Hi Mark,

that is a good comment. However I am not sure if the french sailing authority forces sailors to do F104 racing. It is maybe a kind of interculturel difference between the U.S. and Europe. I know a lot of people who buy the boat, where the dealers is closest or others buy Hobie just because they bought always Hobies. But not beacuse one company claims superiority. Technical details or boat performance is rated as not that important and hence we (in Europe) can imagine to sail different boats with the same rating. I think that you will find this difference of rating technology benefit not only in sailing, but in many aspects of life.

But I agree, every level rated calss is prone to break apart. A-cat is doing well, maybe because all boats are very similar, and the most important part, mast and sail, will be exchanged regulary anyway. So no problem to update. F18 is doing well in Europe, but to be honest F18 is closer to OD than Formula, because the rules are so tight.

Cheers,

Klaus