
National Eighteen Class
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The National 18 was originally an Uffa Fox
design from 1936, which was christened the ‘Uffa Ace’. It
was tough, with a heavy metal plate, an excellent racer-cruiser on the
sea, and fleets sprang up soon after the war at several locations
around the coast. There
were 18s at Tamesis by the early 1950s, and, largely because of the
tall rig, large mainsail and good manoeuvrability, they
also proved to be good river boats.
It is a restricted
class, thus allowing development as new ideas and materials emerge. It was in 1970 that the
first GRP boat emerged, to a design by Ian Proctor, and built for
Murray Vines at Tamesis. New
hulls are now built on the west coast of Ireland using the Class mould,
and are generally equipped with Proctor masts and McWilliam sails. Thus new boats have become
virtual one-designs.
The Tamesis fleet of 15
boats - the largest in the UK - is a mix of wood and GRP. The oldest dates from 1938
and the newest was launched in 2004.
Each boat has a character of its own.
Racing at the Club recognises both first past the post and
handicap – giving everyone a chance to win the numerous Class trophies.
The annual championship
rotates between Cork, Findhorn (near Inverness), the Isle of Man and
Tamesis, and attracts about 30 entries.
The river is not an ideal venue, so we have to organise it
elsewhere e.g. St Mawes in 2001 and Portland in 2005 and 2009.
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Lining up for a downstream start
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Bunching at the downstream mark
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Running up the Middlesex bank
National 18 Association website: www.national18. com
HOME >> ABOUT THE CLUB > ABOUT THE SAILING > NEWS > RACE REPORTS > COMING EVENTS > LINKS
25.05.10