Another blasting video; The Cherub class

The Cherub is a twelve foot development class, originally started by the renowned Kiwi designer, John Spencer. It's still mostly an Antipodean class with a smattering in the UK. With it's light weight and assymetric spinnaker, it has a reputation of one of the great blaster dinghies in the world, without going into the complex and expensive world of the skiffs.

I crewed a regatta on an English Cherub in the 70's, a plywood V-shaped Forman 4 design. They had enormous spinnaker poles that hung off the boom and, for the crew, it took forever to push them out (the gybes entailed taking them all the way in again and pushing them out....if I remember correctly). They flew shikes (shy kites) a flattish triangular spinnaker set up for reaching rather than running. Unfortunately, the regatta was in light air, but I was still impressed at the power and responsiveness of this 12 footer.

Forty years on the class has evolved into a very impressive speedster and because of the smaller size of the sails, the Cherub attracts lighter weight crews.

Let's go to the videotape of a very skilled coed crew having a great time.

Wowee! Lets just absorb the experience of going very fast in a small racing dinghy. Just look at the wake disappearing astern, listen the whine of the foils at speed, feel those big wallops of spray, the hull slamming as it skips from wave to wave.......and then, for some reason, it all stops!