Misplaced Pages

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66-519: Some dictionaries suggest that the origin of the word could be traced to the first boat to commonly fly a spinnaker, a yacht called Sphinx , mispronounced as Spinx . Sphinx first set her spinnaker in the Solent in 1865, and the first recorded use of the word was in 1866 in the August edition of Yachting Calendar and Review (p. 84). In addition, the term may have been influenced by the spanker , originally

132-470: A gaff rigged fore-and-aft sail. Another suggestion is that the idea for the sail was conceived in 1865 by William Gordon, owner of the racing yacht Niobe . He wanted to name the sail after his yacht but a crewman's comment, "Now there's a sail to make her spin" became "spin maker" which developed into the commonly accepted term spinnaker. Gordon was widely known in the yachting world of the time as "Spinnaker Gordon". It has been pointed out, however, that

198-413: A genoa but is frequently mounted on a bowsprit , often a retracting one. If the spinnaker is mounted to a special bowsprit, it is often possible to fly the spinnaker and the jib at the same time; if not, then the spinnaker will be shadowed by the jib, and the jib should be furled when the spinnaker is in use. The asymmetric has two sheets , very much like a jib, but is not attached to the forestay along

264-406: A fixed bowsprit and asymmetric spinnaker. To keep the weight down, the hull was made of balsa wood and weighed just 130 pounds (60kgs). Prime Mk3 was also made of balsa wood, had a wingspan of 26 ft, and weighed just 99 pounds (45kgs). This was later used to make a plug for the standardized B18 class. In 1994, Bethwaite designed the 49er which was a new high performance skiff. In 1996, it

330-591: A large estuary flowing west to east and into the English Channel at the eastern end of the present Solent. This great estuary ran through a wooded valley and is now referred to as the Solent River. When glaciers covering more northern latitudes melted at the end of the last ice age , two things happened to create the Solent. Firstly, a great amount of flood water ran into the Solent River and its tributaries, carving

396-495: A new idea and date back to at least the 19th century. However, in the 1980s a new concept appeared, starting with the Sydney Harbour 18ft Skiff fleet. Since the 1960s, many faster sailing craft, starting with catamaran classes, have discovered that it is faster to sail downwind on a series of broad reaches with efficient airflow across the sail rather than directly downwind with the sails stalled. This technique had developed to

462-692: A new theory—that the Solent was originally a lagoon—was reported in the Southern Daily Echo by Garry Momber from the Hampshire and Wight Trust for Maritime Archaeology . The Isle of Wight was formerly contiguous with the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset— the Needles on Wight and Old Harry Rocks on Purbeck are the last remnant of this connection. Ten thousand years ago a band of relatively resistant chalk rock, part of

528-488: A plane of symmetry exists for that particular sail. Asymmetric spinnakers operate more like a jib, generating lift from the side, rather than the top like a symmetric spinnaker. This makes asymmetrics a better choice on reaching courses than symmetric spinnakers, which excel when running. While a fully equipped racing boat might have a number of spinnakers, both symmetric and asymmetric, to cover all courses and wind conditions, cruising boats almost always use an asymmetric, due to

594-565: A possible derivation from the Brittonic element -uente , which has endured throughout the history of Hampshire, as in the Roman city of Venta Belgarum (Latinised as Venta ), the post-Roman kingdom of Y Went, and the modern name of Winchester . It later appears in Anglo-Saxon records as Solentan . A pre-Celtic and supposedly Semitic root meaning "free-standing rock" has also been suggested as

660-561: A possible description of the cliffs marking western approach of the strait. This Semitic origin may be a relic of the Phoenician traders who sailed to Britain from the Mediterranean as part of the ancient tin trade . Another suggestion is that the name may reflect the number of Northern Gannets (previously known as Solans or the Solan Goose) along the coast. Originally a river valley,

726-468: A similar manner – constant improvements looking for more speed from simplified designs. Here’s one example: Up until then, 18 ft skiffs carried as much sail area as possible which them spectacular to watch but difficult and expensive to sail. These incremental improvements resulted in what Frank called “the end of the big boat era.” In 1997 this simpler, faster design was made the standard for all 18 ft skiffs. The reduced costs made them available to

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792-407: A tube or an aperture mounted on the deck close to the forestay. To allow recovery of the spinnaker into the chute during dousing, the spinnaker is fitted with one or more recovery patches to, or through which, the tail of the spinnaker halyard is attached or passed; the spinnaker head and its halyard form a continuous loop, passing through the chute. If the spinnaker chute is within the hull and

858-600: Is a comparatively shallow stretch of tidal water. It has an unusual double tide that is both favourable and hazardous to maritime activities with its strong tidal movements and quickly changing sea states. Coupled with the above, the Solent is renowned for its large volume of vessel usage, thus resulting in one of the highest density of declared lifeboat stations in the world. This includes six RNLI (e.g. Calshot and Cowes ) and five independently run stations (e.g. Hamble Lifeboat and Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service ). Remains of human habitation have been found from

924-588: Is a form of asymmetric spinnaker used by cruising yachts and designed for easy use when short-handed. Two sheets are used, with the tack line eased by a foot or so before gybing. Alternatively, only one sheet is used, with the sail snuffed before a gybe. A Code Zero is a light-weight sail that approaches the dimensions of a genoa jib, for light airs and points of sail up to a close reach. It may be launched furled on its own stay. The following codes are used for both symmetric and asymmetric sails. Since they will only be used on certain points of sail, raising and lowering

990-447: Is called the sheet . It attaches to the clew of the spinnaker and is used to control the shape of the sail. The spinnaker pole must be moved in each gybe , and is quite difficult for beginners to use. However, it can be sailed in all downwind wind directions. Symmetric spinnakers when sailing across the wind (reaching) develop most of their lift on the forward quarter, where the airflow remains attached. When correctly set for reaching,

1056-446: Is deployed. To retrieve the spinnaker, the sheet or the tack is released and the sock is pulled down, gathering the sail. The halyard is then dropped and the sail may be packed away. As of 2006, there were a variety of means to aid the launching (hoisting) and dousing (taking down) of a spinnaker—a sail which, in lacking luff support, is "more unstable and more difficult" to handle in these and related situations. One system focuses on

1122-469: Is possible to believe Diodorus Siculus 's report that in his time men could wade to the Isle of Wight at low tide. In the early 16th century, Henry VIII of England built an extensive set of coastal defences at each end of the Solent, part of his Device Forts , effectively controlling access to east and west. In 1545, a naval battle was fought in the Solent between English and French naval forces. The battle

1188-401: Is required to be watertight, it takes the form of a hard tube sealed to the hull at both ends. If a watertight arrangement is not required, a cloth tube may be used to contain the lowered spinnaker. A masthead, symmetrical spinnaker is occasionally used for entertainment at anchor to loft a person hanging beneath it above the water. To work, the vessel must be anchored stern to the wind to allow

1254-523: Is sheltered by the Isle of Wight and has a complex tidal pattern, which has benefited Southampton's success as a port, providing a "double high tide" that extends the tidal window during which deep-draught ships can be handled. Spithead , an area off Gilkicker Point near Gosport , is known as the place where the Royal Navy is traditionally reviewed by the monarch of the day . The area is of great ecological and landscape importance, particularly because of

1320-403: Is stuffed into the spinnaker bag. The top of the sock will have provisions for attaching to the spinnaker halyard. The spinnaker is raised as normal, but with the sock in place, the spinnaker is unable to catch the wind. Once the spinnaker is raised and the guys are ready to set, the sock is raised, releasing the spinnaker. The sock remains bundled up at the head of the sail while the spinnaker

1386-405: Is the world's only commercial passenger hovercraft. It celebrated 50 years of operation in 2015. Julian Bethwaite Julian Bethwaite (born 14 July 1957) is an Australian, Sydney-based skiff sailor and sailboat designer. He wrote one chapter of his father Frank's book, Higher Performance Sailing . Bethwaite started sailing 18ft skiffs in 1974 crewing on KB, before moving on to

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1452-404: Is to set up the sock. Two lines are attached to the sock; one is attached to a bridle on the ring, for pulling the sock down, and one is up the inside, from the ring, through the top, and back down, for raising the sock; these lines may be two ends of the same line, to form a loop. The head of the spinnaker is attached to the top of the sock and the ring runs down to the tack. The resulting bundle

1518-520: The Hurst Spit which projects 1 + 1 ⁄ 2  mi (2.4 km) into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to just over 1 mi (1.6 km). The Solent is a major shipping lane for passenger, freight and military vessels. It is also an important recreational area for water sports, particularly yachting , hosting the Cowes Week sailing event annually. It

1584-736: The Lutetian stage of the Eocene water from a granite area, probably Dartmoor , flowed into the River Solent. Seabed survey shows that when the sea level was lower in the Ice Age the River Solent continued the line of the eastern Solent ( Spithead ) to a point roughly due east of the east end of the Isle of Wight and due south of a point about 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of Selsey Bill , and then south-south-west for about 30 kilometres (19 mi), and then south for about 14 kilometres (9 mi), and then joined

1650-664: The SKUD 18 , a ballasted skiff for disabled sailors. From 2008 through 2016 this boat has been raced at the Paralympic Games . In 2012, ISAF held trials for a women's high performance boat to race at the Olympics. Bethwaite submitted the 29erXX, a souped up 29er with bigger sails. Although this boat lost out, the winning entry, the 49erFX from Mackay Boats (which developed a new mast and suit of sails) does feature Bethwaite's 49er hull. Julian continues his father Frank’s pioneering designs in

1716-639: The Southern England Chalk Formation , ran from the Isle of Purbeck area of south Dorset to the eastern end of Isle of Wight , parallel to the South Downs . Inland behind the chalk were less resistant sands, clays and gravels. Through these weak soils and rocks ran many rivers, from the Dorset Frome in the west and including the Stour , Beaulieu River , Test , Itchen and Hamble , which created

1782-447: The 19th century. These were generally known as Palmerston Forts . The Solent was one of two sites for the sailing events at the 1908 Summer Olympics . The Solent became the departure area of the ill-fated ocean liner, Titanic , in April 1912. A bank in the centre of the Solent, Bramble Bank , is exposed at low water at spring tide . This, combined with the unique tidal patterns in

1848-593: The Solent has gradually widened and deepened over many thousands of years. The River Frome was the source of the River Solent , with four other rivers—the Rivers Avon , Hamble , Itchen and Test —being tributaries of it. Seismic sounding has shown that, when the sea level was lower, the River Solent incised its bed to a depth of at least 46 metres (151 ft) below current Ordnance Datum . The Purbeck Ball Clay contains kaolinite and mica , showing that in

1914-516: The Solent. The estuary of the Solent River was gradually flooded, and eventually the Isle of Wight became separated from the mainland as the chalk ridge between The Needles on the island and Old Harry Rocks on the mainland was eroded. This is thought to have happened about 7,500 years ago. The process of coastal change is still continuing, with the soft cliffs on some parts of the Solent, such as Fort Victoria , constantly eroding, whilst other parts, such as Ryde Sands , are accreting. The Solent

1980-461: The U.S., and Mexico that resulted in three Sport-Tel awards. In 1980 based on a stretched Tasar Dinghy hull, he designed the first of the trilogy of Prime Computer 18 ft skiffs. It had a crew of two rather than the usual three which made sailing the boat difficult when handling the spinnaker pole and its complex wire bracing. It was this complexity that made Bethwaite design the Prime Mk2 with

2046-564: The area, makes navigation challenging. There is an annual cricket match on Bramble Bank during the lowest tide of the year, but games are often cut short by rising tide. According to the BBC, the 1 ⁄ 2  mi (800 m) tide at Ryde gives a major advantage to hovercraft which can travel right up a beach and the Solent is the only place in Western Europe where there is a regular passenger service. The operator, Hovertravel , claims it

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2112-421: The boat will often sail a zig-zag course downwind, gybing at the corners. An asymmetric spinnaker is particularly effective on fast planing dinghies as their speed generates an apparent wind on the bow allowing them to sail more directly downwind . It is also particularly useful in cruising yachts in the form of a cruising spinnaker or cruising chute , where the ease of handling is important. A cruising chute

2178-574: The boats 9Sports, Singapore Airline, and Mutual Acceptance. Bethwaite won his first 18 ft Skiff World Championship as crew in 1987 and again as skipper in 1990 and 1992. He held several positions relating to the 18 ft class, including secretary of NSW 18 ft Skiff Sailing League, manager of the Super Skiff Series, and Skiff Grand Prix. At this time, Grand Prix Sailing was covered on TV. Internationally, his partnership with Alex Gad developed media driven sailing events throughout Europe,

2244-412: The broader application and easier handling afforded by the asymmetric. The symmetric one is the most classic type, running symmetrically alongside the boat controlled by lines known as a sheet and a guy running from the lower two corners of the sail. The windward line, or guy, is attached to the corner called the tack of the sail, and is stabilized by a spinnaker pole . The leeward (downwind) line

2310-476: The change from spoon to spin in the term spindrift is attributed to a local Scottish pronunciation. According to Merriam Webster 's dictionary, however, spindrift derives from a local Scottish pronunciation of speen (not spoon ), meaning "to drive before a strong wind." According to Merriam-Webster's etymology, the origin of the word spinnaker is simply unknown. There are two main categories of spinnakers, symmetric and asymmetric depending on whether

2376-506: The coastal and estuarine habitats along its edge. Much of its coastline is designated as a Special Area of Conservation . It is bordered by and forms a part of the character of a number of nationally important protected landscapes including the New Forest National Park, and the Isle of Wight AONB . The word predates Old English , and is first recorded in 731 as Soluente (Bede, H.E. 4, 16). This original spelling suggests

2442-403: The corners on top for easy access. While a symmetric spinnaker is flown with a "guy" and a "sheet", an asymmetric spinnaker is flown with a tackline and a "sheet." The tack attaches to the bow or (often retractable) bowsprit, and the two sheets attach to the clew. The head of the sail is attached to the spinnaker halyard, which is used to raise the sail. The sheets are passed to either side of

2508-668: The estuary deeper. Secondly, post-glacial rebound after the removal of the weight of ice over Scotland caused the island of Great Britain to tilt about an east–west axis, because isostatic rebound in Scotland and Scandinavia is pulling mantle rock out from under the Netherlands and south England : this is forebulge sinking . Over thousands of years, the land sank in the south (a process still continuing) to submerge many valleys creating today's characteristic rias , such as Southampton Water and Poole Harbour , as well as submerging

2574-423: The extent that in bar conversation at the end of one season Andrew Buckland observed that the 18s had sailed all season without pulling the spinnaker pole back from the forestay and that all the systems could be simplified by eliminating the pole and setting the spinnaker from a fixed (but often retractable) bowsprit. The concept quickly evolved to a sail with a loose luff much more like a conventional spinnaker than

2640-437: The force of the wind, or it may have lines attached to it to raise (the topping lift ) and lower (the foreguy or downhaul ) the angle of the pole. If these lines are used, they are generally set up before setting sail and left in place even when the spinnaker is stowed. Since spinnakers are downwind sails, they are never tacked, they are only jibed. When jibing a symmetric, the pole is removed from one corner and attached to

2706-443: The forestay and lead to the back of the boat. The head (top corner) is attached to the spinnaker halyard, which is used to raise the sail up the mast. Symmetric spinnakers have the windward clew secured to a spinnaker pole. The pole is attached to the mast and holds the windward edge of the sail in position. Lines that control the spinnaker pole are called guys or braces . The spinnaker pole may be allowed to raise and lower with

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2772-399: The forestay, attached to the clew; they may be passed forward of the luff of the asymmetric, or aft of the luff of the asymmetric, between the tack line and the forestay. The sheet on the downwind (lee) side of the hull is used to trim the sail, and the opposite sheet is left slack. Often a tack line is used at leading edge to provide adjustable tension on the luff of the spinnaker. To keep

2838-401: The forestay, the operation is reversed. The loaded sheet is slackened, and the opposite (lazy) sheet is pulled in, which allows the sail to pass around in front of the forestay, and then be sheeted in on the new lee side of the boat. Retrieving the asymmetric is similar to the process for the symmetric. The sheets are released, allowing the sail to collapse to the front of the boat. The foot of

2904-400: The foretriangle area and prevents interference with the jib. As this trend becomes more popular in racing boats, it may result in similar adaptations to cruising boats as well. Jibing with the asymmetric is much less complex than the symmetric, due to the lack of the spinnaker pole. Much like a jib, all that is required is to change sheets; however, since the asymmetric still flies in front of

2970-541: The hull and a large number of artefacts can be seen in the Mary Rose Museum located in the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard . In 1685, King James II narrowly escaped shipwreck while sailing in the Solent. Musician Henry Purcell wrote "They that go down to the sea in ships" to be sung by the extraordinary voice of John Gostling in commemoration of this event. More forts were built on land and at sea in

3036-506: The launching of the spinnaker, only, and it makes use of special sail-packing and a funnel system that places breakable elastic bands as the sail is launched, bands that break as sheet and guy of the filled spinnaker are trimmed. Other systems use means that assist with both launching and dousing, and such systems include: A spinnaker chute is a means of launching and dousing (recovering) the spinnaker. Found most commonly on modern dinghy designs and updated older classes, it often consists of

3102-420: The leading edges of a symmetric spinnaker should be nearly parallel to the wind, so the flow of air over the leading edge remains attached. When reaching, the sail camber allows only some attached flow over the leeward side of the spinnaker. On running the spinnaker is angled for maximum drag, with the spinnaker pole at right angles to the apparent wind. The symmetric spinnaker also requires care when packing, since

3168-414: The length of the luff, but only at the corners. Unlike a symmetric spinnaker, the asymmetric does not require a spinnaker pole, since it is fixed to the bow or bowsprit. The asymmetric is very easy to gybe since it only requires releasing one sheet and pulling in the other one, passing the sail in front of the forestay. Asymmetrics are less suited to sailing directly downwind than spinnakers, and so instead

3234-746: The main river flowing down the dry bed of the English Channel . During the Ice Age, meanders of the Solent's tributaries became incised: for example, an incised meander of the River Test is buried under reclaimed land under the Westquay shopping centre, near Southampton docks; Since the retreat of the most recent glaciation, the South East of England , like the Netherlands , has been steadily slowly sinking through historic time due to forebulge sinking . In 2008

3300-405: The names are reversed. Larger boats may choose to use both a sheet and guy on each corner, with the guy being a heavier line. Having 2 sets of lines will makes the jibe easier as the kite is flown by the two sheets while the crew at the bow and at the mast are removing one guy from the pole and attaching it to the other with no tension on them. Retrieving the spinnaker is a multi-step process, and

3366-404: The next deployment. There are, however many other ways to retrieve the spinnaker depending on the conditions and intent. It may or may not go into a turtle. It may be pulled back into the cockpit & then down below to be repacked for the next hoist or be pulled in a foredeck hatch and left free for the next hoist. Like the symmetric, the asymmetrical spinnaker is often stored in a turtle, with

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3432-455: The old jib-style asymmetric sails. Julian Bethwaite was the first to rig and sail a boat with one the next season, followed shortly by Andrew Buckland. The first modern offshore sailboats to incorporate a retractable bow sprit and an asymmetric spinnaker was the J/Boats J/105 . The concept has spread rapidly through the sailing world. The tack of the sail may be attached at the bow like

3498-407: The opposite corner. This corner now becomes the windward corner. There are two ways this is done. Generally on smaller boats, an end-for-end jibe is accomplished by disconnecting the pole at the mast-end and connecting the mast end to the opposite side of the sail. The old sail end is disconnected and then attached to the mast. This prevents the pole from getting loose during the procedure and allows

3564-432: The prehistoric, Roman , and Saxon eras, showing that humans retreated towards progressively higher ground over these periods. Offshore from Bouldnor , Isle of Wight, divers have found at 11 metres (36 ft) depth the submerged remains of a wooden building that was built there on land around 6000 BC when the sea level was lower and the land was higher. There is an early Norman period report that much land on

3630-415: The sail angle on the new course. Dip-pole jibing can use a pole with one mast end and one sail end. Smaller boats tend to use only one line on each clew (a combination guy and sheet ). The windward line that runs through the jaw of the spinnaker pole is referred to as the guy (as opposed to foreguy) and the one on the free-flying corner is referred to as the sheet . During a jibe, these roles and thus

3696-401: The sail is then gathered, the halyard released and the head of the sail lowered, where it is packed into the turtle. The dousing sock , "spinnaker sleeve", snuffer , or just sock , is a device used to make deploying and retrieving the spinnaker a much easier task. The sock is a long fabric tube with a ring in one end to hold it open. Since the spinnaker is stored in the sock, the first step

3762-410: The sail to extend out over the bow. Solent The Solent ( / ˈ s oʊ l ən t / SOH -lənt ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and mainland Great Britain ; the major historic ports of Southampton and Portsmouth lie inland of its shores. It is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) long and varies in width between 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 and 5 mi (4 and 8 km), although

3828-406: The skippers of Thames sailing barges also used the term spinnaker for their jib staysails . Unlike the other, tanned sails of these boats, the spinnakers were usually white. It has thus been suggested that the term could be "connected with the obsolete word spoon , meaning to run before the wind (cf. spindrift )." Early usage of the verb to spoon can be traced back to the 16th century;

3894-484: The south of Hayling Island was lost to sea flood. South of Hayling Island in the Solent is a deposit of stones, which scuba divers found to be the remains of a stone building, probably a church. There is an old report that this church was formerly in the middle of Hayling Island. If similar amounts of land have been lost on other parts of the Solent shore, the Solent was likely to have been much narrower in Roman times, and it

3960-483: The spinnaker is a task that is often performed while under sail. Due to the size of spinnakers (the spinnaker is often double or more the size of the mainsail) this can be a difficult operation, since the sail will immediately catch the wind. Typically the symmetric spinnaker is packed in its own bag, called a turtle , with the three corners on top for ready access. The clews (lower corners) are controlled by lines called sheets . The sheets are run in front (outside) of

4026-412: The tack near the centerline of the boat, it may be attached to the forestay with a sliding collar (often riding over the furled jib on parrel beads , tacker or similar device) adjustable with a down haul, or tack line. This allows the tack to slide up and down the forestay to adjust the luff tension. On racing boats, the tack of the asymmetric is often rigged to a retractable bowsprit , which increases

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4092-425: The take-down depends on wind position. First, the windward corner is detached from the spinnaker pole and the guy is released. This step is referred to as blowing the guy . This allows the spinnaker to collapse into the shadow of the mainsail, where the foot is gathered by a crew member. The halyard is then lowered, and a crew member gathers the sail and stuffs it carefully into the turtle, corners out, and ready for

4158-456: The three corners must be available on the top of the packing. A Parasailor is a symmetrical spinnaker with a paraglider wing inserted into a gap in the sail approximately mid-way up. This feature makes the sail easier to keep inflated, but detracts from its performance. The sail may be flown on a spinnaker pole or with the tack attached to the bow of the boat. Asymmetrical spinnakers resembling large jibs and flown from spinnaker poles are not

4224-451: The use of only two control lines that alternate as sheet and guy (more on this below). End-for-end jibing requires a pole with identical fittings at either end. Larger boats do a dip-pole gybe (jibe) in which the pole remains attached to the mast and the outer end is lowered until it can clear the head-stay and is then raised back up on the other side of the boat to the proper height with the topping lift. The guys are adjusted as before to set

4290-523: Was inconclusive with no significant losses other than Henry VIII's flagship, the Mary Rose , which foundered and sank while making a sharp turn. From a total crew of over 400 (some estimates have suggested as many as 700 ), fewer than 35 survived the sinking. The remains of the Mary Rose were discovered at the bottom of the Solent by a salvage project in 1971 and were successfully salvaged in 1982. The remains of

4356-596: Was one of 15 entries considered by the ISAF selection competition for the upcoming 2000 Sydney Olympics . The Olympic committee selected the 49er. From the 2000 Olympics and onwards, the 49er sailed with country flag designs covering the entire spinnaker, making it clear which boat was which. In 1998, the smaller 29er was designed for the international youth market. The 29er has been given International Class status In 2004, he worked with Martin Billoch and Chris Mitchell to design

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