kSail Mark System - Quietly Making a Difference
Before it became a product range the kSail Mark System grew from regular coaching and team racing use with years spent on the water: marks being laid, moved, recovered, changed, and used again through coaching sessions, club activity and events. The current system is a more polished version of that original kit, with the same underlying aim; marks that are easy to handle, easy to identify, and adaptable to different types of sailing. The system is particularly suited to inland venues, where the same marks are often used for coaching, training, and racing in all its forms.
The kSail Mark System
The kSail Marks, Flags, Rope Winders and Ground Weights come together as a modular system that can be scaled up or down to suit the venue and activity.
Marks
The kSail Mark is based on the danbuoy concept, with an emphasis on being easy to work with, robust and resilient in day-to-day use. A plain mark can be useful for simple coaching exercises, informal sailing areas or temporary training layouts. Add a flag and the mark gains a clearer role: a number, a colour, a course, a rounding direction, or a meeting point. The mark is easy to pick up, quick to move, visible from a distance and doesn't take up a huge amount of space in the support boat! The mark counterweights are plastic coated to reduce the risk of damage to support boats when marks are lifted, recovered and frequently dropped back into the boat.
Flags
kSail Mark Flags are available in several colours and can be moved from mark to mark; the same set of marks can be adapted to different activities during the day. A mark might carry a number for team racing, a colour for a coaching group, or a different colour to identify a start area, finish area, course or changeover point. The flags float and can be recovered if dropped while marks are being changed on the water.
A line of marks with flags give a clear indication of wind direction, while different colours can separate start and finish marks or indicate different coaching groups, courses, rounding direction and more.
Rope Winders
kSail Rope Winders are similar in principle to the line storage for beach kites and similar items. The rope is wound on the winder and once the right length has been let out for the depth, a half hitch or two can be dropped over one of the horns to hold the rode in place. The winder has capacity for up to 35 metres of 5mm line, spare rope remains wound onto the winder rather than ending up loose in the bottom of the boat. The winder will sink to take itself below the Mark; well away from centreboards and rudders.
Ground Weights and Anchors
Ground tackle will always depend on the venue; for many inland and soft-bottomed coastal venues, a ground weight is easier to handle than an anchor. kSail Ground Weights are cast from concrete with a chain attachment and made inside a heavy-duty plastic mould, reducing the risk of damage inside a coach or mark-laying boat.
Usage Examples
TThere is no single use case for the kSail Mark System. The same equipment may be used for a coaching session one day, club racing the next and a team racing event at the weekend.
Coaching and Training
The marks are simple and quick to lay and recover at the start or end of a session; or to leave afloat if needed. With a rope strop the marks can be easily moved without being fully recovered. In coaching and training terms, the flags add a simple dynamic to the management of a session. Flags will always show the wind direction for the novice or more advanced sailor while coloured flags allow different activities to run within the same piece of water. While one group might be working between two red flagged marks, another group may be useing a yellow gate while a longer course or a separate turning mark can help the coach differentiate their session for sailors of different abilities.
Other simple coaching examples might include
- coloured gates for boat handling exercises
- separate areas for different groups
- turning marks for different ability levels
- starting boxes or holding areas
- short courses within a larger coaching layout
- individual tasks for sailors working on different skills
Team Racing
Perfect for Team Racing, the marks are easy to move and adjust to small wind changes. With numbered flags can be used for the main course marks, with separate colours for start and finish, a team racing set of kSail marks will consist of six marks and flags plus two spare marks. Spare marks are used to either shorten or lengthen the course by laying a new top or bottom reach or providing a range of windward mark options. The spare marks can be laid in advance with just the flag needing to be moved when opportunity presents. At multi-course events, different flag colours can help to identify different divisions or direct boats and RIBs to gather in a particular changeover location.
Club Racing
While a club may have permanant or no marks on the water, temporary or movable marks have an important role to play. A single mark quickly provides a pin end, a decent windward mark when the fixed marks are not in quite the right place, or creates a shorter course for junior and less experienced sailors racing inside a larger fleet. Similarly, coloured or numbered flags indicate rounding order or direction or marks for different fleets.
Final Thoughts and Customisation
The strength of the system is that the same equipment can be used in many different ways. A set of marks that starts life as a coaching resource can equally support team racing, club racing, start lines, finish lines and event delivery.
While the system is based on a standard set of specifications and sizes which are appropriate for most inland venues; we are able to adapt and build custom sizes of marks, flags and ground tackle to suit larger or coastal venues.
Available from the kSail Store
The kSail Mark System is available to order through the kSail Store:
Related Articles
Tiller Extension UJ's - A Fleet Perspective
Where ever possible, try and be consistent with your Tiller UJ’s across your fleet. This means you can quickly and easily replace a tiller extension without worrying about whether the UJ will fit. Consider a UJ as a consumable item; make sure you ...Firefly Centreboard Stops - Help and Hindrance
Stop Damage to Centreboard Case Centreboard stops limit the movement of the centreboard and help reduce damage to the top of the centreboard case. As with many small Firefly fittings, there is a balance to be found. In some fleet racing setups, ...Firefly Tiller Stops – A Simple Component That Matters
It is often the simple things which have the biggest impact. Damaged and Split Tiller Stop The Rondar Firefly requires tiller stops to prevent the tiller from contacting the deck or becoming trapped beneath the transom bar. Failure of the tiller stop ...