Yes, I would prefer there to be LESS options in the sailing world-seems to me the Nacra 17 has done little but suck F-18 sailors out of the fleet-
The F-18 fleet got alot of those sailors from Tornado when it imploded, so they weren't really "f-18" sailors ,they were olympic class sailors.So when there was no Olympic class they went to the closest style ,best run class, which was and is F-18. You're only option to avoid it was to push the F-18 for Olympic status which would have been a big mistake and was handled well by the F-18 class.
Very fair point, and I am happy that the F-18 class stayed out of the Olympic limelight. In reality, most of these sailors haven't sold their F18's and still show up for major events like Nationals/America's. The reality is we aren't attracting new people to the boats and I am not sure how to change that mindset??
Women are more than capable of crewing if you set the boat up correctly for them with a 12:1 mainsheet and double ratchets on the kite. The Nacra 17's has over half the fleet with females crewing and men driving, and word on the street is sheet loads are much higher than on the 18 (remember, double trapped downwind with the kite up). Reality is they pouched the best crews from other classes (470's, Laser Radials etc.), paired with the top catamaran skippers, who happen to be male because we don't like to hand over the helm (don't try and spin it your way timbo-girls aren't scared to play bumper boat), and you end up with a winning combination. As the class matures and more female sailors gain experience driving, I suspect we'll see a role reversal. But to expect trickle down into the F-18 or F-16's fleet is naive.
How do we attract more of those CofC sailors to our fleets post graduation?
