In my opinion T-foil rudders and flexi-J foil boards are here to stay. This week they were proven faster in both light and heavy air conditions. From talking to Glenn and Nathan, I think we are going to see more development towards longer/higher aspect rudders and deeper J-foils. This will allow the "foils" to stay in the water longer when going through waves/chop and also increase the stability of the platform.
The video and pics showed lots of crashes, but I also saw lots of stable flights for several hundred yards or more. There were also just as many crashes by non-foiling boats. I capsized four races in a row. It was blowing 15-20 with gusts approaching 30 at times. The wipeouts were pretty spectacular, and the leeward gate roundings were exciting at times to say the least...
Realistically the A-cat is going to develop into a boat that is more physically demanding to sail at the top level (but what boat isn't). Currently the sailors are using their weight to stabilize the boat and that involves quickly shifting your weight fore/aft and aggressively trimming to adjust ride height.
Personally I think leaving the existing rules in place and allowing the well-funded teams to continue to explore all of the possibilities is the right path. Somebody is going to come up with a solution that works for all of us.
We are entering an exciting phase of the A-class once again. It wasn't the end of the world when the class weight dropped to 75kg, carbon masts were introduced, or surface piercing bows were introduced. These were all improvements that revolutionized and reinvigorated our class. That's part of what makes the A-Class so exciting.
The sky isn't falling, that noise is innovation knocking at the door once again.
