ISAF and its national affiliates take very seriously their responsibility to protect the integrity and credibility of world championships. They don't want "maverick" classes putting on half-assed worlds, because apparently they think this is going to reflect badly on the sport that they govern.
ISAF is a little bit confused.
Just this week there is a European championship of a certain recognized class with only 2 boats attending. A second class has the same event with only 9 boats attending.
Simply because these particular classes have a very power body behind them and because this body has paid the class dues. Dues that it has earned in exploiting another far more succesful class that has its own seperate European championships at a different date and location.
THAT is what reflects badly on the sport they govern.
Not some maverick class that goes about its own business.
But then again. I have difficult in seeing the logic in some other ISAF rules as well. The dues are pretty high as well and certainly for a starting class they are impossible to pay when charging normal member fees and having to budget for websites and other expenses as well.
A class most likely can't pay for the recognition unless it has a firm base of at least 200 paying members. In our sport that means that a multiple of 200 class compliant boats have to be sold first. I suspect in the order of 1000 boats. I can name a score of classes that fail to do that. A this listing contains well known boats like the Hobie Fox, hobie FX-one and Taipan 4.9's; so it is not all obscure design.
Wouter
