Hi Guys,

Carl asked an interesting question that has me thinking much the same thing :
"It is nice to see the race change and open up more for other 8.5 beam factory -production 20s , and a Formula 18 class option ,-- It might be great fun to expand it further in a seperate unlimited 20 ft class to draw in more teams from all corners of the catsailing realm ."
Seems to me that, judging from another post, the N6.0 sailors are not interested in the race from the point of view that the I-20 is faster, therefore they have no real shot at the glory.
I`m going to ask this in a way that I hope offends no-one, but would like to know what the answers are :
Just curious, is it the race organiser`s intention to limit the beam to 8,5ft so as to prevent boats like Tornado, SC-20, M-20 etc from entering, thus keeping the I-20 sailors interested in participating ? (Assuming that these boats might be faster than I-20, creating the same situation as with the N6.0 sailors).
I`m asking this from a perspective of what the underlying reason is to limit the beam of the boats to 8,5ft. Surely a limit of 20ft length is enough to ensure that the size of the boats are roughly equal ? I don`t believe it`s a safety concern, maybe you can set me straight.
I understand the principle of the I-20 one-design aspect, equal boats means the best team wins. I also understand that "opening it up" to all boats that satisfy certain criteria which only a few boats actually do satisfy, of which only one is capable of winning, is much the same as declaring it a one-design event. Again, if there are many 20ft designs within the 8,5ft beam limit that have the potential to beat the I-20, why are the entries not reflecting that. Is it because all the I-20 sailors are Worrell sailors, so that an event like this one naturally attracts them and no-one else, or is it that all the long-distance adventure sailors already own I-20`s in anticipation of one day taking part in what was the W-1000 ?
If the organisers are limiting the entries because the I-20 is the biggest class, and allowing the wider-beam boats in might upset the status quo and reduce their numbers, I could understand their decision, but it would be nice to see different boat manufacturers like Tornado the others taking part, and the lead changing between different boats on different days.
It would also sort out the question of which one is the best all-round 20footer. After all, no-one would watch Formula 1 if only Ferrari could race.

Cheers
Steve