Red sails in the sunset of a racing tradition
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In most of the boats, the two-person crew consists of a grown-up, who does most of the sailing, and a child who helps out by handling the tiny colourful spinnaker sail. The boats has been modified slightly since the Daily Mirror launched them and since 2009 fibreglass hulls have been permitted as an alternative to plywood. Originally, the boats had an old wooden gaff rig which bent in two to make it easier to load on the top of the Morris Minor. Most masts today are aluminum.
The event has a strong family feel. Australian father and son team Cullen and Rowen Hughes who sail from Balmoral in Sydney will be defending the title they won at the last Mirror Worlds in 2017 in Cornwall in Britain, when the top three boats all had father-and-son crews. There are some mother-and-daughter crews too.
Yet participation in Mirror sailing and other forms of sailing is in decline. Yachting Australia commissioned a survey four years ago which found the sport was seen as elitist and inaccessible. An old-fashioned wooden Mirror boat can cost $1,000 but the modern boats cost over $6,000 new.
Stan Bland, president of the International Mirror Class Association of NSW, who grew up sailing Mirrors on muddy rivers in the south of England, has made a start in reversing that trend by reviving the Mirror class of dinghy at the Woollahra Sailing Club. In 10 years the fleet has grown to around 20 boats. “It is a no-brainer to go sailing here if you are a parent living on the Bondi side of the harbour and looking to sail with your children,” says Bland.
Article source: https://www.smh.com.au/world/europe/labour-flirts-with-idea-of-supporting-another-brexit-referendum-20180924-p505l1.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_world
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