Having the T in the Olympics has given the sport an "Ultimate goal" which in turn gives new comers something to aim for in their dreams. In real measurable terms I gues sit has done little to increase the number of people sailing cats but it hasn't done it any harm either.
And as for the Snuffers being on F18's before the T did it.... Sorry but The F18 fleet followed the T's lead and it was the same for the self tacker.
I didn't say F18...the I20 has had a snuffer for a long time; granted, it was an end-pole, but it was certainly a snuffer. The self-tackers have been around for a much longer time too. I remember a Taipan 4.9 in the 2001 Round the Island race (Pensacola, FL) with a mid-pole snuffer too.
I don't mean to start a pissing contest, the T has definitely pushed the refinement of these systems.
