This is a damm shame. We have just lost our pinnacle - the almost unobtainable goal that many sailors dream about but few attain. Imagine if the soccer world cup was eliminated and the highest honour was to play in the local league. Olympics may not be attainable for most cat sailors but you certainly can cheer and support your country representatives, and feel pride when they do well. Not any more after China. I know how much it has meant to Glen Ashby to achieve the goal of representing his country in the upcoming olympics. He had a dream as a kid, a passion as an emerging champion and an obsession over the last three years to get there. He has won multiple genuine world championships in three of the top four cat classes (A's, F18's & Tornado) and they won't mean as much as if he were to win Olympic Gold. Sailing means little to most people in the world - an Olympic Gold is universally recognised as a symbol of ultimate achievement. Anyway, as others have said, let's get on with running rings around the mono-slugs on the course! BTW I first saw a flat top sail being used in the Australian A Class Nationals in 1988 at Lake Cootharaba Queensland. Barry Marmion used it after being involved in building C Class cat's in Victoria in the eighties. He said he got the idea after watching sailboard sails with big roaches and soft mast tips bending off in gusts and really accelerating. He thought more sail area up high would blade off in gusts but be available for lift in between gusts. We were all using flat tops by the next season. Bugger the Olympics - I've gotta go sailing.
