Europe (dinghy)

Infobox Sailboat Specifications

---

class_symbol =
numberofcrew = One
loa = 3350 mm (11 ft)
lwl =
beam = 1380 mm (4 ft 6 in)
draft =
hull = 45 kg (100 lb)
mastheight =
mainsail = 7 msu|p=2 (75 ftsu|p=2)
dpn =
phrf =
portsmouth =
updated =
olympic =
formerolympic = yes

The Europe is a one-person dinghy designed in Belgium in 1960 by Alois Roland as a class legal Moth dinghy. The design later changed into its own one-design class.

The dinghy is ideal for sailors weighing 50-75 kg and grown out of the Optimist. The hull is made of fibre glass and weighs 45 kg, fully rigged 60 kg. The dinghy is tapering in the stem and round in the bottom. The sail is made of dacron. The mast is made of carbon fibre and specially designed to the sailor. A soft mast is best for light sailors, while heavier sailors use stiffer masts.

The Europe was introduced as an Olympic class in the 1992 Summer Olympics as the women's single-handed dinghy. It was replaced by the Laser Radial in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Trim

The Europe is very lively and with that the distribution of weight means a lot. There are a lot of trim possibilities and that makes it a good transitional dinghy between the Optimist and larger dinghies like the Finn.

Following trim possibilities are found in the Europe:
* Halyard
* Outhaul
* Inhaul
* Cunningham
* Boom vang
* Centerboard
* Traveler

In addition is it possible to alter the slope of the mast. This must not happen during a race.

External links

* [http://www.europedinghy.org/ US Class Website]
* [http://www.europeclass.org/ International Europe Class Union Website]