British  Weta  Class Association

Some of those who attended the Weta swarm at Calshot in October 2011. Note that it is not necessary to be tall to sail a Weta!

A significant fraction of the UK’s Weta fleet swarmingt

A Weta on the Solent

Where we all are

THE CLASS ASSOCIATION

There are about 700 Wetas in existence. The most organised fleets are in The USA and China but fleets and associations are forming in ‘cold water’ Europe. In the UK there are about 25 boats which are known to sail here and of these there are about twenty owners who communicate by email and occasionally meet. A few ‘UK’ owners sail their boats in places as far away as China and Indonesia but choose to socialise through the UK class association and there is at least one Irish owner. The Association has been named the ‘British Weta Class Association’ to distinguish it from the Weta Class Associations in other countries and in the expectation that there will one day be an International Weta Class Association. The Chairman lives in the far north of Scotland which is not ideal as the main centre of gravity of UK Weta sailing is in the South and Southwest. Thank Goodness for the WorldWideWeb and email.

About five owners race reasonably seriously. The remainder sail recreationally. Some keep their boats at sailing clubs and the rest do what the Weta was designed to do - they trailer-sail from home. The Class Association is formally affiliated to the RYA. At the moment it acts as an information exchange for UK owners, circulating service bulletins, swapping stories and being the conduit through which members organise the occasional ‘swarm’. When racing fleets start to form it may have to impose some formal class rules but a the moment we are just going with the flow. There is a draft constitution based on the RYA’s template but you will be relieved to know that at the moment there are no officers, committees or subscriptions and business is conducted by email. When the class requires a more organised structure one will be put in place. All Weta owners are automatically associate members. Those who choose to do so may become full members and take an active part in the running of the class. An email to the class chairman/secretary (see Home Page) is all that is required to become a full member.