Class 5 yachts

The mid-range speed machine – known for it’s responsiveness, skimming along just inches from the floor; exhilaration and a buzz which has to be tried!

The class five sand yacht gets its name from the 5.5sq meter sail it uses. Formed around a basic pole design and three wheels with an aerodynamic shell which partly incases you. Harnessing the wind, speeds of up to 50mph can be reached on both beaches and airfields across the UK.

The portability, cost and style of this yacht make it one of the most popular classes. Designs vary from the recreational basic design, classic home/school built to the top of the range racing machine. All have a similar theme, with three wheels laid out in a triangle; the front wheel, controlled with a link to your feet, steers the yacht. A frame supports a set of poles leading forward to the front wheel and outwards to the two rear wheels. With a mast mounted upwards, this is usually constructed of a series of interlocking tubes to give a tapered effect. Around this a pocketed (and sometimes fully battened) sail is mounted. Seating positions vary from the classic plastic school seat giving you a very upright ride, to the more popular cocoon style - shielding you from the elements and giving a sleek aerodynamic shape as you lie almost flat.

To start sailing you push the yacht a little like a bob sled and jump in, once moving many newcomers have likened it to a cross between dinghy/catamaran sailing. There are a variety of sailing sites across the UK which offer a well structured training system building up to club racing and finally national and european events. These are all run according to the FISLY international specification.

Those of you with some engineering ability may be interested in the plans for the BFSLYC's class 5 yacht, the FED-5. Details can be found in the Technical section of our website, or you can go to the FED-5 page here.

If you are a budding engineer or simply think that this is the class for you, come and enjoy harnessing the elements or try your hand at racing. For great fun and welcoming sportsmanship, click here and find the club nearest to you. Hours of exhilaration and pleasure await! (Mark Lloyd)