Women's Europe Day at Stokes Bay Sailing Club - Preview
by Andre Ozanne 17 Mar 04:22 NZDT
6 April 2024
New paint job from Synergy Marine - at the RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show 2024 © Magnus Smith
The Europe was introduced as an Olympic class in the 1992 Summer Olympics as the women's single-handed dinghy. Since 2008 the Europe is one of the Vintage Yachting Classes at the Vintage Yachting Games. The dinghy is ideal for sailors weighing 50-85 kilos. The hull weighs 45 kg, fully rigged 60 kg hence pulling the boat up the beach is a delight. A soft mast is best for light sailors, while heavier sailors use stiffer masts. Sails are also specially designed according to mast stiffness and crew weight.
As in a good downwind run, boats go up and boats go down, the Europe class in the UK has followed that pattern, since the move to the Laser in 2008 for the Womens Olympic single handed event it took a dip, previous to this the class had high turnouts with male and female in the late 70s and 80s with a high focus of women and from the early 90s to 2006 in the UK it was predominantly women in the class.
As the class was relieved from the Olympics its base moved overnight to the Radial and the class was evidently in a pretty big trough. Fast forward to 2018 and a fresh group of sailors with their children rocked up at the Nationals and suddenly interest tripled overnight. Malcolm Morley, Jonathan Tweedle, Lucy Boreham and of course the longest standing member and treasurer Richard Eagleton started the class climbing up some big waves.
Interestingly fleets in France, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, France, Poland,Finland, Sweden, Norway and Italy as examples didn't dip in the early 2000s and these countries have good proportions of youth, adults, male and female and have very buoyant class associations and events to date.
The UK class is really keen to change our current balance of women/men to bring it in line - dare we say - with Europe!!!
Stokes Bay Sailing Club has been growing a new phase fleet since 2018 when Emma Pearson started the new trend, from this embryo the fleet has grown steadily and now has the highest number of Women Europe sailors in the country. It also has the current national champion and a few international Moth sailors changing down on windy days to jump in their Europes. Of course there is some symmetry there in that the Europe measures as a Moth.
The latest Europist to come back to the Europe has some history in this anomaly, in that Louise Belben headed out to the Moth worlds in Germany in the 80s with Jason who had entered with a low rider moth. The outcome being Louise is Ladies Moth World Champ in a Europe!
Why would you decide to buy and sail a Europe? Its a beautiful boat, if it looks right it usually is right. Its a multi manufacturer one design allowing owners to make or choose the boat and its appendages. We can choose foils, N1, Milanes, Bloodaxe, EV or make your own, Sails you can get your best mate who is a brilliant sail maker to make you a sail - you don't have to go to the monopolies - it gets personal and this choice suits many, but not all of course.
Its a friendly class with a mix of adult/youth/male/female and one that is being developed. You can travel! Nationally and internationally, some fabulous opportunities to travel and race with some amazing locations and big very competitive fleets and friendly Europeans to interact with.
It has a great range of helm weights so this allows lots of opportunities husbands and wives, brothers sisters,big and small to line up on the same start, the hull has a lot of buoyancy and with a stiff rig and deep sail can keep the sailor at the higher end of the weight range still competitive in the light conditions, as with many classes the danger point it the marginal planning on reaches.
The class is always proactive with race management to choose windward-leewards when conditions suggest that this is an issue. At the other end of the scale to micros at 45/50 kg they have a bendy rig and floppy centre board and even a cut down sail and pull on the controls and fly downwind in a breeze.
Another good reason to get involved is the Youth and Masters European Championship in 2025 at Hayling Island Sailing Club another great event to aim for.
The Class Association have put on an event at Stokes Bay (6 April 2024) to celebrate and provide support and encouragement to women interested in Europe sailing. The day will be tailored to the requirements of the group, it will be based around set up up the boat and rig, technical, on the water training with some of the most decorated sailors in the country and a bit of social.
A demo boat loaned by Synergy Marine will also be available during the day and bookings are being taken for trial sails - please go to the classes Facebook page.
Finally a plug for our events coming up for the first half of the year: open meetings start with Chichester YC on the 24th March, Pevensey Bay 21st April, Rock 4th-5th May, Grafham 11th-12th May and the Nationals at Hayling Island 31st May - June 2nd.