The first National Championships anywhere for the Oz Goose Sailing Dinghy Class will be held this November in the Philippines. Hyde Sails International will be the major sponsor. We have 14 boats confirmed, but it is possible the fleet could reach 20. There will be crews coming from Central and Southern Philippines as well.
A very easy to build boat from local materials might be a solution for sailing clubs in the developing nations as well as the advanced economies.
The Philippines has a track record of building 10 Oz geese for the equivalent cost of importing one Laser Radial. 10 to 20 participants for the price of 1.
The cheapest rigging for a a lug rigged OzGoose no performance sacrifice. Poor availability of fittings in Asia means low cost innovation and fleet testing works for any lug rigged boats learned by sailing and racing the sixteen (now 27 as of last weekend) Oz Geese in the Philippines. Some money saving simplifications and some tweaks that will give a lot more performance to most lug rigged (and other boats). There is nothing unusual in these methods, just a translation of regular racing practice in more conventional boats. Don’t scoff – you can say “I’m a cruiser” – but there are times when everyone wants or needs to get upwind 10 or 20 percent faster.