<******** ! Tell that to my 58 kg female crew ! The women is also only 1.62 mtr tall = 5 foot 5 inch. If she can do it then any teenager can do it. It is all in having the proper sheeting system, something I have not seen on the H16's yet because of their OD fetishm. But that problem is wholely OD in cause it has nothing to do with the spinnaker itself.

Point 2 : We are talking YOUTH class here, NOT parents and KIDS class. These youths are between 12 and 21 and outrun my sorry 32-year-old butt in any trackrace and who seem to have endless energy and do a score of muscle sports like gymnastics and competition swimming.

Also, If you can pull on a mainsheet in 20 knots wind then you can also pull on a spinnaker sheet.

Besides I see kids below 12 years of age pull spinnakers on baots like the 20-er, 420's and Hobie Dragoons. Are you telling me that suddenly after they turn 12 they can't hold on to a spi anymore !





Yes, but this youth class thing is not about you or any other parent nor is it about any (young) kids either. It isn't even about some recreational sailing. It is about competitive teenagers who will have to go through a feeder class that will prepare them for the big classes that they will enter after 18 or 21. Meaning : F18's, olympic Tornado's, maybe the big French cats and tris. That is a whole different ball game.





If they love the H16 with kite than what is the problem here ? The old generation of H16 sailors who are married to their H16 and who often treat other designs as intruders or undesireables.




This sounds like a good reason to NOT have the H16 as the youth boat. So what is your point. You can't seriously claim that all newer designs are worse than the H16 in this respect. Because then you really needs to get some test rides on non _h16's





Any why do you think that ISAF demanded a Spinnaker ? Just to annoy the hell out of you H16 guys ?

And why on earth was the H16 with spi entered and promoted as the new ISAF youth boat when none of you hobie sailors really want it ?

Get with the program guys or stay out of these affairs and be happy in your own H16 niche. Nobody has forced you to enter the H16 spi as a youth boat !

So ISAF didn't dictate the use of a spinnaker. It recognised that the youth class needed one if it was to properly prepare the youth for the follow-up classes. And for every H16 racer who doesnt agree with this I can name other 10 racers who do. ! Thank Goodness !

And this is one reason why I was looking forward to giving the H16 the boot as the perferred youth boat. You always have the tip-toe around dogmatic H16 sailors who really don't want anything else than 1970's-one-size-fits-all H16 OD racing.

And ISAF once again showed us to be lacking a spine.

Wouter