The bottom line is that if you are racing a boat that is not likely to have a class, you should be prepared to race in the open class when you come to a regatta in this area. I probably should have indicated this more clearly in my previous post. If the open class sailor expresses a desire to start with other boats, the RC will check with the other sailors to see if they mind. If only one of them does, then that boat will still need to compete in open. In this scenario the class sailors own the decision.

I am flexible and don't mind mixing it up a little but I can also understand how some F18 sailors have put a lot of effort into a class where they will have their own start. It is my opinion that the F18 sailors that typically sail at Bare What you Dare won't mind letting a Taipan 4.9 race with us. I think they would feel differently if it were a theoretically faster boat being mixed in than if it were a theoretically slower boat. In the case of my 6.0 in the F18 fleet, I would have asked to be scored by myself without an award if I thought I would clean up the F18 fleet with my 6.0 (I never had to) - it wouldn't have been fair.