We have been working with Laser 4.7 U16 European champion Flo Nicholls to optimise an outhaul system for the 4.7. It is now available!. Flo, has had a busy few months – here is a great write up from her….
I have just completed my school exams and after a brief break from sailing, I am itching to get back into my Laser 4.7. I was so happy with my result in Greece during the Easter Holidays at the Laser 4.7 European Championships, winning the U16 European Champion Title is of course fantastic and it was amazing to listen to the National Anthem being played and watch the Union Jack being raised at the Prize Winners Ceremony! This is the same Championship my sister Matilda won in Crozon, France in 2016 and watching her with the Medal Ceremony has been a great motivator for me ever since, so very special to now have matched her achievement.
However for me the bigger satisfaction was the 9th place overall in the U18 competition. Most of my sailing has been in groups of sailors older than me and it was great to be able to break into the top 10 in Europe aged only 14. My coaches including Greg Carey and Hannah Snellgrove from RLymYC, Tim Hulse and Alex Mills Barton from UKLA/RYA, plus Martin Boatman and James Hadden (RYA Laser 4.7 National coaches) have been especially helpful to me these past months and years helping me step onto the top of the podium.
When I started talking to Max at Southeast Sailboats about upgrading my Laser control lines, I didn’t quite appreciate what a difference it would make. Instead of systems with friction and some fairly ‘Heath Robinson” knots to hold everything together, I now have a fantastic set-up with the right types of ropes, and some very clever spicing to give me a set-up, which when racing, I am very confident will be 100% reliable. Having confidence in your equipment is absolutely key to a successful day on the race course. Southeast Sailboats outhaul system is very neat and it has been really interesting helping them evolve the “Go with Flo” 4.7 specific set-up.
Southeast Sailboats has just launched the ‘Go with Flo’ outhaul system – optimised for the 4.7 with the help of Flo Nicholls, Laser 4.7 U16 European Champion. The outhaul system uses our unique ‘double puller’ elastic set to the optimum length for the 4.7, and with a longer primary line for the 4.7. It uses a combination of Harken 18mm and 29mm blocks. Flo uses our standard 6:1 Harken 29mm downhaul system. The ‘Go with Flo’ kicker system is set up using the maximum purchase 15:1, an SK99 primary line, a choice of secondary lines, and uses the metal Harken 16mm air block which the 4.7 coaches seem to prefer over the newer carbo block.