New Zealand Zephyr Singlehander Dinghy

Here is another 11 foot singlehander, just like the Classic Moth, though it is a one-design class. The Zephyr is a New Zealand only class, designed in 1956 by Des Townson. They celebrated their seventy year anniversary this year with an 80 boat National Championship, which shows the class is doing something right. This is definitely one of those Retro singlehanders surging into a current day renaissance, despite all the online squawking about the need for "modern singlehanders".

Some of the 80 Zephyrs lined up on the beach of the Manly Sailing Club, Auckland, NZ, for the 2016 Nationals.

A classic dinghy shape from 1956, the Zephyr has a Vee'd transom. This one is fully kitted out with modern accoutrements such as a tactical compass, carbon tiller, blades fully protected in their bags.

The class is just in the process of legalizing fiberglass hulls but up to this point, all hulls have been cold-molded (a few have been strip planked) from one class approved mold. The decking, as shown, is substantial and sturdy. Minimum weight of the hull is not super-light, 58 kg (127lbs. - still lighter than a Laser).

The Zephyr has a lowish roach, full battened sail on a stayed aluminium mast that is stepped on the deck.

And, yes, they do look to be quite a lively planing boat when the wind comes up.

Zephyr Class Association.

Kiwi Neil Kennedy emailed me with these observations on the Zephyr dinghy:

"Above 15kn's a Zephyr, which is a quite powerful boat,  would be able match a Classic Moth although the Europe dinghy hulls, with their international moth style rigs and 80 sq ft of SA, would match a Zephyr in the same breeze. By the way the biggest age group at the recent nationals was (50-59) ( Ah! The "silver fleet" is where the action is).

Header Photo: Zephyr Dinghy OTP

OTP = On the Plane (This was the name of the U.S. International 14 newsletter - not sure if it still is - probably not since newsletters have gone the way of the Dodo bird.)

The previous photo featured the New Zealand Zephyr class ripping along. The Zephyr is one of four 11-footer conventional racing classes featured in the blog (Classic Moth, Europe Dinghy, British Moth, and the Zephyr).

Header Photo: New Zealand Zephyr Class; Waterline Shot

The previous header photo is an unique waterline shot of the 11' New Zealand Zephyr singlehander. Designed by Des Townson in 1956, they had 55 boats show up for their 2018 National Championship. In poking around the latest Zephyr class newsletter, notes from the AGM shows the class is moving towards approving full fiberglass boats. (At the moment you can have fiberglass hulls with wood decks.)

"Zephyrs are getting older. Current sailors will repair and maintain boats but newer sailors are less hands-on and don’t fiddle with boats. Zephyrs are now too expensive for newer sailors. Suggestion that younger sailors would join the class, but the need to maintain the boats was a deterrent. This supports the argument for a full fiberglass boat."

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For more reading: fellow sailing blogger, Kiwi Alden Smith, writes regularly and humorously about racing his Zephyr.

Header Photo: Sabre Dinghy and the Return of the Retro Singlehanders

The previous header photo is of Aussie Matt Kiely sailing the Australian singlehander Sabre class dinghy. The photo was lifted from the South Gippsland Y.C.Facebook page.

Probably the major trend in dinghy racing over the last 30 or so years has been the growth of singlehanded racing at the expense of doublehanded or triplehanded classes. And the trend since the millenium has been the explosive comeback of  what I call the retro hiking singlehanders; those other singlehanded classes designed before, or around the date of the introduction of the Laser (1969). For the most part, these classes are not international (excepting the OK Dinghy and Europe Dinghy); they are popular country-by-country or region, and they attract fleets of thirty, forty or more boats at major championships. They have a builder or two turning out modern hulls, some have carbon masts, many have aluminum. They seem to fill a need in the marketplace that the Laser does not.

I have compiled a list of retro singlehanders. I have excluded the Olympic Finn - 1949 (which has a huge Masters scene) and singlehanders with hiking assists (trapeze, sliding seat). Feel free to add your thoughts about this list in the comments section. (Before the Sunfish sailors jump all over me for excluding the Sunfish from the list - let me state the Sunfish has maintained high levels of popularity in parts of North America and parts of South America for many, many years - I don't see a comeback in popularity - they just maintained it.):

• Solo (U.K.) - 1956 - aluminum mast, stayed rig, full battens
• OK Dinghy (Den.) - 1957 - carbon mast, unstayed rig, short battens
• Streaker (U,K.) - 1975 - aluminum mast, stayed rig, short battens
• Phantom (U.K.) - 1971 - carbon mast, stayed rig, short battens
• Lightning 368 (U.K.) - 1977 - carbon mast, unstayed rig, short battens
• Sabre (Aus.) - 1974 - aluminum mast, stayed rig, full battens
• Impulse (Aus.) -1975 - aluminum mast, stayed rig, full battens
• O-Jolle (Ger.) - 1933 - aluminum mast, stayed rig, short battens
• Larken-Klasse (Ned.,Ger.) - 1920's - wood mast, stayed rig, full battens 
• Europe Dinghy (Moth) - 1960 - carbon mast, unstayed rig, short battens
• Zephyr (NZ) - 1956 - aluminum mast, stayed, full battens

Despite the recent introduction of the "modern" RS Aero, or Devoti D-Zero, with lightweight hulls, mylar sails (correction - the Aero has dacron sails), carbon rigs, it seems the singlehanded market is marching in the other direction. (I must admit the North American market is an anomaly here with not a lot of singlehanded classes under the Laser - still king by a long-shot-, and the Sunfish - a solid runner-up, The other singlehanded classes in North America - like my Classic Moth - are mustering small numbers...Oops! I forgot about the MC scow, now very popular in the U.S.)