Hi Phill -

Berny's frustration is evident and understandable, and maybe I'm not thinking big enough, but I still don't want to get too excited or spend gobs of time planning for a class that at present exists only as a concept. We've only just last month come to an agreement about what an F-14 even is - and truly, only a very few people were involved with that decision, so I wouldn't be surprised, in fact I EXPECT, that things will change a bit after we try this thing out next month. The idea is solid, and the number of Mystere's that Mike Fahle has been able to get into the country is testament to the fact that people are interested in a fun, race-rigged 14-footer. We just have to show up, keep showing up, and talk about it during, after, and between events.

Berny - your boat looks great and you've clearly invested a lot of yourself both in it and the sport. It's not my intention to slight your ideas or enthusiasm at all - I just don't want you to think we've set this thing aside. We set up the rules and picked an event to test them, grabbed a few interested parties with the wherewithal to put a 14-footer on the start line, and we'll just have to see what happens next. It's being talked about on the beach, so I know it's getting noticed - my limited experience has been that the initial follow-through is the biggest hurdle. Ask Carl about the Formula 20s - they seem to be in eternal debate and I haven't seen anyone show up at a race yet, despite his best efforts to get a good idea off the ground. I feel like we're at least one step ahead of that in a much shorter period of time...