News - DZERO.CO.UK

July 2024 - Thats it, the 1st ever Europeans and 10th National Championships are over... Join us at Lee on the Solent in 2025 - Dates TBC.
What an event, 2 days of good breeze, 2 days of lighter winds, sun 3 out of the 4 days, 6 different race winners, close racing throughout the fleet ! see the Class Association website for more details - News & Everything else... (d-zerosailing.org)

27 December 2023 - The Launch of THE 1st ever D-Zero Europeans & 10th National Championships - Entries are available now D-Zero Class Association: Home (webcollect.org.uk) Weymouth & Portland National Sailing Academy - 27 through 30 June 2024. Make sure you enter early as this is going to be one great event, and plenty of top sailors want to take the crown, will you be one of them, or at least a huge part of it ! Remember if you don't enter, you don't stand a chance !! Supported by North, Harken, Sailing Chandlery, Phoenix Marine UK, Devoti Sailing and of course dzero.co.uk

23-25 June 2023 - National Championships - the dzero.co.uk team were out sailing and unfortunately due to a leg infection/hospital visit, we were only able to sail day 2 and 3, though managed to pull back into 10th overall, and finished with a 2nd in the last race, though led for 2/3rds of it until overtaken by the National Champ to be by a boat length at the finish ! Exciting times, so come and see what the D-Zero is all about ! Well done to Ian Baillie - 2023 D-Zero National Champion, aswell as all the other competitors racing.

26 & 27 February 2022 - RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show - The first time the Devoti ILCA has been on public display, other than by owners and charterers, along with the D-Zero. The stand was incredibly busy on the Saturday, as was the show, and several orders placed for both boats, along with plenty of interest.

29 December 2021 - The Devoti Optimist has ceased production - Due to market forces and despite average sales of the Devoti Optimist, dzero.co.uk and Devoti Sailing have taken the tough decision to cease production of the Devoti Optimist, allowing the factory to concentrate on significant sales of ILCA and D-Zero dinghies, which are both gaining significant sales volumes in UK and Germany (D-Zero) and across Europe (ILCA). David Valentine said "Its been a tough decision as its the starter boat for so many greats in the sailing world, however we cannot offer the same level of customer service to every boat design".

1 Sept 2021 - Booked our stand at RYA Dinghy & Watersports Show - 26/27 February 2022 - Come and see the latest Devoti boats, ILCA, D-Zero and Optimist; plus meet some of the D-Zero Class Association members. We'll have an exciting stand as always, and show you why Devoti is a quality boat builder...

6 July 2021 - Looking forward to Freedom Day ! - we are very aware of Covid and the guidelines and restrictions we have had to endure over the past few months, however we will be reviewing and using the latest guidance as to how we operate going forward.
The dzero team have all been double jabbed, however we will happily wear masks and continue our high level hygiene programme.
Please contact us before visiting if you have any concerns...

23 March 2021 - New doors ! - I know its nothing special to get excited about, however we can now get more Devoti's into our unit, and even easier by wheeling them in ! Speed in and out ! Come and see us... #covidpermitting #covidsafe

27/28 February 2021 - Virtual RYA Dinghy Show - this is a first, its free to enter, and dzero.co.uk will have all the info on the Devoti ILCA, their Optimist and of course the D-Zero. There will be a free cover with any new boat order, so look forward to chatting with you as to how to renew your boats, plus lots of info and videos to see. The D-Zero Class Association also have a booth, and several members on hand to discuss the D-Z and the benefits you get from being a member ! Remember there's no travel issues, no car parking, so no excuses ! :-) See you there...

6 February 2021 - making more space at Thornham. More boats, more accessories, more space needed. Watch out next for new doors to get in more easily...

28 January 2021 - dzero.co.uk collecting more boats from Poland factory. More D-Zero's accessories, parts, etc, along with the new Brexit customs rules. Always good meeting the factory team... The great news from the factory is that the new ILCA has a lead time of 2 months as sales across Europe are fantastic, and over 150 have been sold to date. Long may this continue as it will make the factory even more financially secure...

5 October 2020 - Devoti Sailing head to Gdansk. New ILCA built by Devoti are heading to the Europeans, along with a couple of teams (the Norwegian team for definite) that have just purchased new Devoti ILCA's. Watch the European pages for the results. We'll be sure to point out who has a Devoti...

1 October 2020 - Devoti Sailing have just been approved to build the ILCA. Devoti has been named as the latest builder of class-legal boats. With manufacturing based in Poland, the company has now successfully completed the detailed builder certification process and has received approval from both the ILCA and World Sailing technical departments to begin full-scale production immediately.
Expect to see the first ILCA class-legal boats by Devoti in the market soon complete with World Sailing plaques — meaning these boats are legal for all class-sanctioned events including world and Olympic qualifiers. As with all ILCA approved builders, boats will be manufactured from moulds made from ILCA master tooling and will be built in strict compliance with the standards and specifications of the class Construction Manual.
Approval of Devoti Sailing comes in accordance with World Sailing’s Olympic Equipment Policy, which states that any interested and qualified manufacturer must have the opportunity to become a builder of Olympic equipment. To comply with this policy the International Laser Class boats built by Devoti Sailing and other new manufacturers will be sold under the ILCA brand in order to allow builders to sell boats in any part of the world without trademark restrictions.

1 June 2020 - Back open - The Thornham unit is back open, though restricted to the public, however we are working through the covid requirements and ensuring the health and safety of our employees and our clients. To this, all meetings will be held outside the unit unless heavy rain, where we will head inside though only with masks on and the doors / windows open. Trust acceptable to all

23 March 2020 - Covid-19 Update - Due to further restrictions, we have closed the unit at Thornham Marina to the public, though we are still providing spares and parts via our couriers DPD whom have a no-contact collection & delivery system. In addition, we disinfect all products prior to sending, aswell as use gloves and masks when packing, and we wipe the DPD shipping bags down with disinfectant prior to passing over to DPD. We will continue to monitor the restrictions

6 March 2020 - Covid-19 - Due to restrictions, we are unable to offer demo sails in the D-Zero or Optimist, however still have the unit open for spares and boat sales. We will continue to monitor the restrictions.

29 February & 1 March 2020 - RYA Dinghy Show - Lots of owners and potential owners came and had a chat about the Devoti Optimist and D-Zero. D-Zero Class Association members were on the stand and gave unbiased views, aswell as some IOCA and Optimist sailors.
The Optimist was both on the IOCA stand aswell as dzero.co.uk, and the D-Zero was displayed with two rigs, and a potential new soft deck on display from SeaDek. Sarah Ayton OBE purchased a Devoti Optimist for her son Thomas, so we're excited to watch for his results. Sarah chose the Devoti due to its quality of build and fibreglass knowledge used for Ben Ainslie's Finn &99% of champion level Finn sailors - choice of champions ! what Devoti did for the Finn they do for the Optimist...

February 2020 - Thornham Marina, Emsworth - Our new home, as we needed more space, warmer facilities to work, and somewhere to show off new and pre-owned Devoti's. Come and see us...

September 2019 - Southampton Boat Show - Had a great week with the Devoti Optimist and the D-Zero on a stand in the Arena, aswell as a demo boat on the Try-A-Boat stand on the marina pontoons. Plenty of people very interested - Laser, RS300, Phantom, Aero sailors all considering as having heard great things about the D-Zero and the Optimist, aswell as the Class Association and its racing / open events

11 July 2019 - Booked our stand at the RYA Dinghy Show, March 2020 - We have a great stand C76 and ready to ruffle a few feathers of our competition as we will be right between them all ! Seriously, we love the competition, as it makes the Devoti's look amazing...
The stand will be bigger and better than this years as there is so much interest in the D-Zero and the Devoti Optimist. Come and day hello !

6 July 2019 - dzero.co.uk sponsorship of IOCA South East Travellers - 21 sailors from 6 clubs racing at Chipstead. Pleased to support the younger and upcoming sailors in the Optimists. Watch out for some of these sailors... See the google link for more photos - https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipOgPHQVHSJ0p1MVONThM9lrEFxUWdukfwLU7VVgjXfylNY2yrtjuohapu5P1dxy1w?key=T0dFR0dONW9hMmhtVkxqN1dPRzUyWjVvTUZld0lB

5 June 2019 - Southampton Boat Show Tickets are now available - It's on 13-22 Sept 2019 !
Tickets are now available for the biggest Show in the UK, come and see us, our competitors, lots and lots of dinghies, yachts, powerboats, equipment etc etc etc. We have a stand in the Arena, the first section you enter, and we'll see if we can get the LED's running, standing out from the crowd as we love to do ! Come and see the D-Optimist and D-Zero, and some of our accessories / bimbles etc, and have a chat !
https://boatshow.seetickets.com/content/ticket-options

3 March 2019 - RS Sailing admire the D-Zero up close and personal.
Ricky and Jon from RS Sailing visited the stand and spent a while admiring the D-Zero, and probably wondering why they didnt build such a quality dinghy ! [sic] Fishing for information about the Olympic trials, they were keen to discuss our sails, boat design, any issues with the boat - strangely denying any issues with the Aero, hmmm.
They weren't the only ones as Laser, Harken, Liros all came and had a good look. Laser also wanted to know who made our stands and were shocked when they were told they were handmade by the owner - maybe I should charge for my services ?. Harken loved our led lights - we're happily telling them how and where !!

RYA Dinghy Show - 2nd & 3rd March, Stand F12.
Come see the latest D-Zero's - both blue and grey rigs, Optimists and the D-Zero Class Association; and on the Saturday, come and say hello to the Devoti team !
We also have some new bimbles for the D-Zero, an even brighter stand, plus our Brand Ambassador for the Devoti Optimist, Megan Farrer; and plenty of D-Zero owners to have a chat to !
See you there !

5 January 2019 - New Brand Ambassador for Devoti Optimist. Megan Farrer, ranked No.1 Girl GBR in the National Optimist Squad has been appointed the Brand Ambassador, sponsored by dzero.co.uk, and will be campaigning the Devoti as much as possible around the UK & Europe. Megan has been climbing through the ranks, and racing all over the world - US Nationals 2018; Irish Nationals 2017 etc with good results, and improving in a competitors Optimist. Having realised the potential of the Devoti and her own talent, she has switched to the Devoti for 2019. Watch this space for more news on Megan's results with the Devoti...

1 January 2019 - Nick Craig orders a D-Zero. Further to coming a very close 2nd at the Brass Monkey using the Class Assoc Secretaries D-Zero, Nick commented "I was surprised just how good a boat the D Zero is! She is very refined upwind with lots of grooves and gears. A click on the mainsheet or small traveller adjustment make such a difference yet the feedback from the Zero is powerful so you can when it is right - very rewarding! Downwind she is a joy to sail with the perfectly designed hull shape cutting through the water so nicely and she feels very responsive. She is very easy to sail with control lines all accessible and working well but with so many gears and such responsiveness, I expect hard to sail well.At 87kg, I thought I might be too big for the Zero but she powers up surprisingly early with a very efficient rig and relatively narrow hull. After just a few sails in the Zero, I ordered a new one!"
We welcome Nick into the class, and look forward to others who want a challenging yet rewarding sail !

11 December 2018 - Off to the Factory to see more in build stage and discuss 2019

1 October 2018 - Finance - its a challenge for us all ! Many ask how they can budget a D-Zero or Optimist, when there are so many other financial needs. Pegasus Finance work closely with us to provide the best finance option for you ! Well respected, highly recommended (Trustpilot), let them see how they can get you into a Devoti !

24 September 2018 - Brokerage started. Many people ring or email and ask what boats are available or do we know the history of D-Zero xxx, so we have set up a brokerage for very reasonable rates. We will check the boat over, give it a good polish, check all ropes, blocks, spars, foils and make recommendations to repair/replace, then advertise on our website and social media, and host inspections and arrange the sale. Where possible we will stock the boats at Hayling for easy sale. 2 days in and we have 3 boats listed and more to follow...

14 September 2018 - Southampton Boat Show. DZero have taken the plunge and gained a stand in the Arena of the Boat Show, and will be exhibiting the D-Zero and the Devoti Optimist on new raised stands to show off the hull designs and finish. Come and see us on A033 & 34. We're there all 10 days so could do with some friendly faces...

13-17 August 2018 - Chi Harbour Race Week. An ideal time to see the DZ in action, and then test the D-Zero and Devoti Optimist. We'll be racing 2 boats and will have demos after sailing. Contact us for more information and to book a slot

26 July 2018 - Front cover needs an update, so here's new owner Chris racing GBR303 at Shoreham. Great start for the second race ever in the D-Zero, and certainly giving those other single handers and asymmetrics a run for their money.
If you want to have a go in the D-Zero, give us a call...

13 July 2018 - D-Zero shortlisted for Olympic class. According to Scuttlebutt, the D-Zero has been shortlisted as part of the tender process for the 2024 Paris Olympic Sailing Competition, along with the Laser / Radial, Melges 14 and RS Aero. Further evaluations continue with yard visits ... www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2018/07/13/evaluating-one-person-dinghy-equipment-paris-2024/

30 June - Less than 24 hours from demo to delivery ! Shoreham sailor Chris demo'd the D-Zero at Emsworth on the Friday, ordered and paid on there Friday evening and had his new white D-Zero delivered to Shoreham on Saturday afternoon. The F3-4 was fantastic to show how stable and rewarding the D-Zero is ! Chris words whilst we blasted downwind "I cannot believe how stable and forgiving this is !" - Something all owners know about all too well.

22-24 June 2018 - D-Zero Nationals at Plymouth Mountbatten. After 3 days of a mix of sea breeze and light airs, plenty of sun, some waves and challenging conditions, the demo boat sailed by Matt "Waffle" Whitfield in his first ever D-Zero sail came 22nd out of 43 sailors. David the dealer came 20th just keeping ahead of the demo boat in a continually changing places and challenging sail. Matt said afterwards that the D-Zero was "a very stable and rewarding dinghy to sail", and has now gone away working out his finances and what to do with his Streaker ! More info at https://www.d-zerosailing.org/harken-d-zero-uk-national-championships-2018-report-and-results/

3 June 2018 - DZero's own club Open at Emsworth Slipper SC. DZero, the UK dealer for Devoti D-Zero & Optimist sponsored an Open Meeting at their own club, as part of the Morgan Sails sponsored Southern Series. 18 sailors met a sea breeze induced wind, giving some challenging conditions. The demo boat sailed by Adam Humphrey, whose wife Jo had purchased a D-Zero the week before, sailed into 1st place in the 1st race, and came 2nd overall. David the dealer came 12th.

19-20 May - Largs Open & Demo Races. The demo D-Zero was back out in action, with several signing up to have a go at one race each, whilst also assisting with mark laying and safety crew. One racer scored an easy 1st showing the others how to do it, however also had time for a quick roll-up ciggie afterwards whilst others finished. Those Scottish sailors were good as all finished in the top 10 out of 18 sailors. David the dealer took 2nd overall, using the good F4 breeze and increasing to show how the boat could be sailed in breeze and relished in the waves. Largs was so well-liked, it is now the venue for the 2020 Nationals !

18 May 2018 - Demo day at Largs SC. 5 sailors came for an afternoon and evening of sailing the D-Zero in light airs, though enough to show the boats worth, with several owners also coming down to have a sail and join the fun. One sailor "Storky" Mclaughlin went on to purchase a D-Zero 2 weeks later and then sailed to 2nd overall in the D-Zero Nationals - an impressive start and one to watch !

24 March 2018 - First Demo Day at Grafham Water Sailing Club. Thanks to all 9 who had a demo sail, including a well-known sailing holiday company - hopefully the D-Zero will be one of their 2019 dinghy range ! Thanks also to GWSC for helping co-ordinate, publicise, and keep an eye on the water. Pete McCoy also held a training session in the lightest of airs !

2 May 2018 - DZero sign up for the Southampton Boat Show. This is a first for Devoti and the D-Zero, and hoping for the 110,000 visitors to walk past the D-Zero during the week in September and admire its great looks, and hopefully stop by and see why so many sailors are moving to the D-Zero. Stand A033 and A034

6 March 2018 - The winner of "Win a Days Training in a Devoti D-Zero" is Jo Norrington of Herne Bay. Jo is really looking forward to it, and we'll be heading up there soon to give Jo a day to remember and hopefully some D-Zero demo's to other potential D-Zero owners.

4 March 2018 - RYA Dinghy Show completed, with hundreds of enthusiastic and keen to demo sailors in both the Optimist and D-Zero. First D-Zero was purchased in ten minutes after opening - in fact david Summerville was on the stand just before show opening with credit card in hand 1 Thanks David. We were also lucky enough to have Saskia Clark, Dan Holman and the Optimist European Champion India Page-Wood visit the stand. Saskia loved the D-Zero design, Dan talked of sailing at the Nats, and India loved the Devoti Oppie and wished she had one !

23 February 2018 - Only one week to go till the RYA Dinghy Show, and we have a fantastic eye-opening stand with 2 D-Zero's and an Optimist, as well as the Class Association with plenty of friendly sailors to chat to, and see why they love to sail the D-Zero. www.rya.org.uk/programmes/dinghy-show/Pages/hub.aspx

20 February 2018 - DZero partner with Pegasus Marine Finance. Further to several current owners and potential owners when on the circuit last year, DZero have searched for the right finance partner to work with, whom are very knowledgeable of the sailing market, and have good experience, with 5 star Trustpilot ratings. Click on the Pegasus images on the D-Zero & Optimist pages for more information and a quotation

20 February 2018 - First Demo Event announced. DZero are very keen to provide as many demonstration sails as possible around the UK, showing why we love the D-Zero and why you would love to be sailing one ! First event is at Graham on 24/3 - please visit the Demos & Training page to book an hours slot, or see where we will be demo'ing next.

7 February 2018 - Team Rider Peter McCoy joins the team. Former British Sailing Team Finn sailor, and training partner to Giles Scott joins the team to help demo the boats, be involved with the Class training, and show how to get the best out of the D-Zero. Pete will be sailing as many events as possible including the Nationals, and campaigning a J70 team. We cannot wait to go sailing with Pete !

29 Jan 2018 - New DZero website goes live ! In readiness for the formal new business launch on Feb 1, the new website has gone live and will be kept bright and up-to-date, with blogs, news, plenty of graphics, and a new ecomm store in time for the show. Check out our new Facebook page - dzero.co.uk, and also our Instagram under the same name.

26 Jan 2018 - Going to the RYA Dinghy Show on 3-4 March ? The D-Zero & Optimist will be there ! Come and meet us & the D-Zero Class Association ... www.rya.org.uk/programmes/dinghy-show/Pages/hub.aspx

16 Jan 2018 - Having fun at the photoshoot. Behind the scenes at our photoshoot, taking shots that the marine industry do not usually go for ! The D-Zero meets Top Gear, with the latest LED lights, lasers and smoke, all shot in the dark. Mike Austen & Toby Adamson working their magic with long exposures and light-washing, whilst Mark Covell brought in his tech know-how with lasers and smoke ! All we needed was the music, which Mark nearly brought also !!

4 Jan 2018 - Howwhatwhere Ltd announced as the new exclusive UK dealer for the D-Zero & Optimist. David @ Howwhatwhere says "the D-Zero is an amazing dinghy to sail with a fantastic class association, and with Devoti's passion and exceptional build quality, I believe the D-Zero and D-Optimist have only just started. Find out more ... www.suntouched.co.uk

14 Dec 2017 - We visit the Devoti Sailing factory in Poland. Only Finns were in build mode as a run of D-Zero's for the Jan/Feb sales had just been completed, however it was great to meet the team, other European dealers, and get to see how much passion and experience goes into each and every dinghy. The team were very excited to show off how they built, using state of the art ceiling-filtered dust-free build areas, discuss feedback from sailors and how the manufacture process can be improved to give an even higher quality boat. The traditional brick-built factory was in renovation, though the inside was absolute cutting edge. I could have spent hours talking to the build teams though the Finn build is busy, and delaying that build would only hold the next D-Zero run ! Watch this space as I will be out for the next build ...