We've been following the action around the inland E-Scow class for the past few months, and last weekend, the Board of Directors met in Chicago to debate the future of the class. Our pal Vegas has been keeping us informed, and he gave us a summary of the meeting, and his thoughts on this very cool class. Check it.

For those readers not familiar with the 28 foot E-Scow that is sailed on inland lakes and protected harbors of the US and now Finland, please allow me to get you up to speed. The E-Scow has been a favorite of adrenaline junkies for over 80 years. Designed by Pewaukee sailor, Arnold Meyer Sr., the E-scow was adopted as an official ILYA class in 1924. The Forefathers of the class had the vision to deem the E-Scow as an "evolutionary" design. This allowed for steady and concerted changes to the design to occur under a controlled process set forth in the by-laws and constitution. Since the days of wooden spars and cotton sails, the E-Scow has evolved into 28 feet of Rock and Roll. With a hull weight of only 965 lbs (438 Kg) and carrying 323 square feet of sail area upwind the unlimited crew weight on that rail hiking is crucial to its performance. A predominately flat bottom allows this boat to sail on a heel to reduce it's wetted surface and plane upwind. Dual retractable bilge boards that are canted to leeward, coupled with the overpowered sail plan allow these things to point like a freaking banshee. They create so much power it is almost getting cliché to hear that another person has water-skied behind them. To harness this power, the crew of three to four has to work in harmony to keep the sticky side up. Every position on this boat is on the clock every second of every leg. The Jib Man, has his hands full with the head sail and calling wind, tactics, and distance to other boats.

The second position, or the "go fast" guy as I call it, is in charge of the vang, main travel, Cunningham and 8:1 backstays (still on some boats, but currently being phased out). As the boat is so light and competition so fierce, there is no set it and forget on these boats. All the fine tune control lines are constantly in motion. Then if you are 4 man'ing it, you'll carry a 180 lb boat monkey to keep the boat hiked in the heavy stuff and fly the chute down wind. The of course there's the guy with the tiller in his hand. He normally just gets in the way, but he brings the boat and beer; so we like him. Because a win or loss is completely a team effort, most every major E regatta awards trophies to Skipper and Crew, which is nice for hardware hounds.

This class has enjoyed a loyal following since its infant days in Wisconsin waters, to-date the registered members are numbering around 700 with untold numbers of up and coming sailors entering in every year before they sign on the dotted line. As with any large mob group hell bent on speed, piss and vinegar, the passion for their mistresses runs very deep. As it stands with most concepts, change can be a painful and exciting prospect. The E-Scow is no different. Since its 80-plus years tearing up the water, the E has held true to its founders' and fosterer's vision of an evolutionary class.

Rob Evans, in his excellent "History of the E-Scow in the ILYA" wrote "The shape, rigging, sails and the performance of the E has been evolving and improving on a continual basis ever since those first E's of 1924. There have been many pioneers in the class who have experimented with countless different ideas on how to make the boat better, faster and easier to sail. Some of these ideas have been accepted and incorporated into the scantlings; some have been rejected and outlawed. Today we are left with a craft that is a true hybrid rocket ship of a boat that is both pleasing to race and to view shooting through the water... This process assures that the Class E scow will remain a cutting edge sailboat for many years to come."

Given our growing pains of late, it sparks me to consider how the E sailors of old received the news that this material of fiber glass and poly/vinyl ester would soon replace their tried and true wooden hulls. And if that weren't enough! The spars would be extruded out of aluminum?!! That must have been a pretty hard pill to swallow. Especially for the poor bastard that just took delivery of one of the last wooden boats. Well here we are, almost 30 years later since the fiberglass E's starting rolling off the assembly lines at Johnson and Melges boatworks and the class is faced with yet another hallmark change before them; The Asymmetrical Spinnaker Configuration.

In 2004, in accordance with the Class Bylaws, an experiment was proposed to the Board of Directors to investigate the viability of an asymmetrical spinnaker setup for the E-Scow. After much fanfare, those who tried out the this new rig were hooked and enough interest was generated to put the change to a membership vote in early 2006. The E-Scow bylaws specifically state that a "super majority" vote is required to pass a proposed scantling change. In this case it takes 2/3 of the regular membership to make it happen. As it happened to play out, the results of poling the membership yielded 58% for the Asym, and 42 % against. With 318 people voting, that works out to something like a 12 person swing the other way would have passed this sucker and I'd be writing about something else right now. But it didn't and here we are. For the past year or so, the E-scow fleet has been torn in two. Some are holding on to the notion that while change is good for the class, this level of change is considerable and it will set people back a some dough in the modification of the boat, the cost of a new kite and the most painful, training crew to work the new configuration.

Now for those who have had the chance to sail an asym in 10 knots will attest, that this setup is faster, easier to sail, and safer through the jibes. Since its proposal, I have seen nay-sayers (myself included) hop the fence very quickly after go for a ride on the experimental boat. As a crew member that hates dragging his fat-ass in the water as he hikes to leeward on the downwind leg to keep the boat heeled, I can tell you that being able to sit on the high side in the hiking straps while you skip across the water, is just a wonderful. While at first I was against it (shit I think I might have even voted that way ~ Sorry Lon); like the Monkeys sang "Now I'm a Believer"! It would appear that I'm not the only one, this idea of going faster, being more in control, and having more fun has taken entire club fleets; They've already converted over. This has been hard to watch for some clubs, but it drives the point home; The E-Scow is primed and ready for this rig! A 28 foot surfboard with a mast head asymmetrical kite? Are you kidding me? Once these things get going, the apparent wind starts to clock around in front and you can inch them deeper and deeper off the wind, not so unlike an Iceboat. But after the waves go flat and the wake froth subsides, the painful truth still remains; the E Fleet is torn in two right now.

As Rick Turner is handed the Commodore helm by Tom Burton, he was also handed the responsibility of restoring harmony to the fleet. On November 3rd, the Board of Directors met at the Chicago Yacht Club to have their annual meeting. Rick led the meeting very well and kept it on track like a champ. The E-Scow Board of Directors had commissioned the Rules Committee to give a recommendation going forward, as the class has become more and more fractured. That Committee presented its findings from continued experiments, and unanimously approved the proposal of the scantlings change of the boat to an asymmetrical configuration. The board and several attending guests and interested parties chimed in with their thoughts and feelings on the subject. Brian Porter, famed Melges 24 sailor and avid E-scow sailor, strongly expressed the sentiment that his desire was to see a unified fleet and be able to sail with everyone once again. Everyone in the room was in total agreement that the strife an uncertainty has taken its toll. So it was decided to put the vote to the people once more, and no matter how the super majority votes, the fleet shall sail again unified under one design in 2009. The ballots are being drafted as we speak. The membership shall be polled once again when they fill out their 2008 membership forms. And for only $50, you too can have a say in how this turns out. Only Regular members are allowed to vote, so if you are an associate member and have a feeling on the subject, pony up the extra bucks and have your voice heard. The vote being sent out to the Membership will ask two questions about the configuration - my apologies for not having the exact verbiage:

1) Should the asymmetric configuration be allowed by the Class?
2) If the vote passes, should the change take place in 2008 or 2009?

On a personal note, the thought of this initiative not passing make me more squeamish than a littler girl with half a frog being thrown in her face. With so many boats already converted, so many being converted as you read this, and so many boats poised/planned to be converted hedging that it will pass, should it go to vote and not pass, we will be looking at the destruction of wonderful class and most assuredly the creation of faster, safer and more fun (man I wanted to write funner) class; but friendships will be strained and both side will feel the pain for years and years. So if you are an E sailor, and you want to help make the 50 year Anniversary of the National Class E-Scow Association a tribute to founding Fathers who thought it was a pretty damn good idea to allow this boat to evolve to what it is today and what it can be in the future, Vote Yes to Asym and lets ALL go sailing together again.

To see a great article on DIY bowsprits, click here.

11/07/07