Worlds Measurement
By Will Harris
One aspect of a World Championship that is new and a bit scary for many sailors is the measurement process. Or, as we call it, ‘the full cavity search.’ True, it can be a bit of a hassle and it takes a few hours to get through, but in the grand scale of things, ‘It’s a good thing.’ We love sailing one-design, and this process ensures that we are all sailing perfectly legal J/22s at the championship. There is no whining that someone won with a cheater boat, as we know we have as level a playing field as possible. After you’ve done the Worlds measurement thing, it becomes routine, just another part of the experience. Most people are new to it so it seems more daunting than it really is. We’ll go through the process so you’ll know what to expect and try to point out some common areas where boats fail. We don’t know for sure the actual process the 2015 Worlds will use so we’ll step through a typical set up.
By Will Harris
One aspect of a World Championship that is new and a bit scary for many sailors is the measurement process. Or, as we call it, ‘the full cavity search.’ True, it can be a bit of a hassle and it takes a few hours to get through, but in the grand scale of things, ‘It’s a good thing.’ We love sailing one-design, and this process ensures that we are all sailing perfectly legal J/22s at the championship. There is no whining that someone won with a cheater boat, as we know we have as level a playing field as possible. After you’ve done the Worlds measurement thing, it becomes routine, just another part of the experience. Most people are new to it so it seems more daunting than it really is. We’ll go through the process so you’ll know what to expect and try to point out some common areas where boats fail. We don’t know for sure the actual process the 2015 Worlds will use so we’ll step through a typical set up.
General Tips
- This is an assembly line, so it’s key to keep things moving steadily.
- Keep one or two people with the boat at all times to assist.
- You will be taking stuff on and off the boat a lot. A big blue tub is handy to put your stuff in.
- If something fails, take good notes on exactly what, where and how much.
- Usually, you get a measurement checklist that follows the boat. Don’t lose it!
J/22 Class Rules (Effective date:2022-03-01)
Sails
It is a great idea to put tags on everything: sails, battens, bags. There will be a lot of sails, and they will all look pretty similar. Before you leave, make sure all your sails have royalty tags!
It is a great idea to put tags on everything: sails, battens, bags. There will be a lot of sails, and they will all look pretty similar. Before you leave, make sure all your sails have royalty tags!
Keel and Rudder
Next you will move to the keel and rudder station.
Rudders
There are a few common issues that crop up with rudders. If you can get a measurer to your boat before you leave home, have him check the following extremely carefully:
- Chord length – minimum 300mm
- Rudder min thickness – 39.4 mm
- Trailing edge thickness – minimum 4mm
- Bottom corners radius 40mm
Required Equipment
We will check all the items in Rule 6 – Required equipment. The Required Equipment list is pretty straight forward, yet there are always people scrambling around at the last minute trying to buy things from this list. Don’t think you can fudge things. 29.5 meters of anchor rode is not going to pass. It says waterproof flashlight with spare batteries and bulb. Two flashlights is not that! Make sure that you have some sort of manual with your first-aid kit. Check it before you leave home, buy anything you need and skate by this section.
Boat Weighing
All the boats will be weighed, and none of the boats will weigh what we think they do. Many, many boats will need to add a bit of lead.
Weighing notes
- The boat must be dry. Don’t insult the measurers by thinking they won’t notice the water in the sump or your sopping wet sheets. You’ll just get kicked to the back of the line.
- Stuff on the boat - mast, boom, spin pole, rudder, tiller, hiking stick, one set of jib sheets, one set of spin sheets, two jib cars, one winch handle. That’s it. No batteries, no anchor, no dock lines, nothing.
- Depending on the set up, they may use your lifting strap. If they do, they will weigh it and subtract it from the total.
- Sometimes they will use your mast supports and weigh them, other times they will have a set and other times they make you just lay it on deck…
- If the weight seems way, way off, make sure they check that the scale battery is fully charged. When the batteries die, the scales can get pretty dodgy!
- If you need weight, make a note of the total needed. This will get split evenly into front and rear hunks.
- Often, when you need lead, the measurer will weigh your extra pieces, then initial them. Go install them, and the measurer will come and check you off.
Rudder weight
At some point, they will want to weigh your rudder. The minimum is 10.88 kg. This is the bare rudder with just the bolted on gudgeons. No tiller, pins or hiking stick allowed.
Rig down measurements
They often but not always will have a station measuring the black bands on your mast and boom. I don’t recall ever seeing anyone fail this.
They will also check the max length of your spinnaker pole 2670mm max bearing point to bearing point. I have seen boats fail this one. Measure it at home so you can fix it at home. Way easier there than using your trailer as a workbench!
Rig up measurement
Once you have cleared the measurement tent, step your rig. The last measurement is usually your “J” measurement—the distance from the bow to the front edge of the mast.
At this point, you should have your sheet completed.
Problems?
It’s not at all uncommon to fail one or more measurement checks. The most important thing is, don’t freak out! Just about anything can be fixed enough to get you into the regatta.
Boat Weighing
The other – rarer issue is the minimum weight of 10.88 kg. The rudder is weighed with only the gudgeons that are bolted on. No tiller, no pins, no hiking stick. If you are light, the measurers will allow you to add some corrector weight.
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