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If you have never heard of a Starling Dinghy, you are not alone.
It was not until a few reports from Livesaildie crossed our monitor
that we were even aware. But in New Zealand they are a quite popular stepping stone for teens to utilize whilst in their formative
years, a nice, inexpensive trainer for those tweener years.
"Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas as well as North America, Hawaii and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitats with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the common starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific, the common myna is indeed common."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling
The Starling class yacht was conceived and the design commissioned by John Peet in the late 1960s. At the time, there were no single-handed boats available in New Zealand, for bridging the gap between the P-class and the adult Finn, OK, Cherokee and Zephyr classes. Many young sailors were leaving the sport because the step to the adult classes was too great. A stepping stone class was required. In consultation with parents of current P-class sailors, a set of criteria was formulated for the proposed class:
The boat should cater to teenagers or any one heavy enough to sail one that are not able to cope with adult monotypes.
Crew weight could be approximately 40–70 kilograms (88–154 lb).
The boat should be easily handled in fresh conditions, plane readily and have good windward performance.
The appearance of the boat to be of high priority.
Buoyancy to be of P-class standard.
Cockpit space for two teenagers or one adult.
Construction to be simple.
Very close restrictions so that all boats to have equal performance; e.g. masts from standard aluminium extrusion, sails from the same material and same loft.
Des Townson, the designer of the successful Zephyr, Mistral and Dart yachts of the period was approached to design the boat, and he completed this in June 1969. To confirm the simplicity of the construction concept, teenager David Peet built the prototype as his first boat-building project. The Starling was launched at Westhaven, Auckland on Anzac weekend 1970. Extensive testing of the prototype was completed over the following months, by dozens of P-class sailors. Feedback was very supportive and encouraging, with a great deal of enthusiasm expressed for the concept and the finished prototype.
The prototype Starling was sailing off the Glendowie Boating Club in the early 1970s. Originally, the sail design was fully battened; however, this was changed to the current format after feedback from sailors indicated a flexible sail layout was more suitable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling_(dinghy)
It was not until a few reports from Livesaildie crossed our monitor
that we were even aware. But in New Zealand they are a quite popular stepping stone for teens to utilize whilst in their formative
years, a nice, inexpensive trainer for those tweener years.
"Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Sturnidae. The name "Sturnidae" comes from the Latin word for starling, sturnus. Many Asian species, particularly the larger ones, are called mynas, and many African species are known as glossy starlings because of their iridescent plumage. Starlings are native to Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as northern Australia and the islands of the tropical Pacific. Several European and Asian species have been introduced to these areas as well as North America, Hawaii and New Zealand, where they generally compete for habitats with native birds and are considered to be invasive species. The starling species familiar to most people in Europe and North America is the common starling, and throughout much of Asia and the Pacific, the common myna is indeed common."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling
The Starling class yacht was conceived and the design commissioned by John Peet in the late 1960s. At the time, there were no single-handed boats available in New Zealand, for bridging the gap between the P-class and the adult Finn, OK, Cherokee and Zephyr classes. Many young sailors were leaving the sport because the step to the adult classes was too great. A stepping stone class was required. In consultation with parents of current P-class sailors, a set of criteria was formulated for the proposed class:
The boat should cater to teenagers or any one heavy enough to sail one that are not able to cope with adult monotypes.
Crew weight could be approximately 40–70 kilograms (88–154 lb).
The boat should be easily handled in fresh conditions, plane readily and have good windward performance.
The appearance of the boat to be of high priority.
Buoyancy to be of P-class standard.
Cockpit space for two teenagers or one adult.
Construction to be simple.
Very close restrictions so that all boats to have equal performance; e.g. masts from standard aluminium extrusion, sails from the same material and same loft.
Des Townson, the designer of the successful Zephyr, Mistral and Dart yachts of the period was approached to design the boat, and he completed this in June 1969. To confirm the simplicity of the construction concept, teenager David Peet built the prototype as his first boat-building project. The Starling was launched at Westhaven, Auckland on Anzac weekend 1970. Extensive testing of the prototype was completed over the following months, by dozens of P-class sailors. Feedback was very supportive and encouraging, with a great deal of enthusiasm expressed for the concept and the finished prototype.
The prototype Starling was sailing off the Glendowie Boating Club in the early 1970s. Originally, the sail design was fully battened; however, this was changed to the current format after feedback from sailors indicated a flexible sail layout was more suitable.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starling_(dinghy)
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