Hi Dermot,
thanks for reply, keeps those in faraway places in the loop as to what`s going on in other places.
You said "His SCHRS handicap number also put him down the fleet." - I checked ISAF SCHRS, Stealth is 1.08, Stealth "R" is 1.03, Spitfire is 1.04.
There`s not much between Spitfire & Stealth R on paper, good sailing skills could overcome the minor difference.
Interesting to note the only difference between Stealth & Stealth R on the ISAF listing is jib area & luff length, and daggerboard length & area, all other specs are identical. Is this correct ? Seems odd that there is a 5 point difference between them with only these changes. Then Stealth web-site shows Stealth F16 at approx. 104kg, which I don`t see on SCHRS. Would it be fair to say that the Spitfires are faster than Stealth (as SCHRS confirms), but perhaps only a few Stealth F16`s have been sold to date, so no real comparison can be made yet ?
You also wrote : "Apart from John Pierce, you don't see the Stealth sailors featuring in the top positions, as you do the Spitfire sailors." Could this be because John is on a Stealth F16, others sail older models ?
I`m only asking to get a better picture of what happens at a racing level in the UK. A bit confusing when Stealth has 3 different but similar models, not knowing which one is being referred to. Perhaps John Pierce could answer this one ?
This could be one reason Spitfire is more successful, the design remains constant ensuring good OD fleets.
You also wrote :"The Spitfires have good numbers at events and get good racing against each other. They feel that they do not need to race F16." - Is this the general consensus within the class ? Interesting analogy regarding the Dart Hawk, I think you imply the boat would have had a better chance of succeeding as a class if it had not entered the Formula 18 class. IMO this would never be the case - If another manufacturer pays top sailors to sail their products, their boat will in all likelihood win at major open regattas or long-distance races, which is where most other sailors get exposed to them. Even if the Dart Hawk had never raced against the "other boat", the public perception would eventually be that the "other boat" is faster. In fact, avoidance of F18 would have probably brought an earlier demise - public perception (right or wrong)would have been that they are too afraid to go head-to head with other F18 designs, therefore perceived to be slower. Just hope that Spitfire doesn`t keep it`s head in the sand when F16 takes off. Looking at the promo video - wow, what a great boat, pity not that affordable outside UK, especially not at 12:1 currency exchange !

Cheers
Steve