A few years back, in the keelboat class I then sailed, one of the sailmakers needed to push more red spinnakers from his stock. Word went out that “The red spinnakers go faster”…. and honestly at the next championships there were a ridiculous number of red kites in evidence.

Ever wondered if Marbleheads are faster in some colours than in others?

Well, for a start a lot of them are lacquered carbon fibre and if differentiating them while racing weren’t so problematic (for the short sighted like me!), that might be the best and lightest solution of all. For weight is probably at the source of these rumours!!

Not that a coat of paint doesn’t always weigh roughly the same, the basis of truth might be that some colours need more than one coat. I tried ordering luminous yellow for my new one, and honestly the guys were rolling around laughing. Apparently that’s the worst colour for paint opacity, so multiple coats are quite likely.

What’s the weight of a coat of paint? I’m told by a very wise man that it’s around 50gms wet, and around half that or less when it dries. The world of professional cycling has the same keen interest in this and paint on a bike is very nearly the same order of magnitude. Try Googling that !

I’ve asked for red instead….. see how that goes!!