Ladies and Gents,

I have to dispute the thinking above. The numbers aren't really based on any facts and I think we have to be careful making a decision on them.

I also think we are getting off the topic a bit as to whether we want to look at square top sails.

In my experience, trying to invigorate a sport by getting existing competitors back into it, or poaching from other classes is a self defeating effort. As soon as you get a boat back on the water, another vessel is taken off, and for anyone you manage to get from another class you lose one. It also has the side effect that the boats get stuck in one generation and will eventually stop sailing due to age. If you look at it demographically, this is can be currently illustrated by the average age of our members and our the low percentage of sailors under 30.

I think the only way to get people in is in the front door when they are young so that the class can cope with natural attrition. In my mind the mozzie is perfect for this.

More so than the Hobie 16- the current youth development class, the mozzie is light for them to handle both on and off the shore, affordable, fast and exciting (particularly with the spinnaker) and a natural progression between mono slugs and F18s if they are so inclined. Think of the champions that have come up through Paper Tigers and Mozzies already.

My original reason for posing the topic was to see whether we should consider 'updating the look' of the mozzie as other classes have. I think from the previous posts that the mast and sail specifics are manageable and workable, and compared to the spinnaker this is a much smaller adjustment to the class.

As can be shown by the Arrows, pin top sails are still competitive and widely used in varying conditions, however Square tops are more in line with the modern classes and in my opinion make the mozzie look fantastic. Hopefully this look will encourage young sailors to get into the class and provide an affordable alternative to other ages wanting to get into cat sailing.

From sailors I have spoken to, there is a lot of interest within the class to explore this option, with some looking at rigging one and watching other classes progression.

So my question still remains, are Square top sails an option we want to explore over a period of time?

Luke
Beckit 1824