Good discussion here, though it's a bit esoteric and unless one of us decides to take over the administration of the race, also just for the sake of talking about our favorite sport.

In the case of open class and inclusion of 18- and 16-foot platforms, keep in mind that race committee would need to be prepared to be spread out. While it is true that smaller boats compete in point-to-point events like Texel, they would likely fall significantly behind the larger boats over a week's time... how do you manage that from an administrative standpoint? Remember, this is not a money-making venture, and additional personnel and associated expenses for a separate committee to follow along behind the 20-footers is prohibitive unless everyone is prepared to foot a significantly higher entry fee. No offense intended, but the daily delta between 20-footers this year was sometimes measured in several HOURS. Imagine a 16-footer beating up the beach in the morning breeze after a sleepless night at the helm, blearily watching the 20-footers blast through the surf on the way to the next checkpoint, and trying to decide if its worth popping into the beach for a quick cup of coffee or just keep slogging... Sure, it has been an iron man event before, but sheesh.

My preference, as if it mattered, is to see it as one-design as possible, with better enforcement of class rules (no carbon foils). There are events that are better suited to smaller platforms - you don't put a barrel horse in the Derby.