If someone shows up with a 20' x 12' carbon fiber beast weighing 100 lbs and toting a solid foil wing for a sail at a cost of $100,000, it will most likely kill the competition. However, will this person be referred to as the best "SAILOR"?
I think this person would have to be the best swimmer because the boat wouldn't survive it. The kind of abuse that the boats endure during the Tybee/OBX 500 is shocking and that's in an easy year. I can't tell you how many times we became a submarine for a few seconds only to have the boat leap out of the water and keep rockin' on. An ultralight boat just wouldn't have the nadds to keep it up. This race is a great test of sailing in the real world where it's not always blowing a comfy 10 to 15 knots across flat water. Let there be an "open" class for experimental boats, it's a great venue for finding out what really works. But builders beware, if the vessel isn't tough, plan well for disaster.
