The 12 ft Skiff is a development

dinghy A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed by a larger vessel for use as a tender. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor. Some are rigged for sailing but they differ from sailing dinghies, which ...

class dating back to the early 20th century. It is sailed in Australia and New Zealand. It is in length, hence the name, and is a two-man boat. Both the crew and the

helm Helm may refer to: Common meanings * a ship's steering mechanism; see tiller and ship's wheel * another term for helmsman * an archaic term for a helmet, used as armor Arts and entertainment * Matt Helm, a character created by Donald Hamilton * ...

are able to use the

trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or flying, an ...

at the same time. It has an

asymmetrical spinnaker An asymmetrical spinnaker is a sail used when sailing downwind. Also known as an "asym", "aspin", or "A-sail" it can be described as a cross between a genoa jib and a spinnaker. It is asymmetric like a genoa, but, the asymmetrical spinnaker is not ...

and a

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its tack is fixed to the bowsprit, to the bows, or to the deck between the bowsprit and the foremost mast. Jibs and spinnakers are the two main types of headsail ...

, in addition to the

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast of a sailing vessel. * On a square rigged vessel, it is the lowest and largest sail on the main mast. * On a fore-and-aft rigged vessel, it is the sail rigged aft of the main mast. The sail's foot i ...

History

The origin of the 12 ft

Skiff A skiff is any of a variety of essentially unrelated styles of small boats. Traditionally, these are coastal craft or river craft used for leisure, as a utility craft, and for fishing, and have a one-person or small crew. Sailing skiffs have deve ...

is dubious, but it is thought to have roots in the smaller skiffs sailed on Sydney Harbour in the late 1800s. The skiff became a class in its own right in 1926 when, at a meeting between Lane Cove 12ft Sailing Skiff Club, Greenwich 12 ft Flying Squadron, The Spit 12 ft Skiff Sailing Club and Vaucluse Amateur 12 ft Sailing Skiff Club, the 12 ft Sailing Skiff Council was formed. At this time the skiff was manned by a crew of five, but around the 1940s it changed to a three-man boat, and then became the two man boat that is used today. In 1947 the Council changed its name to the NSW 12 ft Sailing Skiff Association. After the 1940s the skiff went international.

Design

* Overall length 3.7 metres * Beam 1.8 metres * Crewed by two people, both on trapeze * Light weight 45 kilogram hull * Sail area and rig design are unlimited * Mast height is unlimited but can be up to 8.8 metres * Most boats have three complete rigs (small, medium, large) * Each skiff is individual, not an off the shelf product * Simple measurement rules allow design development * The asymmetrical spinnaker is set off a fixed bowsprit

Sailing and racing

Today the 12 ft Skiff is primarily sailed in Australia and New Zealand. Campaigning a 12 requires a range of skills, including boat handling, tuning, boat maintenance, organisation and training. However, with recent equipment developments, and the introduction of carbon masts, 12 ft Skiffs are very manageable boats and any sailor with relative experience, such as Cherubs or Moths, would quite easily adapt.

Performance

The 12 ft Skiff is similar to the larger and better known

18ft Skiff The 18 ft Skiff is considered the fastest class of sailing skiffs. The class has a long history beginning with races on Sydney Harbour, Australia in 1892 and later in New Zealand. The boat has changed significantly since the early days, bring ...

. Of all skiffs the 12 footer is known for being the most difficult to sail, primarily due to its short and narrow hull relative to its large sail area. A 12 ft Skiff is capable of sailing at speeds of up to . The 12 ft Skiff generates considerable power by having two persons on the trapeze wire, suspended from the mast of the boat. This adds leverage to the crews' weight, allowing the larger areas of sail to be carried. The modern 12 ft Skiffs also have fixed

bowsprit The bowsprit of a sailing vessel is a spar extending forward from the vessel's prow. The bowsprit is typically held down by a bobstay A bobstay is a part of the rigging of a sailing boat or ship. Its purpose is to counteract the upward tensio ...

s from which they carry their spinnakers. This is a relatively recent innovation, with the older style of skiff having an 'end to end' spinnaker pole which would need to be positioned by the crew, and would be stored against the skiff's boom when it was not being used.

Regattas

Australia

* New South Wales State Championship "The Morna Cup" * Queensland State Championship * Australia Championship "Norman Booth Trophy"

New Zealand

* New Zealand team trials * New Zealand National Championship

International

* Interdominon Championship "Silasec Trophy"

References

External links

Australian 12 Foot Skiff Association Site

New Zealand 12 Foot Skiff Association Site

Sydney Flying Squadron

Lane Cove 12 Foot Skiff Sailing Club

Abbotsford 12 Foot Skiff Flying Squadron

Flickr 12 Foot Skiff Photos
{{Sailing dinghies and skiffs Dinghies