FREE RULES QUIZ CD UPDATE
Once again UK Sailmakers is offering a free update to all those who bought the Real Time Racing Rules CD. This update adds quizzes 14, 15 and 16 to the first 13 quizzes. Quizzes 14 and 15 deal with situations at the windward mark and Quiz 16 covers three different situations at the committee boat end of the starting line.

Our animated quizzes are the easiest way to learn the racing rules.

All the quizzes can be played online for no charge. The CD comes with more tools than are available online. Included on the CD are all the racing rules and definitions used in the rule book, the ability to play the movies full screen so that you can see the action better. Also, you can simultaneously read the findings section, read a rule that it's hot linked to the text and play the movie. Another advantage to the CD is that you can start and stop the action as many times as needed.

Running the update is simple. Once you download the update, choose "save to desktop." Then close or minimize your web browser. Next, double click on the Updater's icon. As long as you let the quiz load into the folder it was originally programmed to load into, click on "Next" or "Agree" every time you are asked by the updater. Once you are done, the new quizzes will be installed.

Click here to download the update.

If you want to purchase the Rules Quiz CD from our online store, Click here. Once you get the CD, you'll be able to use this update for quizzes 14-16 and you'll be able to update the CD with future quizzes.

FREE DOWNLOAD: GET UK'S ACCUMEASURE SAIL ANALYSIS PROGRAM
Sails age in much the same way children age—stealthily over time. You see your children day after day, year after year, then suddenly they are adults and you wonder how the sneaky little devils grew up without your seeing the process. For most of us, the best way to monitor our children’s journey to adulthood is through pictures. Pictures also are the best way to monitor the aging process of our boat’s sails.

Season after season, you spend a lot of time looking at your sails, but the aging process is subtle enough to escape your notice. Unless you race regularly or sail boat-for-boat with another cruiser of roughly the same speed, you likely have not noticed that your boat has slowed and that sails may be the reason.

In addition to robbing your boat’s top-speed potential, old baggy sails exert more heeling force than drive, which makes the boat react more violently to the seas and causes it to take more water over the deck. Excessive angles of heel caused by baggy sails makes moving around the boat much harder. Over time, these changes in your boat’s performance will force your non-sailing family members and friends to avoid spending an afternoon on the water with you.

If you can’t figure out why your boating life has changed for the worse, try analysis—of your sails, that is, using UK Sailmakers AccuMeasure software. The new version of AccuMeasure software and its instructions are available for downloading free of charge from www.ukhalsey.com.

AccuMeasure will also help you recreate fast settings for your sails. Take photos of your sails when the boat is going well, record the information about halyard and sheet tension as well as the apparent wind speed, and then you'll be able to recreate the same shapes in the future. Using AccuMeasure will help you record more information and become more analytical in your approach to sailing.

Click here to download the program.

Chuck Bayer from Detroit racing at Key West Race Week                                  photo: Cheryll Kerr

Congratulations to our customers for a great showing in the warm water regattas this winter. Bill Jenkins from Bayview Yacht Club finished second at the St. Petersburg NOOD in the Ultimate 20 Class. Bill proved that he belongs at the top of the class by finishing second at the Ultimate 20 Midwinters as well. Bill was first to the weather mark in all five races at the Midwinters. When you consider that Bill and his crew were sailing a borrowed boat against the best guys in the class, his second place finishes were quite impressive. Great job Bill !!

Tom Lewin and the crew of HAMMER TIME from the Buffalo Yacht Club finished second at the San Diego NOODS in the hot Beneteau 36.7 class. Tom used a his two year old Class Genoa and .6 oz. Spinnaker along with a one year old Main in this regatta. Tom was reported to have great speed against boats using newer sails in the light to medium conditions. HAMMER TIME tied for first place at the 2003 Great Lakes Beneteau 36.7 Championships last summer. Tom will definitely be a threat at the North Americans this summer in Chicago.

Dan Romano from Grosse Ile Yacht Club won the MORC Midwinters at Davis Island Yacht Club in Tampa, Fla, sailing his Mariah 27 JAZZY. Dan won four races and finished second in the other three races. According to his competitors, his upwind speed with his new UK and Tape-Drive No. 1 Genoa was phenomenal.

Mike Elliott and his crew from the Caseville Yacht Club finished third at the S2 7.9 Midwinters held in conjunction with the Charleston Race week. Charleston is a great town and a tough place to sail with tricky currents. This was Mike's first regatta back in the S2 7.9 class after moving on to a J/35 three years ago. Mike will be campaigning INSTIGATOR at the Detroit and Chicago NOOD regattas in an effort to get ready for the S2 North American Championships in Sarnia this year. It was clear to everyone at the regatta that Mike had the best downwind speed.