With many of the southern hemisphere sailors that came to the 2023 OK Dinghy Worlds in Lyme Regis buying Ceilidh masts for the event last year, these masts have all been shipped back to Australia and are sharing the spoils together with masts from our colleagues at C-Tech at the Pre-Worlds 2024 that has just completed in Brisbane. Congratulations to Dave Clark who won the Pre-Worlds.
The first batch of Splash Dinghy Carbon masts has recently be delivered to the class builder. The mast is equal in performance to the aluminium masts but should not suffer from the permanent bend problems of the existing masts. Ceilidh developed the the mast exclusively for Jachtwerf Heeg who will be responsible for all sales and service enquiries. There is a quick guide for use (click here). For further information click here
As a natural development of products which utilize the 70mm x 50mm teardrop mould which Ceilidh designed for the Flying Dutchman class, the Contender dinghy seemed to be an ideal candidate for the achievable mechanical properties of this design.
Having been approached by Cicada Sails to develop a laminate schedule for the new Ceilidh Contender mast data from many of the top sailors in Europe was collated into a bend database which allows the comparison of the stiffness index both fore-aft and sideways. The different measurement systems can be combined in such a way to give a simple stiffness index which functions then as the reference for the design variations that Ceilidh can create. Please follow this link to our bend testing methods.
The prototype of the mast is finished in a similar fashion to our other stayed dinghy masts. Custom carbon detailing combined with standard fittings from Allen Brothers and Camcleats makes the finished product stand out. The foot is CNC machined from hard plastic (Delrin) and incorporates an innovative setup for the vang attachment. First testing will provide further information to finish the final development of this performance mast.
The masts are available to order in our webshop, along with spare parts as they become available. Rigging is offered separately as it will be custom made for each order. Each fully fitted mast will be supplied complete with measurement and a comprehensive bend datasheet. Please click here for a direct link to our webshop
Just prior to the COVID-19 outbreak we manufactured 3 FD masts for customers in The Netherlands and Switzerland. Unfortunately due to the lockdown restrictions we have not had too much feedback with regards to the performance, and definitely no results from regattas, however sailmaker Stephan Fels (SUI) was more than happy with his new mast, and notices the positive difference in gust response that we have been able to develop. We are pleased to announce a new collaboration with Axel Antrecht of FSA Segelsport GmbH based at the Steinhuder lake. We will be shipping two masts to him for further evaluation. Axel has ordered both a stiff mast and the new light crew reflex mast. For further information please contact our office via this link.
The past months, Ceilidh has been developing a new mast for the Merlin Rocket class. This class has an ‘open’ rule for various parts, so that new designs have the room to develop without tight restrictions.
The prototype mast is designed and manufactured in a similar fashion to all our dinghy masts, with an integrated sail track and aerodynamic ‘teardrop’ profile. This enables us to have more control over the fore-aft bending of the mast without influencing the sideways bend.
Working closely with sailors in the class it was clear that the best masts were made from High Modulus carbon with an outer diameter tube of 45mm and a bare weight of 4,6 to 4,8kg.
By using the teardrop section it is possible to increase the lateral stiffness due to surface area while reducing the outer diameter of the mast, thus making the mast more streamlined with less windage. The section has a width of 40mm, 10% smaller than all other masts, while still coming in a a meagre 4,52kg bare weight – Lighter and thinner!
The stiffness is in the same ballpark as other designs but there is still room for increasing the stiffness if required. First the mast will be tested to see if our concept generates the expected performance.
The sections will be most suited to a range of classes and a profile has also been commissioned to use as a gaff spar on a classic racer.
The initial batch of masts will retail at €3200,00 including VAT ex. works in The Netherlands. Shipment to the UK is about €150,00 €240,00 (post Brexit) including VAT and customs handling. For further information please contact our offices or get in touch with Andy Davis at HD Sails who has assisted us with the details and specs of the mast.
Recently a C-Tech FD mast was dropped off by a Dutch sailor for some repair work after a windy race. Below the pictures of the mast before and after repairs. By sleeving the two sections together and then removing the damaged layers one-for-one the mast can be repaired with little or no change to the bending characteristics.
The 2019 Splash Worlds took place on July 22-27 in Kamperland, Netherlands. Though the Splash is not a class sporting carbon masts, other products and services proved their usefulness during the week.
Congratulations to Finn Snijders, who clinched the title in the very last race and another outstanding performance by Jules van Raaij, who ended third. Both were sailing with the Ceilidh vang system and halyard, confident that both give them more flexibility in changing their setup mid-race to adjust to changing conditions.
However, there is more to winning a race than equipment. Ceilidh Composite Technologies also provided coaching for the sailors of Splash Team Zeeland. Knowledge of the area and conditions proved to be essential: where other teams were struggling, Team Zeeland was able to sail well consistently thanks to constant updates on tide and wind situations. Focus on race preparation and tactical awareness coupled with an analytical approach to the mast and sail combination teaches the team members ‘skills for life’ within the coaching program.
With the OK Dinghy World Championships beginning next week in New Zealand the fleet sailed a Pre-Worlds during the weekend of 2-3 February. This event is always useful to get an idea of how the different mast /sail combinations are working with most of the top sailors in the class taking part.
Jan Kurfeld (GER 18) on day 1 (Robert Deaves)
Our congratulations to Jan Kurfeld (GER) who won the event, closely followed by Nick Craig (GBR) in 2nd both using Ceilidh Composite Technologies PRO masts.
For further information on the Worlds please use one of the links below.
Having placed 2nd at the World Championships earlier this summer Fredrik Lööf from Sweden has won the European Championships after a thrilling final day of racing. After changing material supplier after the Worlds, Fredrik has been working together with Ceilidh and Green Sails to find the best combination to suit him. Racing was close, with 3 sailors challenging at the top in the great conditions of Bandol. In the last race Fredrik pulled away to secure his first title in his class. Congratulations.
Finn Class Medallists Aarhus World Championships 2018
Congratulations to the medal winners at the 2018 Finn World Championships which just finished in Aarhus, Denmark.
Especially rewarding for us was the return of Pieter Jan Postma to the Finn fleet. Having approached us exactly 90 days before the start of this event to work together the team has further developed a new concept of mast performance and control which had given us some success in 2016. At that stage the sailmakers were struggling to keep up with our developments which came too close to the Olympic Games.
With a short but intensive preparation together with PJ, Ed Wright, North Sails UK and Dinghy Racing Centre this time the performance improvement is marked. Our thanks to everyone involved for the enthusiasm, belief and confidence in our design. Also our thanks to the sailors for keeping us on the edge of our seats for the last week.
We are looking forward to the next stage of development to support our sailors during the selection process for Tokyo 2020.
