The Manly Junior is a junior racing dinghy class popular in

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. It was designed in 1959 for younger sailors and the length (2.6 m) was originally designed so that the boat could be stored vertically downstairs inside Manly Yacht Club (the founding club). To provide as much performance as possible in a short length, the designer, Ralph Tobias used a "snub" bow. Typically the helmsman is aged 10~14 and the crew 7~11 years old. It is amongst the smallest of classes with a "full rig":

mainsail A mainsail is a sail rigged on the main mast (sailing), 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. T ...

jib A jib is a triangular sail that sets ahead of the foremast of a sailing vessel. Its forward corner (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 ty ...

and

spinnaker A spinnaker is a sail designed specifically for sailing off the wind on courses between a Point of sail#Reaching, reach (wind at 90° to the course) to Point of sail#Running downwind, downwind (course in the same direction as the wind). Spinna ...

. The class has a strict set of rules on sail size, shape and hull construction. Some variation is allowed in the details of how the boat is rigged (position of fittings etc.). The class has made some significant changes since inception, in 1967 the buoyancy tanks were redesigned to allow the boat to come up after a capsize with little water on board. In the 1980s the class underwent a transition from plywood to fibreglass hulls. In 2000 false floors were added allowing the boat to completely drain of water after a capsize or swamping. Racing is competitive with many previous sailors going on to become world or

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champions in other classes. The skill level shown at a State or National event is high with racing being completed in up to of wind. Many children however join in for the social side. Sometimes you will get two 11-year-old friends match up to have fun while learning. Other times the younger children look up to the older children as "

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es". Club racing is often like a friendly "family" where the focus is on learning. Even at major events "Novice" (learning) fleets allow the less experienced to compete and enjoy the fun. As the sailors grow they often move onto Flying Eleven (dinghy) and or Cherub(dinghy) A quick count would suggest over 30,000 children have been introduced to sailing via the Manly Junior fleet.

External links

Manly Junior Sailing Association of Australia
{{Sailing Dinghies and Skiffs Dinghies