waterfront campus is nestled on 188 acres along Boca Ciega Bay at the tip of St. Petersburg, a dynamic city of arts, culture and outdoor activities. Swimming, boating and sunbathing on our white-sand beach are all just steps away from your dorm room.
Native plants and wildlife cover the campus. Most of our faculty offices open directly outside or in common areas to encourage interaction with students. The bay and other natural areas are living laboratories for research — even for freshmen.
Study in a hammock or on a blanket on the beach or head to our modern library overlooking Fox Pond. Get a workout at the fitness center or at ouroutdoor pool.
Our waterfront campus is nestled on 188 acres along Boca Ciega Bay at the tip of St. Petersburg, a dynamic city of arts, culture and outdoor activities. Swimming, boating and sunbathing on our white-sand beach are all just steps away from your dorm room.
Native plants and wildlife cover the campus. Most of our faculty offices open directly outside or in common areas to encourage interaction with students. The bay and other natural areas are living laboratories for research — even for freshmen.
Study in a hammock or on a blanket on the beach or head to our modern library overlooking Fox Pond. Get a workout at the fitness center or at ouroutdoor pool.
When I started foam rolling three years ago, it changed my life. When I finished my first full marathon, I could barely walk after. I found out I had iliotibial band syndrome which is a pain on the outside of the knee due to tissue rubbing on your bone. At this point I was getting certified to become a personal training when I reached the section on flexibility, I learned all about foam rolling and the benefits. Once I started incorporating foam rolling into my routine my knee pain started to go away. Today I rarely have knee pain, and if I do, it’s because I missed some foam rolling sessions.
Foam rolling has changed my life as an athlete and in my everyday life. It could do wonders for you! If you want to better your sailing performance, enhance your recovery and your everyday life you need to add this to your routine now! You will be able to correct muscles imbalances, increase your flexibility and mobility, and prevent injury along with aid in your recovery. By adding foam rolling for only 5-10 minutes before and after sailing you can see these improvements. Why wait? Get out there and start rolling today!
atta was held at Toms River Yacht Club in Toms River, New Jersey. If you had the chance to read our article: 
their foils. After trying a practice start at around 10:15 am the race committee decided to move out into the bay for a more consistent breeze. The journey out to the bay didn’t take long for the sailors, and the race committee set up the course quickly. The breeze out in the bay was blowing 15-20 knots with about 1-2 foot chop. The course was an America’s Cup style course with a reaching start, windward leeward course. With this being some of the sailors first time racing in these boats it made for an interesting, exciting day. With the breeze the races were quick and some of the top sailors finishing in less than 10 minutes. Racing brought lots of s
pectators out, watching the fast, exciting, carnage filled racing. Eight races were sailed, and by the end of the day, you could see the exhaustion in the sailors. There was one boat breakdown f
breeze from the northeast again, but this time a puffy 10-15 knots with flat to 1 foot of chop. The sailors headed out again to the bay for more consistent wind. With the lighter conditions, you could see a big separation in the fleet. The breeze was shifty and slowly dying throughout the day making it very tricky to get up on the foils. Lighter sailors were using the wind to their advantage and throwing out some great finishes. The race committee was able to get 5 races in before the breeze dropped down to about 10 knots, calling it for the day. A total of 13 races were sailed giving the sailors two throw outs for the weekend. Reed Baldridge was able to pull off the win with 16 points, Conner Blouin in second with 20 points, and
