Sail Canada Calls for a Very Light Weight Female Dinghy for the 2024 Olympics

Moth Europe Sailing
In its recent submission to World Sailing, dated April 11 2018, Sail Canada is recommending a new female single-handed dinghy.

See link to consult the submission

The submission calls for a target athlete size of 150-165 cm and 50-60 kg — which is extremely low in terms of weight.

Indeed, many of the top Optimist sailors are in that weight range (typically 50 to 55 kg).

But Sail Canada probably did not have the Optimist in mind when making this submission :)

What are the currently available dinghies that would address this weight range ?

The Laser 4.7 could possibly fit, but frankly, it’s too powerful for a sailor being 50 kg. (check our interview with previous world champion Dimitris Papadimitriou regarding the ideal weight range for the 4.7 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEF4cA6He90 )

Both the RS Aero and Melges 14 have smaller sails options for lighter sailors.

The RS Aero 5 has a sail of 54 square feet.  The red version of the Melges 14 has is 58 square feet.

Both the aero and the melges are one design boats, with exclusive building rights, so they may not be acceptable for the olympics.

The previously Olympic Moth Europe - a boat still very much sailed in Europe - has a  60-70 kg range for top level competitiveness, which is just a little bit less than that of the Radial.

Note that the range of the Moth Europe probably is much more compatible with the actual weight range of female sailors than that suggested by Sail Canada.

And like with the Optimist, various sail cuts are available - addressing different weights. But the Moth Europe is, like the Finn, an expensive boat to sail, in part because of its carbon masts.

Interestingly, the UK Royal Yachting Association is not recommending a light-weight female dinghy in its submission - despite the presence of the RS Aero manufacturer in the UK.

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