Not entirely, in the public arena it was definately started as a strict formula setup hence the name choice F12. Phill and I had discussed the concept in private for several years but that project had stayed inactive for several year as well. Phill always aimed at a OD setup, but I figures it wasn't going anyway after several year of inactivity and hence I started the F12 branch off when in late 2006 there were many discussions on youth boats on the main cat sailor forum. This F12 forum is a direct result of that.

My intention at the time was to come to a strict formula rule setup that was like the F16 setup with a few added rules to make the boats less complex and more inexpensive to purchase and own. I was thinking of rules to force unstayed rigs made from round tubing, force boardless hulls and not use specialized fittings like traveller rails.

Within these limits the design was to be left open and I still believe such a rule set still allows alot of designer freedom.

But when we failed to reach agreement in Jan and Feb of this year I left the project alone for a while to see who was really active. Turned out most posters were just interested in mouthing off rather then reaching a true concensus. So I continued to work privately on the concept that now differed significantly from Phill original idea and it had progressed way beyond the stage at which the orginal was when it allowed to dooze off. This august (after the F16 GC) I decided to give it another shot but now I stood more favourably to the OD setup as I wasn't expect to much valuable contributions (as based on my earlier experiences). I figured that more advantages were to be had by fixing the hulls design and all everybody to license build the design were the builders fee would be gethered centrally to allow the class organisation to reinvest it in things like charter boats and bulk production of some of the more expensive items and selling them on at cost. Of course this demanded tighter control of ownership rights. Exaclt, the thing many jumped on to revive their "bitching without contributing anything meaningful".

After that event I figured I was better off on my own and get a full OD class going as Phill intended all along. Then Phill came back with a recently revived Blade 12 project and Scarecrow showed to not have left the project to have gone underground with his own OD design. The fourth design is RG's and I don't think he has a choice either way yet. From my perspective I'm happy to work inside a true formula rule as long as it doesn't try to mimic the A-cat class because I know that that simply won't work. See the Optimist example here. If you start a mini A-cat class you will get exactly that; a 15.000 bucks A-cat that is only 12 feet long.

If the others persist at going at it alone then I will do so too. I'm currently giving Luiz all the support that I can and hope that somehow we can still get that strict Formula going or OPEN OD (like the Tornado of 2 decades ago) whatever you call it.

And that puts us were we are now.

Wouter