By Wendy Vine
Posted 2024 Small Boat Cruises Summary
The Flying 15 team (under the direction of Jill Oakes) has put together a really interesting read, with photos and links, summarizing the past year and the history of small […]
The Flying Fifteens Archive
The Flying Fifteen Fleet in 2024
Contact the local Flying Fifteen group through flyingfifteen@saltspringsailing.ca. The group also has an active Facebook page, which you can access here.
The SISC Flying Fifteen (F15) fleet is experiencing a resurgence and expansion this year. They finished F15 Aussie Week in mid-August with expert Australian coach John Hassen and two of his Australian compatriots, who visited Saltspring and offered a week of coaching. In September they invited people to join a Flying Fifteen Race Team that will participate regularly in Club Sunday races (see post further down page). November is a very busy month on the Club calendar, with quite a few FF-sponsored events: two races, a monthly movie night, a wet entry workshop, and a small boat cruise. Keep your eyes on the calendar and on posts further down the page!
This summer the group welcomed and unpacked a container from Australia containing four donated Flying Fifteens to use in local waters, and they are still inviting SISC members to come and try it out as outlined below:
All SISC members are welcome, experience or no experience. If you are interested in trying out a Flying Fifteen, please contact Jill Oakes (flyingfifteen@saltspringsailing.ca). Life jacket or PFD is required, also a good idea to bring gloves (eg. gardening/cycling/stretchy mechanics/sailing gloves). Some of us beginners happily wear bicycle helmets, along with sun glasses, wind breaker, sunscreen and ear-to-ear grins. Note that the Flying 15s have a keel, so they are stable and don’t flip over like a dinghy or a Laser.
May 4th proved to be a very special Flying Fifteen Day at the Sailing Club. Member Jill Oakes organized a hands-on day featuring a visit by champion international F15 sailor Jenny Price from New Zealand. Read all about the action-packed day here. Find more photos of that day and other current F15 activities through the F15 Club Photos link.
You can access a video of the Flying Fifteens out sailing last summer on a beautiful day in Ganges Harbour by clicking here.
You can also watch a video of Club member Jill Oakes, Flying Fifteen enthusiast and new owner of F15 Robyn Hood, practicing to find the best way to get back into a Flying Fifteen if you get dumped into the water. After three tries, she had it. A useful few minutes to watch, in case it happens to you: watch it here.
Jill also visited New Zealand in early 2024 to cycle to and sail in their Flying Fifteen Nationals event. Click to see a write up about her journey in Yachting and Boating Quarterly (scroll to page 70) and another in Live Sail Die.
In the photos below, click on a photo to get a bigger view of it.
