The Spitfire is a high-performance catamaran used for training and racing. It was designed by two Olympic gold medalists in the Tornado class, Reg White and Yves Loday.
 Class symbol | |
| Development | |
|---|---|
| Designer | Reg White & Yves Loday |
| Year | c.2001 |
| Name | Spitfire |
| Boat | |
| Crew | 2 |
| Trapeze | Twin |
| Hull | |
| Type | High Performance Catamaran |
| Construction | Sandwich Polyester |
| Hull weight | Boat Weight 139 kg (306 lb) |
| Rig | |
| Rig type | Mainsail, Jib & Asymmetric Spinnaker |
| Sails | |
| Mainsail area | 15.5 m2 (167 sq ft) |
| Jib/genoa area | 4.5 m2 (48 sq ft) |
| Spinnaker area | 19.0 m2 (205 sq ft) |
In the UK, the Spitfire is the RYA Youth Catamaran as well as a successful racing class with National Championships held annually. The youth squad sailors compete at the class events like open meetings and nationals as well as some 'youth only' events such as the RYA Youth National Championships and youth squad training events.
Overview
editThe Spitfire, at 16 ft, is relatively small in comparison to the other main catamaran racing classes in the UK (F18s, Tornados, Hurricane 5.9s, Dart 18s and Sprint 15s). The Spitfire is a competitive racing class at handicap events, Spitfire events or in club races and is regularly seen in pole position at UK catamaran events. The British Spitfire Class Association provide the latest Spitfire news via their Facebook page and organize Spitfire events such as the inland and nationals championships. The Inland Championships are raced for the Jess Eales Memorial Trophy, in memory of one of the classes best and most well respected sailors.
Youth Squad
editThe Spitfire was selected to replace the Hobie Dragoon as the RYA Youth Catamaran and since then it has become a top youth class. After the 34th Americas Cup which was held on AC45 and AC72 Catamarans, the numbers of sailors not only in the youth squad, but in the class in general, reached record numbers and at the 2016 RYA Youth Nationals, 13 entries were recorded (almost twice the number of entries in 2014). The UKCRA Youth Squad use the Spitfire as their training platform and their main racing class however the squad also attend events in other classes such as the SL16 World Championships and the Red Bull Foiling Generation.[1] The Spitfire was replaced as the RYA Youth Multihull in 2017 by the new Nacra 15.
Champions
editEuropean Champion
| Year | Nation | Location | Helm | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 |  |
Locmariaquer Sailing Club | Fabrice Berranger |
Stephane Berranger
|
| 2003 |  |
Netley Sailing Club |  Stuart Gummer |
Chris Rashley
|
| 2005 |  |
Royal Cork Yacht Club | Chris Sproat |
Georgina Burke
|
| 2006 | |
Yaverland Sailing Club | Chris Sproat |
Georgina Burke
|
| 2007 | |
Locmariaquer Sailing Club | Jonathan Loday |
Arnaud Gautier
|
| 2008 |  |
Ostend Sailing and Racing Club | Chris Sproat |
Georgina Burke
|
UK National Champion
| Year | Location | Helm | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Whitstable Yacht Club | Stuart Gummer | Chris Rashley |
| 2004 | Stokes Bay Sailing Club | Mike Scantlebury | Dave Harris |
| 2005 | Worthing Yacht Club | Jonathon Loday | Ellen Forshaw |
| 2006 | Pagham Yacht Club | Jonothon Loday | Mike Windle |
| 2007 | Pagham Yacht Club | Stuart Gummer | Hannah Burke |
| 2008 | Brightlingsea Sailing Club | Chris Sproat | Georgina Burke |
| 2009 | Minnis Bay Sailing Club | Alex Farr | Marcelle Newbold |
| 2010 | Brightlingsea Sailing Club | Henry White | Ed Redfearn |
| 2011 | Minnis Bay Sailing Club | Rupert White | Nicola Boniface |
| 2012 | Brightlingsea Sailing Club | Rupert White | Nicola Boniface |
| 2013 | Eastbourne Sovereign Sailing Club | Gary Smith | Lynn Whitmore |
| 2014 | Brightlingsea Sailing Club | Paul Limpus | Oli Greber |
| 2015 | Stokes Bay Sailing Club | Jack Butters | Sam James |
| 2016 | Brightlingsea Sailing Club | Jack Butters | James King |
| 2017 | Stokes Bay Sailing Club | James Stacey | Catherine Elson |
| 2018 | Brightlingsea Sailing Club | Tom King | James King |
UK Inland Champion
| Year | Location | Helm | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Yves Loday | James Bird |
| 2002 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Stuart Gummer | Chris Rashley |
| 2005 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Alex Farr | Marcelle Newbold |
| 2006 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Chris Rashley | Elizabeth Jury |
| 2009 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Henry White | Ed Redfearn |
| 2010 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Henry White | Ed Redfearn |
| 2013 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Grant Piggott | Megan Smith |
| 2014 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Tony Stokes | William Smith |
| 2015 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Jack Butters | James King |
| 2016 | Grafham Water Sailing Club | Matthew McRobbie | Molly Desorgher |
UK Youth National Champion
| Year | Nation | Location | Helm | Crew |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | |
Hayling Island Sailing Club | Rupert White | Nicola Boniface |
| 2012 |  |
Pwllheli Sailing Club | Andrew Sinclair | Joshua Potts |
| 2013 |  |
Largs Sailing Club | Tom Britz | Abbie Hewitt |
| 2014 | |
Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy | Sam Barker | Ross McFarlane |
| 2015 | |
Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy | Sam Barker | Victoria Akhurst |
| 2016 | |
Pwllheli Welsh National Sailing Academy | Jack Butters | James King |
| 2017 | |
Hayling Island Sailing Club | William Smith | Abigail Clarke |
Notable Sailors
editChris Rashley: International Moth UK National Champion 2015
Rupert White: SL16 ISAF Youth World Championships Bronze Medal (Helm) 2011 and SL16 ISAF Youth World Championships Gold Medal (Helm) 2012
Nicola Boniface: SL16 ISAF Youth World Champion (Crew) 2011
Tom Britz: SL16 ISAF Youth World Championships Gold Medal (Crew) 2012
James Henson: SL16 ISAF Youth World Championships Bronze Medal (Helm) 2013
Oli Greber: SL16 ISAF Youth World Championships Bronze Medal (Crew) 2013
References
edithttp://www.yachtsandyachting.com/class/Spitfire http://www.spitfiresailing.org.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spitfire-Sailing-UK/127859340600800 http://www.youthcat.org.uk/ https://www.facebook.com/UKCRAyouth