Todd
YOU can own and SAIL any damn thing you want to.. However, Sailboat RACING is pretty socialist... If you don't agree with 10 others on a set of rules.... you don't have a class.. Its a SOCIAL CONTRACT...
That is the value of buying into a class.... you agree to the contract of class rules.... It protects your investment AND sets your expectations when you go out racing... Most of those old single handed cats survive as race boats BECAUSE they Honor and respect their class rules.... Sailors buy in. You get good turnouts.
Each turn of the development cycle flushes some racers... not a problem when you are growing. So, How fast can you cycle and not flush racers in 2015?
In the two man boats... the N17 doesn't fly. THe Flying Tiger and the N20c do and are available. I bet that there are only 5 of these in North America and the impact on the F18 fleet is invisible. Not much of a problem.
And then The US A Class decided that International class rules did not work for them and made their own new class last week...
(Lets cycle FASTER....)
(THAT Sucks if you just dropped 25K on the latest ISAF legal DNA flying A class 6 weeks ago.)
So... you now have
ISAF A CLASS Floater ... which HONORS rule 8....No flying boats.
ISAF A class Flyer .... which uses the loopholes in rule 8.... Flying boats.
USA A Class Flyer ... which allows any thing by dumping rule 8 altogether. ... one of a kind flying regattas.
So ... Sail what you want... The A class is cycling like a spinning top...
Time will tell.
Well..ok, but that whole A-cat rule thing was a case study in poor initial presentation. After consideration of the thoughtful and polite feedback they initially received (/sarcasm), Bailey further clarified the NA position as one where they aren't striking parts of the A-class rules for North America but are allowing boats to race on the course with a-cats at non-internationally sanctioned events that fit the a-class rule with the exception of rule 8.
The actual difference of these positions on reality is very slight while the political implications are drastically different. An a-class is still an a-class. An a-class that ignores the recent rule 8 modifications is technically no longer an a-cat but is allowed to race with the a-cats at most of the north american events.
