We had a small discussion about this, some understood it as if you start a race UNI rigged you finished UNI rigged, and by uni rigged I mean mainsail and spin (no jib) Same applies to sloop rig. I understand that, you cannot change from main/jib to main alone in a race series. IE The way it was done at the GC.
I understand. I'm just inputting a historical note here, as in the reasoning that went behind the class rules as they are now. Of course the GC has the final say in these matters and indeed I have not seen eye to eye with their representatives on a few occasions. However, that still doesn't mean the intent of the rules as written down under my tenure chances.
You say that if you start as an "uni-rig then your finish as a uni-rig", in my opinion the F16 class rules do NOT rule in that way and never have done so either. You entlist yourself as a doublehanded crew or a singlehanded crew and that is how you race, UNLESS the RC or the other competitors allow you to change crew make up during the event. None of this prevents you (when 2-up) from not using a jib or something during a few races while using a jib during others. When singlehanding you can choose to bring your spi or or. That is what rule 1.11.3 is EXPLICITELY saying.
Why did we do it this way ? Because the F16 rules were formed to ONLY rule on the maximum performance of the entered boat, not the minimum performance. If you choose to race without a spinnaker or jib then the loss in performance is just a drawback in performance you have accepted yourself. Just like when you choose to race an overweight F16 like I do. Certainly we don't want anybody to be protested out of the racing because he is not using a spinnaker for example ?
I understand that, you cannot change from main/jib to main alone in a race series.
Accoording to the F16 class rules you actually can. Rule 1.11.3 explicetly states that you can without specifying any additional conditions; therefor you can always do that even during a regatta.
IE The way it was done at the GC.
I'm not sure that was the way it was done at the GC. I don't recall any SI that expressed any new regulations that way and even if it did then the SI would have become non F16 compliant and be void anyway. An effective protest of the RC could be launched on the existance of rule 1.11.3
The SI can't simply switch-off an explicet ruling on the official F16 rule set.
Wouter
