Hobie 16's still get A and B and C fleet turnouts in the Mid Atlantic.. Wildwood was this past weekend. This still works out well for these racers. A B and C fleet were popularized by Hobie when they had 200 boats at a Hobie 16 weekend regatta. Dividing a class into A B and C fleet was a great solution because it allowed racers to compete against others with the same skill and commitment.

The problem for any class is critical mass and how you manage the racing with your schedule of weekend and national events. The vast majority of racing classes simply don't have enough boats to divide the fleet up. It's a fact of life but the elite Olympic/World Class sailor simply does not get much fun out of racing someone in C fleet like myself. So, for any event... you have to manage everyone's expectations and when you don't... it will fall apart. The 6 C fleet racers at Wildwood this weekend don't race the circuit and would probably not want to race against the guys who race in A fleet regularly. Forcing them into A fleet would probably shut them down for good. The H16 class does a good job of managing the expectations of all of their sailors. The equipment issue is non existent.



The A Class is even more challenging because the equipment is constantly evolving and the elite sailors are at the cutting edge of equipment upgrades as well. So you must manage the A, B and C fleet sailors expectations as sailors at any regatta PLUS the equipment issue. Equipment always dominates the debate but is usually not the final word. The fact of life is that great sailors can still make old equipment perform at worlds. For example, Matt Struble raced the last USA worlds with an 02 vintage Flyer and was doing well (top 10) until he broke something. Jack Benson (Aus) is very young and poor. He raced the Aus Worlds in a modified 02 flyer and finished top 10... This year he upgraded his ride to the DNA and took third... (His training partner took the win and says... look out for him!) God forbid that great sailors on new equipment not perform as expected...(Stuble and Guck) the sh..it storm that ensues is spectacular! So having focused on equipment... Most people in the class would say that the A class is still about the sailors and not the boat... this is not the America's Cup! They are experienced and understand the A B and C fleet pecking order and play at the level they pick. (my point about Mosely)

GBR1 takes the opposite point of view though ... The platforms are the difference makers. so ... YMV

I always say fleets must manage ALL expectations and this means two things to me. The Class must come up with the right sized schedule of events ]AND the A B and C fleet racers need to buy into and show up for that schedule. The C fleet H16 sailor in the mid Atlantic shows up for their event in Wildwood. They are not flying to Figi (or wherever) for the Worlds!

Your point of view of max commitment to equipment upgrades would be really tested in the A class.. For one... It is a very complex judgement about equipment and very experienced people get it completely wrong (EG Glen Asby's curved board ASG3 design). My view, make sure everyone understands what the particular class is about and make sure the local scene matches what you want out of the sport.

In your situation... it might take more then blood and semen sales... your left nut might have some value! The right one is in reserve... (just in case you pick a lemon)!