You really have to ask the question of what is good for the class. The A-cats have seen a really nice growth pattern over the last decade. I agree that only the top of the class will be able to handle (and afford) the foiling as it develops we need to try and understand what it will do the class. To be perfectly honest, I got out for several reasons - but one of them was that I could see the pace of foil development heating up. I was at the point where I probably needed to upgrade my platform to get to the next level and when I looked at what was happening with the boats (and the skyrocketing costs) it gave me a little push to leave the class. Now, I do have other reasons, not the least of which is the fact that my best friend is now sailing with me constantly on my F18...so take that with a grain of salt.

There's probably something to draw from the moth class experience when they went foiling. I remember there being a pretty big division in the class about to foil or not to foil. It worked out well for them. I think the A's are a little different in that the cost of the boats is more than the moth and is quickly crossing a threshold of being in reach of the common (and even not-so-average) sailor's finances. It's probably worth investigating who was a Moth sailor before foiling and who is part of the class now. Then figure out if that same type of future a-cat sailor is out there. Switching to a full foiling class will change the composition of the fleet. Ben Hall has already made a good case for that with his Sailing Anarchy post.

There's another practical consideration as well...can I do this on the lakes where I normally sail? I've seen a wold champion Moth sailor take his boat out on Lake Keowee and it was anything but stable in a stiff lake breeze. I don't think it's possible to reasonably foil any of the current offerings on our lakes. With the additional speed and narrower apparent wind angles comes an increased sensitivity to wind shifts and changes in velocity.

The a-cat class has a huge decision in front of it and I don't think they will be able to live in both a foiling and non-foiling world. It's going to have to be one or the other because even the back of the fleet sailors have competitive spirits and want to play on a level field. The question is how popular does the class want to be in the future and can they achieve it in a full-on foiling mode. Can they sustain a healthy class with a full foiling future?