This section will be expanded and developed as we deal with your FAQ’s about the Blaze. You can find a number of existing tips and general advise on the Blaze Association website at www.blaze-sailing.org.uk

Blaze?
Designed in 1996 by Ian Howlett of I14 fame and John Caig the ex-fireball world champion the boat was originally made by White Formula for Topper International during the 90’s. It quickly established a reputation as a powerful and fast singlehander. By 2000 many helms despite loving the boat in most conditions felt it was simply too ‘brutal’ and unforgiving in a real blow. The class association worked quickly to tame the beast with the current rig design. While the sailplan was a tad smaller at 10.0m the boat was suddenly transformed in terms of its performance and handling. The Blaze ‘X’ as the revised boat became known allowed helms to feather the main upwind and drive it even harder offwind. This meant that the average club sailor was able to fully enjoy strong winds and real performance. Earlier boats were upgraded to take the later sail and remain highly competitive today. All Blazes whether converted ones or the later ‘X’s are now recognised as having excellent handling and as providing widely accessible performance.

Is the Blaze a difficult boat to sail ?
No – If you can handle boats such as the Laser, Solo etc then the Blaze should be fairly straightforward. However like the Laser it rewards practice and technique and attracts helms of a wide range of racing proficiency from beginners to expert.

What is the right weight ?
Most helms are between 65kg and 95kg. However there are notable exceptions beyond these limits who prove how difficult it is to generalise. The boat has a very adaptable rig and rig power can be set to suit a great many helm sizes in a wide variety of conditions.

Is the ‘wing thing’ difficult ?
No – it’s a key feature of the boat giving it much of its speed and reputation. The hull is a relatively stable platform in all conditions making the ‘wing thing’ easy to learn and enjoy. Once the basics are learnt it makes for very comfortable and stress free hiking.

And if I capsize ?
The wings are actually an aid – providing good hand holds. It is easy to grab the sky pointing wing, stepping round the front of it and onto the centreboard. Then again using the tubes as a grip the helm gently leans back, stepping back round the wing as the boat rights. The wings slow the whole process making capsizes less dramatic than in many classes. 9 times out of 10 you will never go in the water !