What is this, guys ?

For years we have been fed the story that the A-cat class is a true development class, but now that actually two REAL developments come along, foils and the wing sail, we hear all kinds of screams to ban both before either can proof their worth !

Remember the A-cat mantra ?

Length, width and sailarea limited while anything else goes.

It all started when the minimum weight was fixed at 75 kg, from then onwards more and more rules and regulations were added. Banning full foiling, banning banana boards, even banning canted daggerboard beyond 6 degrees. T-foil rudders are hampered by the "new" rules as well. Now there seems to be support to ban a solid rig.

If the A-cat sailors had such an attitude in the 80's and early 90's then we would never have seen carbon masts on the A's. Surely those things costed a fortune back then as well !

The implicit value of the A's always was their willingness to try completely new stuff and make it work. Since 10 years they are losing their religion. I'm not sure that that is a good thing.

With respect to the Hall wing sail, I believe one can make such a thing work for 10.000 dollars. Most of the money is in the first experimental prototypes anyway and those investments have already been made in the C-class. Patient Lady and Cogito projects developped and proved a wing that is both dependable and practical. Standing on that experience it shouldn't be too much of an effort to make a commericially build version.

Wouter