Do we simply admit defeat and just accept that F16 comps in the future are going to be dual only crews ? The downside to that is not everyone can get crews, all of the time. You eliminate a proportion of prospective class owners straight off. The upside is that class rules can be harmonised with the likes of the F18's and simply be considered as a youth, ladies and light weights feeder to Olympic F17 and F18 classes.
Is it time the Uni's set up a proper spinny boat class in their own right, a semi development A Class perhaps? It would be a shame as we have gone so far in such a short time but it maybe the only way to deal with the problems within our own rules and the present handicap issues being raised of the lighter weight Uni boats.
Nope. We don't have enough Uni's over here to have a consistant showing at anything other than a Major regatta, ie. Nationals or Tradewinds. We set the rule "Uni/Sloop race as equal" for Flexablitly. I don't want to change that. There are some times I have crew, sometimes I don't. But if I ALWAYS have to have crew to race in the F16 class, I'll sell it and get an A cat, and leave my kids at home alone...on Facebook.
We are already "Harmonized" with the F18's, not that that is an issue. At Tradewinds last January they very successfully used the F16's for the Junior Olympic gig. I was there, I don't think there was anyone racing Uni, but nobody was bitching about it either.
I do not want to lose the flexability of being able to race Uni in a mostly Sloop fleet. If we have about 10+ Uni's show up, we could as a group, discuss it and have a vote, decided if we want a separate start, and see if the RC will give it to us, or just race with the sloops and give out our own Top Uni prize, ie. a bottle of something tasty.
The Uni Only thing has only worked in the A cats and Waves, and never caught on with the Nacra F17. I think the lack of flexability to run either Uni or Sloop, is what killed it. What made the F16 class grow rapidly is the FLEXABILITY to run in either configuration. Right now, there is no outcry from any Uni guys, and I'm one of them, to "Fix" anything.
It's NOT broke!
Leave it alone.
