A fellow member at my mid-week Club carefully records the winds each time he sails.

(Note to Self : “do the same”….)

The results of his journal, including Club Racing and Open Meetings, are pretty interesting:-

Total number of days attempted to race  ……………………. 146 
Total number of days abandoned due to lack of wind ……….3 
Number of days sailed with a A rig…………………………………..101 
Number of days sailed with a B rig…………………………………….14 
Number of days sailed with a C rig……………………………………..26 
Number of days sailed with a D rig………………………………………2

“This means a smaller rig was used 30% of the time. What is interesting is that the C rig was used more than the B rig, almost twice as much. I have a theory, and the figures would seem to support it, that the winds nowadays are such that it’s a case of all or nothing. I also think, and again this is only my opinion, the step from an A rig to a B rig is too small but the step from an A to a C is better. So if you are looking for a new rig to complement your A rig to enable you to sail more and enjoy the blows, perhaps your choice should be a C rig.”

My thanks to Roy o’D, of Chipstead RSC, for this intriguing analysis.