The high performance culture continues its mission...what will happen to the A Class in the USA now that foiling has become a passion of not only a few dedicated A catters but the Mach 2 has swept up a great deal of momentum in the Moth world, and there will be other designs to support this new form of off the beach ocean recreation in sooner years to come than we think. Foiling is now practiced in surfing, kiteboarding, and windsurfing. Why not light weight catamarans or tris? Hobie Catamarans has already (years ago) produced a trifoiler.
Bob Hodges feels the A Cat Class will be better off by honoring Rule 8 based on his recent post in SA. The consensus of USA sailors will likely follow his lead. This is unfolding drama, which is likely to have a ripple effect on the sport, and the final outcry might be that we are not prepared for extreme commitment as a general sailing public in most parts of this nation.
This reminds me of the struggle the military had prior to WWII. Will aircraft carriers be able to launch successful air strikes against the enemy? We know how that turned out.
Foiling will find a strong niche in the sailing world. The genre will never replace team racing or offshore seamanship, but the art is here to grow.
"Breaking news: Foiling A-class 2.0 is a fact.
Mischa, Glenn and Nathan are pushing the class to new heights.
Yesterday Glenn and Nathan were flying in a stable mode just 20 cm off the water. No flying bursts like Mischa showed in Barcelona but clean flying in anything over 7 kts of breeze.
The TNZ boys and Nathan have mounted longer rudders with wider T-foils which are mounted on the bottom. This improves the pitch control dramatically and the jumps which were so common in Barcelona are gone.
It is great to see how class development emerges so bottom up. Pushed by great sailors who are driven by competition." from Catamaran Racing News
Last edited by catandahalf; 02/25/14 10:20 PM.
