Stephen,

How do you feel about that new Tornado setup ?

What an a$$holes Booth and Bundock were for pushing those changes through against the will of the Tornado class members !

The Tornado class would be so much better of without that Olympic slot and an active European Tornado market. Then all those budget tight backwater sailors could still affort to keep the class active.

And the new carbon mast what is that all about ? Forcing all those class members to buy new masts !

What is the world coming to ? If we are not careful then they will even put spinnakers on hobie 16 's !

ehhh ... ?

But thank God that the Taipan class will stick to the old setup despite all the "heads-up's" pointing in the other direction. I'm so glad the model T-fords held out when the newer models of the competition were launched. They surely showed how to keep an active following alive.


Stephen, I said it years ago and I'll say it again. In todays sailing scene dominated by development and formula setups, staying stagnant equals inviting extinction. If the Australian Taipan class members think THAT to be the best class policy then the best of luck to them. The intermediate result so far is that Taipan class is dead in all regions except Australia. What a fool I am to think that continuing this policy is a dangerous proposition.

How is the Taipan OD sailing in NSW ? Fricking booming right ? Right ?

And whats up with AHPC bringing out a 16 foot competitor to their own Taipan 4.9 design ?

Does anybody else spot the writing on the wall ?

And it is my full right to feel that way and to say that in public forums without asking the approval of the Aussie Taipan sailors or even you.


P.S.

Come to think of it, Maybe you are right afterall Stephen. Since "the boat" has left the dock a long time ago and the full F16's are about to be introduced to Australia itself, there is no point anymore in upgrading the Taipan 4.9 class. The only thing left to aspire to is to survive as a OD class locally in Aus. Either way the Taipan class has left the "game board" altogether and does not factor in anymore in determining what will happen to the cat sailing scene. They are now too small and too localized to factor in. Fighting extinction is now the only thing left.

Now lets shut up about it and yes that includes me as well

Wouter