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Are you Bytesize?
And what is that weight? It’s anywhere between 90 and 160 lbs
with the optimum all-round, all-weather weight for racing being
120 - 145 lbs. If you’re just out sailing for fun, which is
what sailing is all about, your weight really doesn’t matter
at all.
So who is Bytesize? When you come down to it, a huge part of the
population comprising almost all of the early adolescent age group
emerging from the Optimist, about 95% of the female population and
about 45% of the male population. Of the above groups, the first
is, by far, the most important for our sport and the Byte provides
that all important first step after the Optimist. For years and
years we have been watching our trained young sailors walk away
from the sport - not because of ability but purely for lack of a
boat that the vast majority can handle in the heavier conditions.
Any youngster can handle any boat in 5 knots; if they can’t
in 15 knots, you won’t see them again. There’s too much
else to interest them out there: canoeing, kayaking, mountain biking,
roller blading, horseback riding, go karting, swimming, surfing,
scuba, surfboarding etc., etc., etc.
International Youth Boat
 That
boat is here now, it’s the Byte. in fact, it has been here
for nearly 10 years with over 2000 built! In the year 2000, however,
the Byte was chosen as the 18 and under female singlehanded boat
for the ISAF World Youth Championships in Australia. Check
the special ISAF section in the Website for the Australian experience.
It has been chosen again for the 2002 ISAF World Youth Championships
to be held in Nova Scotia, Canada. If you are wondering where that
young Optimist skipper in your family is going to sail next, go
to the Byte website at www.byteclass.org and check out the racing
schedule. It could be your option!
Strictly one-design
The whole concept of the Byte Class is based on all the boats,
spars, foils, and fittings being equal. This is the concept of ‘one-design’
and the Byte takes it to its logical conclusion with a one-design
sail delivered as part of the boat. The sail is a beautiful, double
stepped, radial design by Hans Fogh. This construction is a bit
of overkill but it results in such low stresses in the cloth that
the sail is unusually long lasting.
Fingertip controls
Because you don’t need to be a brute to sail the Byte,
we have led all the controls for vang, outhaul and cunningham to
either side deck with proper, multi-purchase, ball bearing block
systems. The vang can be adjusted, on a full plane, from the cockpit,
effortlessly. You have to try it to believe it!
Construction
The Byte was designed by Ian Bruce who put his 18 years of experience
with the Laser® dinghy plus the building of the Finn, International
14, Contender, Fireball, 470, Optimist (yes, in 1973, 20 years before
it was fashionable!), Tornado hull, Tasar and Laser II into the
design and development of the Byte. The foils, spars and fittings
are all tried and proven and the construction of the boat is lightweight,
non-exotic, (i.e. easily repairable), but capable of withstanding
everything from knockabout recreational sailing to boat-breaking
institutional programs. Discover the joy of lifting only 100 lbs
onto your car’s roof rack!
The Class is everything
The backbone of Byte sailing and racing is the Byte
Class International Association. Set up by the same people who
started the worldwide Laser® Class Association, the Byte Class
is the focus of communication between the members and is the body
that pulls together the entire racing circuit of North America and
Bermuda. It was instrumental in the Byte being granted ISAF Recognized
Status thereby opening the door for the Class to be selected for
the World Youth Championships.
®Laser is a trademark of Vanguard Boats and Byte is a trademark
of Performance Sailcraft 2000 Inc.
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