Hi Guys -

Greg Goodall has been talking quite openly about development for both the Viper and the Capricorn. Greg told me over a year ago and in the company of several other F18 sailors that he was making some changes to the Capricorn which included raising the back beam 40mm or so, and possibly moving the back beam aft a touch based on his son, Brett's, suggestion that the Viper's back beam placement made it easier to trap out downhill. Like with the previous boats out of Greg's shop, there will be testing, and it will take a long time before changes like that hit the market - I seem to recall Greg saying 2011. In the mean time, there have been quite a few improvements to the Capricorn already - I had a 2006 and I noted several changes when I got a 2009. The mast base is different, the diamond wires are internal, the rudder shape is updated, there is a new mainsail and spinnaker cut that required me to change how I sail a little bit, and Greg eliminated some blocks here and there in favor of finished thimbles instead.

Surely everyone who sees any of the F18s out of the box from year to year can agree that there are changes each season. It is the nature of the class and something that you either like (as I do) or dislike. If you want a boat, buy it. You can wait for next season's innovations or you can race this season and follow the trend next season. My experience has always been that stick time this season will make you far faster than buying the latest-greatest next season - the changes are just too subtle. There hasn't been any kind of an obsoleting leap forward in the class - fer Chrissake, the Tiger's still doing just fine in the right hands and it's old enough to drive a car in the US.

Anyway - it is awfully easy to say there is a new Cap on the way. That has been true since the first one was built. And Greg doesn't make a secret of these things - buy him a beer, or better, a rummie. Stick it in his hand and stand back. You're not likely to understand everything he says, but he'll try to explain it... freakin' engineers.

As far as boats available in the US? I think there is only one 2009 left for sale in CT. We had three 2009s come into CA and they were pre-sold. One stayed here a bit after the buyer took delivery from the East Coast stock instead due to some scheduled travel constraints, but that one is now gone, too. The idea that dealers are trying to keep secrets to unload backed-up supplies just doesn't apply to AHPC.