Hi Bill

You wrote:
Hello Tornado Sailors and Others,
If the system is working right, the other multihull classes are feeder classes to the Tornado class.

Respectfully, what nonsense is this? There is no system at play here. The US Sailing coach is NOT approaching the current I20 or Hobie 16 national champ and recruiting them to campaign for the Olympic berth. Moreover, the Olympic boats are not selected based on their being the pinnacle of anything. They are chosen through hard ball politics of the sailing federations world wide in order to span the spectrum of sailing competition world wide.

Without that Olympic carrot… the North American Tornado class would resemble the Shark class with just a few stalwart clubs and a handful of devoted fans continuing to race the boat.

The attrition rate of the Tornado Class is about the same as the attrition rate within the Hobie 16 class (Once upon a time…. 1,000 racers competing nationally… now 100, Tornado’s… Perhaps 50 now down to 5) The Tornado’s were sailed at the club level in yacht clubs…. Hobies were sailed at the club level off a beach. The two cultures were different and proud of it.

What remains of the Tornado class are the few teams who commit blood sweat and tears for a chance at an Olympic medal. If the Olympic microscope were turned onto a Hobie 16…. You would likely see the same dynamics observed in the Tornado class (Huge travel demands to find elite competition, equipment upgrades, coaching, intense competitiveness, marginalization of the club sailor) take over and dominate this class as well because the stakes would be high. It has nothing to do with the boat itself.

Take Care
Mark