One year DNA; our market view

Almost one year ago the DNA made its debut at the Vele di Pasqua. We wil have producec and delivered 55 more before the coming Vele di Pasqua. This time our new mast will make its debut.

We will start making masts because people who want to enther the class prefer to buy complete boats and availability is a problem nowadays. It also helps us to keep the price of the boats reasonable.

It is not our intention to dominante the market just to have a healthy business model.

As manufacturer we have a marketshare of about 40% know, our aim is not to grow beyond that but to grow further because the A-market itself becomes bigger. A bigger market is good for all of us. Past years and past winter not only have been good to us but also to the mastmakers and sailmakers. The sailors have more choice and will get better products as competition both speeds up innovation and improves quality.

The A-class is both a community and a commercial platform. It is not a manufacturers class. We love the A-class and have no intention to transform it into a DNA class.

Bimare showed us the way. Bimare makes almost all parts by themselves. If you are in a small market you need enough value added to have a healty business. We expect to see 2 or three big manufacturers and some smaller. The smaller one will focus on the platforms and buy more parts and the bigger firms will make more in house.

We will see some strong part manuafacturers and some smaller  too. Although Fiberfoam and Saarberg dominate we also see good masts of Bimare (in house producion primarily used on Bimare's boats) and Hall spars.

The A-class as a class has a huge potential. We started our business to make  competitive boats available to our friends and to new entrants. Once we have the new mast we can sell complete boats which is essential to attract new sailors. Sofar only a few new sailors entered the class and those were often facilitated by an A-class sailor they knew.

Coming year we want to promote the A-class to attract more F18, skiff, Moth, Finn, Laser and other sailors who want to have a high performance cat.

We just attracted two Mach 2 sailors, who loved their Mach 2 but swapped to the A-class due to its simplicity and the huge weather window you can use it in.The A-class is still relatively unknown to the bigger sailing public and has only a small installed base in Europe of approximately 1000 boats. We think we can expand that to a few thousand the coming 5 years. From a traditional A-class perspective absurd, but if you see the unmet needs of sailors in their fourties with money and no time you might see the potential too.

Happy sailing.

Victorian Sate titles

Dean Barker at the first mark

Glenn drifting

Report by Rober Griffits:

Australian A class Racing.

With the onset of Autumn in the southern hemisphere, the sailing season is moving onwards towards a close in mid to late April. However for the A class Catamarans, there is still a hectic regatta circuit underway, with the Victorian, New South Wales ,and Queensland State Titles organised in quick succession.

The Victorian State Titles have just concluded at the McCrae Yacht Club on the Mornington Penisula  ,and the New South Wales Titles are planned for next weekend, at Kurnell, just south of Sydney. The Queensland Titles will follow on Brisbane's Moreton Bay on the Easter long weekend.

The Victorian event attracted 41 boats, and took on an Interdominion flavour with 5 New Zealand boats competing. Team New Zealand coach, Glenn Ashby arranged for 5 of his  America's Cup sailing team pupils, including his skipper Dean Barker, to make the trip across the Tasman Sea.

The wind gods  were not particularly kind on the first two days. There was little in the way of wind on the first scheduled day of racing and hence nothing in the manner of racing.

Day two dawned again with not much  wind ,but eventually a light north easter prevailed to allow one race to be completed. In this race,the better wind was  found along the eastern shore and provided  power to tackle an adverse 2 knot current. The usual suspect, Glenn Ashby won, with Dean Barker taking out second, and Dave Brewer third. An anticipated south westerly front arrived a little later in the day, but at 30 knots plus, it proved too strong to allow any racing.

Day 3 was the decisive day. The Race committee planned to run 4 races. The boats left the shore in very light winds prior to 0900 and then drifted until a race was at 1000. The race started with the breeze  offshore from the south East at around 6 to 10 knotes but very shifty. Following this race, the committee shortened the race legs and managed to complete all 4 races hence create a series. The wind increased steadily over the morning to around 15 knots by the end of the day.

Glenn Ashby won all but the last race, in which he finished 5th, He demonstrated great ability to master the shifty conditions, and seems to be able to dial up great boatspeed regardless of the wind strength.

Dave Brewer sailing a Geltek Flyer 2, sailed consistent races and recorded 3,5,3,5,2, to place second overall. David was the only competitor in the top 5 not on a DNA. Team New Zealand Skipper Dean Barker finished 3rd overall after a 2nd in the first race, and a win in the last race.

The other top 10 finishers (in order) were Steve Brayshaw (DNA),  Graeme Parker (DNA), Scott Anderson (Geltek Flyer 2), Chris Cairns (Tool), Dave McKenzie (Bush Object), Brad Collett (DNA), and Adam Beashel (DNA).

The McCrae Yacht club are to be congratulated for hosting a successful regatta in very trying conditions.

The racing focus moves now to New South Wales. A different playing field  , some different faces in the competion, and hopefully some consistency in the winds. The forecast is promising at this early stage, with projected 10 to 12 knot easterly breeze on the Saturday, and afternoon north easterly winds increasing to 18 knots on the Sunday.

Unfortunately, Glenn Ashby and his band of Team New Zealand sailors, are back to the "Land of the Long White Cloud" and will not be in attendence. The regatta favorite will be Steve Brewin, the current World number two. Kurnell is Steve Brewin's home turf, and he will be a strong opponent. He was unable to sail in the Victorian States due to illness, but by next weekend he should be fighting fit.

Bob Griffits/Julian Jenkins/Ian Johnson.

Are you ready?

Glenn trapezing downwind

Stevie trapezing downwind

Dean trapezing downwind

Glenn in control

Stephen bow up downwind

Temperatures are rising in Europe and we are getting hungry again for our boats. The Aussies started the 2011 season with their nationals. They showed that trapezing downwind is the new norm. The idea is to trapeze downwind in anything between 8-18 knots. Often you go deeper and faster than the others.

The curved boards are beyond discussion now.

The curved board boats are both faster upwind and downwind. Slightly faster upwind and immensely faster downwind if doing the wildthing. Hiking out you are 2-3 knost faster than the straight board guys and trapzeing you can add another 2 knots. Where in the past it was very difficlult get an A-class over 20 knots you see it regularly know. Speedburst of 21-22 knots downwind are seen regularly. In flat water in big gusts amazing speeds are recorded (do not tell how fast as you would not believe me....)

The DNA is dominating in Australia with 18 boats send over to Australia in the winter. Another 32 are delivered to our customers in Europe. Manolo is already dominating the scene in Spain and others are following him. DNA's have been send to Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Danmark and Austria.

The DNA has changed the A-class scene; A-class sailors are beating F18's round the course now by minutes  and people just love their superstiff racing machines. Robust and refined.

Are you ready too? Get yourself a DNA and be part of the action.

Order now and get your own DNA before Easter. Go to Vele di Pasqua and join the other DNA's in some fine Easter racing.

Test event on Mar Menor; the pure joy of the curved foils

Ramp at Los Alcazares (southern Spain 2300 kms under Amsterdam)

Micky's blue boot with must to have footstraps.

Last week some Dutch, an Austrian Girl, one Englishmen and two Germans had their test event on the Mar Menor. The same place where the Europeans were hosted a couple of years back. Long drive but great club, sunshine and decent see breeze. Next year we will be back as it was a great opportunity to escape the cold in Northern Europe.

Last weekend the local Spanish sailors joined us for 6 races in 4-5 bft. DNA's (6 present) dominated the fleet and Manolo showed why time on the water matters. He showed superb style downwind trapezing, which will be the norm for the 2011 season.

I takes some guts to throw yourself over the side while already doing 17 knots, but you will be rewarded with 20 knot plus speeds. Once on the side  it is easier than you would expect, though you need the footstrap if the wind picks up.

If you trapeze downwind the leeward bow comes up (see video on the left) and the boat balances completely on the curved boards, a special sensation, remarkably sensistive and light steering. It feels refined, fast and is incredibly fulfilling.

Manolo was using a new Ashby sail, Chris his new Pinkhammer sail, Thilo a Brewin sail and I was using a brand new L&R sail (Brad Collet's choice at the AUS nationals). All these new sails on soft foreaft masts have more power downwind, which results in both more speed and more depth.

Chris and Manol did use the soft Fiberfoam 2011 and I did use our tapered ARCprototype mast.

I was very hapy with my combo and showed good speeds both upwind and downwind, though I felt that the mast was still a little bit too soft. The tapered section which is both smaller and thinner has less drag and I could easily choose to go for either height or for speed upwind and could steer really deep downwind both in flat mode and wildthing mode.

We will start producing the masts in one month and will present it in Cesenatico during the Vele di Pasqua, exactly one year after the baptizing event of the DNA.

A-class is much more physical now, trapezing all the time and agressive bow up tacks (not fast but can happen...). The old men need to get fit before the 2011 season....