Matt Miller,
This is a good time for me to underline that I assign a whole lot of blame to the ISAF organisation. That is to pre-empt any "he hates hobies" nomer. Because, I don't. They may not be my favourite boat but I never hated them nor would I quickly decline any invitation to sail one.
Maybe I'm most pissed about the fact that the big whigs out there are again making a big mess of things.
I really don't think that having a youth boat (with spi) coming from a very dominant spi-less class that is also actively opposed to the spi, is a good thing. It is like putting two horses that hate eachother in a span together. A thing like that is really not going to work. And I for one really don't appreciate putting these youngling through the raw politics that come with such a situation. To which, sadly, indeed I'm also partial.
So I don't think the following advantages of the H16 are convincing enough in the bigger picture:
ISAF needed a youth boat with numbers and reasonable value that is accessible to the masses around the World. They also wanted boats provided at the Worlds events. Hobie Cat France has been doing just that for years.
If another company or design class steps up and can provide a replacement that is desirable and available... I am sure ISAF may change the selected boat. So far that has not happened.
Personally I think the responsibility of this situation is totally misunderstood by many people and especially the ISAF whigs. Call me naive but wasn't ISAF (or IRYU) foundated to actually organise, arrange and build such projects that would otherwise not come to be ? What else are we all paying our dues for ? Why else have an organisation like ISAF at all ? Quick to ban sailors participating in unrecognised events like the Hobie Wave sailors but nobobies is home when the going gets tough !
Seems to me that the ISAF organisation is giving herself an easy ride.
Anybody noticed how many developments were initiated and grown outside of ISAF tutilage ? The whole skiff scene, F18, ORMA and even Hobie 16 was outside of ISAF (IRYU) for many years.
While I'm happy that they are trying to get a good youth class for catamarans together, I also feel that some boss needs to call them in to his office and tell then to do it again and this time properly.
If nobody does anything then we shouldn't be surprised that we'll keep circling around in the same situation for many years to come with our youth sailors footing the bill.
Whether the 16 has a spinnaker or not within the Hobie Class... is a Hobie Class decision. The Hobie Class Association is feeling a bit like the tail is wagging the dog here.
Excuse for not feeling much sympathy. Who exactly entered the H16/spi as the youth boat here ? Apparently not the Hobie class. Neither did I or any other non-hobie sailor. And I seriously doubt that ISAF forced the Hobie corp into entering it with a "or else ...". So tell me who exactly made the decision to enter this boat and what was the vision behind it ? If it was not the Hobie class organisation then why wasn't the guy or group who actually did enter it not leveling this development with the Hobie class ? Or even doing such a thing AGAINST the judgement and wished of the Hobie class ? Had this group even the right to enter this boat on behalve of the H16 class ?
The Hobie Class (as voted at the AGM in South Africa) does not want a spinnaker on Hobie 16s at major Worlds events. The North American Class Association does not want them at any Hobie events on a 16. We see it as short circuiting our programs and advancement through the class racing.
So why was the H16 entered as the youth boat with spi ? This youth boat appears to be lacking a home. Nobody wants it, certainly not the main H16 body. Not even the truly competive youths want it as they often can't wait to get into the F18 or Tornado class and really get serious.
In all honesty here, I actually agree that H16 should stay true to its base and continue like that. But I also see that there is a rather high probability here that the current setup will only have negative effects on both the H16 class as the youth class.
We want to keep the 16 class healthy and as designed... simple. The Hobie Class goal should be to get youth to enter the Hobie Class and that is best done through the Hobie 16. We currently have a very strong youth class and want to keep it that way.
In that case I think ISAF should recognize the music and seperate the ISAF youth class from the H16 class. Seems like the best setup for all. And if nobody wants to give away boats to ISAF (what a surprise !) then some whig should shift their butts into gear and work over their old-boys network for some corporate sponsorship.
Hell if Mitch Booth and Herbert Dercksen can haggle Volvo for a complete full-blow extreme 40 mini cirquit with 6 races in nearly as many continents then surely some company out there can donate enough money for 10 youth boats to be used annually in a round robin championship ?
Hell, ship these youngster a week extra to the site and let them practise on the boats for a week before starting the event. They can learn the trick on daddies boat and fine tune their skills in the practice week.
Surely, we can get such projects of the ground ?
Simply, what is needed by ISAF does not have to be adopted by the Hobie Class.
That is true. But this really sounds like a the receipy for a truly bad marriage where it is the kids that truly suffer.
Do we want that ?
Wouter
