" Another Solent tuning session last week pushed the Squib Sail development programme to it's final stages for the new season. This picture shows Nigel Grogan sailing Malcolm Hutchings boat to windward of Rob Larke sailing Nigel's boat. Crewing for Nigel and casting his critical eye over the latest development sails is Richard Lovering, one of Hyde's sail designers while the other designer Mike Lennon is monitoring the tuning run and taking photos from the Hyde RIB. Amongst Richard's impressive sailing CV is attending the Atlanta Olympics as the late John Merricks tuning partner- so he knows a few things about two boat tuning. His keelboat experience includes winning the SB3 nationals and Cowes week sailing with Jerry Richards as well as winning the prestigeous Captains Cup, in the ultra close XOD boats in Cowes week.

Rob Larke with Malcom crewing, are sailing 105 with the sails and set-up that Nigel used to come in 9th place at last years nationals. Although not a brilliant result , the boat was quick enough for three top five places at that event , so the assumption was that if 105 could be convincingly beaten in a straight line then the tuning process was getting somehwere.

The picture shows Malcolm's boat with the new sails, more powered up and pointing as high. What it cannot show is that a few minutes later it had pulled out distance ahead and to windward of 105 to the extent that the run had to be aborted to reposition Rob and Malcolm in clean air.

No suprises to learn that Malcolm has promptly bought the development sails and is planning to use them at the Burnham Easter regatta!

The first production set of the new designs are currently being built in Hyde's sail factory in Cebu and will be shipped back in time for Nigel to use them at the Easter Open event at Abersoch so they can be tried out on the race course against the classes toughest fleet!"