i agree that exclusive attitudes can damage a racing fleet. our small club starts any kind of cat, we have h14, h16, TheMightyHobie18, trac and anybody that wants to race in the same fleet. our sailing area includes tides and a pretty narrow river so we have lots of tacking, strategy, wind shadows, etc and it aint necessarily the fastest boat that wins. also more short races keep the boats closer to each other. i really enjoy comparing the performance of different boats on the same course. the sailors in our fleet like to share information to help beginners get up to speed and find and tune boats. the bottom line is, inclusive attitudes create more fun and more racing. cat racing seems to be evolving toward more inclusiveness, this forum is evidence of a shift in attitudes. energy goes toward where energy flows, so all we gotta do is keep on flowing. right? should be easy for a bunch of sailors!