Jeff Morris wrote:
Great Shots! I love the "S" boats. I would have included the Folkboat, but I
thought someone else had already mentioned it. And the Soling was also on my
short list, but without even a cuddy its strictly a daysailor. Beautiful shot
of the Soling in 50 knots. I actually had the experience of sailing one on the
Charles River in 45+ knots (max gust I think was 54). Definitely a handful!

One of my pet theories is that is a threshold of wind power where any
given boat becomes unmanageable. This occurs when the max righting
moment is just barely enough to hold the rig up against it's own
windage, and there cannot be any useful power developed. In some small
racing classes, this occurs anywhere between 25 and 45+ knots, and boats
vary widely in their behavior at this threshold. Some get balky (the
Lightning at about 35), and some just suddenly go berserk (the 470 at
about 40). Others cross the threshold more smoothly, and simply let you
know that you are less & less in charge.

The Soling seemed to me to be a thoroughbred in this regard. Never
sailed one at 40+ but in the 30s they are still workable, but you have
to think ahead and they let you know that you're flirting with something
BIG. At an Olympic class regatta many moons ago, we took the 470 out on
a day of 45 - 50 knot winds, and the 470 would only go downwind (mostly
flipped). One of the few times I've had to be rescued. A couple of the
Soling guys went out and blasted back and forth, most of them tore sails
and one nearly sunk. There are reports of Solings going down, nowadays I
think they have airbag flotation.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King