Okay, this is not what was intended and its a pretty big f'ing mess right now. Just so you know: This was ALL ME. I started it, rode it out as far as I could and tossed in the towel.
Here's how it goes: I have always thought that the Wave is the answer to alot of issues coming up in the multihull world. At 43, I tend to be one of the younger sailors almost every regatta I go to. The average age of US is moving up and up, and double trapping, finding crew, long boat set up times, arms race mentality etc.....wears you down, takes the wind out of your sails (so to speak) and causes you to play golf rather than sail. Enter the Wave. Trailer to water in 10 minutes, Under 5k (whatever...) new out of the box, NO crew, big soft squishy seats, A boat old guys/women can sail for cheap and take the complications out of life. Rick White has seen this. A hell of a long time BEFORE anyone else. I have only met Rick on two occasions, but I read all this and I like what he says and does. The IWCA is the result of not getting exactly what they wanted from the HCA. Everyone knows that. I asked Merrick, as a parting favor on his last couple days as Chair, to contact Rick and tell him we want to work with them however we can. He did, and we made some headway.
After HavaMega was conceived, we decided to ask if we can jump into bed with the IWCA on it and a few other events and I got a thumbs up from someone with authority and the ability to see the big picture here. So, we promoted the HavaMega, MWE and a few other events as HCA/IWCA joint events and there has been alot of talk and good to come out of it. The funny thing is, the only ones to bitch are people that have NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. Pisses me off ROYAL. Anyway, I get a call, at home, late at night, from the IHCA president on some satalite phone thing and he's asking me what the heck we're doing out here with the Waves, because he's got someone in friggin' Europe or somewhere bitching to him about what we're doing here. I am like,'what is the Wave Racing scene like over there and in Aus?' and he tells me that We're IT. Okay. Now this is ridiculous, because there is NO Wave racing within the HCA to speak of and if it wasn't for Rick and Co., there would be NONE anywhere except in the BVI on race week or whatever. So I explain that I am trying to work with the existing racers, playing by their rules (to not make anyone feel unwanted or differnet) and he's good with that. I am asked to not make this a permanent thing, but a short term alliance is acceptable. Couple years down the road, we'll have to move back to the IHCA rules, but I figure, what the hell. Cross that bridge later.
So, we're back to HavaMega. We work out with HC the charters, and get ready to start REALLY pushing the deal, then I get a call about some semantics regarding the NOR. (It doesn't matter by who, so lets not get into mudslinging or any of that ****, I just want all of you to know what the real story is). They want the NOR to reflect an 'exception' to the racing rules and want me to draft a proposal the IHCA rule committee and go through a bunch of red tape (this is after I said I intend on submitting a rudder change allowing EPOs on the Wave if so desired, then started that shitstorm) and then someone came up with the idea of running two starts, stock and modified and then something else and something else. Gordo and I were on the phone, and decided that the IWCA deserved our respect and admiration, nothing less. We decided we were NOT going to write up an exception (that HC said we could do) and we were NOT going to segregate boats. Screw it. Its the friggin Wave. You can put whatever sail you want on the thing. Its a Wave. Blow a tack, miss the B mark (that old guy that kicked my butt in Florida did that!) whatever. NOT a performance boat, but fun as hell nonetheless.
So here is where we are, where we started. YES, I am trying very hard to build a Wave Class within the HCA. I was trying jumpstart it with IWCA. It doesn't look like we can work it out the way I had hoped. Gordo had nothing to do with any of this, it was all my idea. Gordo is a team player, and was very insensed about the fact this didn't go the way we hoped.
There really is nobody to blame for anything, its just the way it goes. We hope that the 15 or so Charters we have available get used up by our friends out east, we meant no harm in any of this and apologize for the way it turned out.
Matt Bounds has been very helpful in this process as well, and his thought on sail measurment etc....are accurate.
What we have done recently, is approved a Jr. racing program for kids up to 16 years old racing Waves at our Youth NACs. Now we have 2 classes (including the 16).
Also, we have a proposal for the 2010 Wave/14/17/18 NAC for Ocean Springs Yacht Club, near Biloxi we're hopeful will be approved shortly. Wave HCA-NAC in the south is the best we can do right now.
Please direct your comments, anger, whatever to me, Chris Wessels HCA Chair xanderwess@yahoo.com and leave the others out of it. I take full responsibility for this situation.