The Holdfast Trainer is a
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest o ...
n
sailing
Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' ( land yacht) over a chose ...
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, whic ...
designed in 1948 for junior sailors under the required age of 16.
Based on the
Sabot, the class features a
hard-chine wooden or fiberglass hull with a flat (or "pram") bow and a
daggerboard
A daggerboard is a retractable centreboard used by various sailing craft. While other types of centreboard may pivot to retract, a daggerboard slides in a casing. The shape of the daggerboard converts the forward motion into a windward lift, co ...
. Unlike the Sabot, the Holdfast Trainer has both a
main and a
jib in order to facilitate a two-person crew and to teach jib handling. To make space for the jib, the mast was stepped further back and a
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 ...
was added. Modern versions include waterproof bulkheads to provide additional flotation.
The boat has been sailed for many years by 8 to 15 year olds at South Australian sailing clubs, with the first state championships being held in 1958 and still continuing on today.
One of those clubs, the
Port Lincoln Yacht Club, has continuously sailed the dinghy for over 50 years, and held their 50th Anniversary celebrations for the class in 2010 at the recent states and metropolitan championships.
South Australian Premier
Steven Marshall
Steven Spence Marshall (born 21 January 1968) is an Australian politician who served as the 46th premier of South Australia between 2018 and 2022. He has been a member of the South Australian Division of the Liberal Party of Australia in the ...
learned to sail in a Holdfast Trainer.
Steven Marshall's Story
''Liberal Party SA'' (YouTube), January 19, 2018.
See also
Related development
*El Toro (dinghy)
The El Toro is an American pram sailboat that was designed by Charles McGregor as a sail training dinghy and yacht tender, first built in 1939. It is now often sailed as a singlehanded one-design racer.
The boat is a development of McGrego ...
*Naples Sabot
The Naples Sabot is an sailing dinghy. The Naples Sabot was designed by Roy McCullough and R.A. Violette and the first two were built in Violette's garage during WW II, although official designs were not made available until 1946. The Naples Sab ...
*Sabot (dinghy)
The Sabot is a sailing dinghy that is sailed and raced singlehandedly usually by young sailors in various parts of the world.
The boat is suitable for amateur production. Early models were usually made from plywood. More recent models have bee ...
*US Sabot
The US Sabot is an American pram sailboat that was designed by Charles McGregor as a one-design racer and first built in 1939.
The design is a development of McGregor's Sabot, based upon the plans published in ''The Rudder'' magazine in 19 ...
References
External links
SA Holdfast Trainer Association
{{Sailing Dinghies and Skiffs
Dinghies