At the F16 global challenge of aug 2007. All boats were checked for compliance with F16 class rules and 2 crews had to recut their sails and have them checked AGAIN to be allowed to race. A third crew had to put weight up the top of their mast for the same reasons. Sails were marked for the event so compliance of easily exchanged gear could easily be checked by rival crews at any moment during the racing. I can give many examples of similar dealings at other classes like the A's, F18's and Tornado's.

For some reason this seems to be a recurring theme, hardly an exception. The DSQ and protest rules are there for a reason. This was not an "improper" protest and DSQ ruling as far as I can tell because this is exactly why these rules are in place.

I mean, as you say, who benefits from sloppy measurements or sloppy enforcement of compliance ?


The winning team with the non-compliant boat ?

The catamaran dealor selling the new boat type (first of its kind) using the promo value of a win in its first event ?

The F104 class as they can claim another boat "optimized" to their "class" rule



Are we really that naive to believe that we don't have a bunch of diverging interests here, that need to be tightly controlled and regulated ?

Are we to believe that nobody is benefitting when "accidently" picking up the wrong sailbag out of the trailer or having "foolishly" misplaced the "rumoured" measurement certificate ?



But to top it off you actually argue :




Well, the "measurement issue" are that the given boat WASN'T measured as compliant the first time around (feb 2008) and no new measurement of the (rumoured) modification making it compliant could be presented. All classes demand a boat to be measured BEFORE entering a race as simply no boat can ever be retro-active be certified after the event.


I call that a serious issue inside any self respecting formula class !

I mean how difficult is it to miraculously pick the correct sailbag out of the trailer for such a measurement ? Without "event stamping" there is no way to check which sail was actually used during the races.



What is the difference between a fleet of wildly different boats and a formula class ?

Right, the fact that at least in the latter all boats are certified and garanteed to adhere to a performance equilizing norm.



And lets view this case from the perspective of the other sailors. How would you feel if a non-compliant boat (on several accounts even) without a compliant measurement certificate where to be placed above you while sailing a truly fully compliant boat with all official papers in order ?

Would that be fair to you ?

Would giving so much slack to the F17 agent/dealor be fair to the say the Spitfire agent/dealor ?


Come on !

Wouter