The competition produced such a wonderful selection of dinghies that I think it is imperative that the efforts of the designers be placed on some permanent record.
To this end I am trying to promote the printing of a dinghy design supplement to the magazine – a sort of souvenir supplement which would go to each person who subscribes to the magazine.
(A magazine supplement would have to be restricted to 28 or 32 pages, which is a little restrictive, considering there were 10 official entries and another five concept designs which I think are also worth putting on the record. However, in the interest of economy, compromise is necessary.)
The first step in the process will be to create an electronic version, in which we can allow three pages of text and illuistrations for each design. This means about 50 pages total, including front and back. (It will have to be further edited down later, to 28 or 32 pages, if the paper magazine supplement idea is accepted).
The electronic version can reside in the document section of the JRA website for people’s future reference. Each of the three pages for each design will comprise, as far as possible, just the words of the designers themselves, gleaned from the material they presented with their designs, and supplemented in some cases by material they have posted on this thread of the forum – together with drawings and photographs from what is available. The electronic file is intended to give an overview, ie study material, for the complete suite of designs, in the words of the designers themselves.
It is not an easy job to collate 15 individual efforts, in 15 different styles and formats and degrees of completeness, and try to make a unified document from it. The most difficult part is deciding which bits to leave out. However Jan and I will be working together, the project is well under way and I think the result will be acceptable.
I do hope the committee decides to approve the second step, which would be the creation of a 32-page souvenir magazine supplement, to go to all subscribers to the magazine. It would be a fitting keepsake, and a tangible way of rewarding each of the designers who contributed to the competition.