I'd like to hear your "pros" on not announcing the boat until right before the event - just curious.
It should be noted that the boat was never "kept" secret, AFAIK - I think it was frequently the last minute before the committee was able to pin down a deal. I think there was a lot of stress in organizing the event when a boat and venue weren't pinned down. Gordie Isco or Jamie Diamond might be able to speak better to that - I'd say Steve Leo, too, but I don't think he visits here anymore. maybe I'll send him an e-mail.
To my mind, the pros of announcing before the ladder events:
1. Gives the "team" concept a real chance.
2. Allows someone who takes it really seriously to beg, borrow or steal the equipment if they want.
3. Draws out some sailors who might not come otherwise - folks who belong to the class selected, or that have an interest in getting a week-long test drive.
Honestly, if the way its done now isn't "better," then we should look at changing it.
John, I thought it was policy to not announce the Alter Cup boat until after the qualifiers were over, but you may be right that it was out of necessity rather than intent.
1. I don’t know what you mean by “team” concept, but as to your other two points, I just look at them from the flip side.
2. If they don’t know far in advance what type of boat the event is going to be on, they don’t have to worry about begging, borrowing, buying or stealing a boat to practice on, because nobody else will know, either.
3. Also keeps people away from the qualifiers who might come otherwise. So that is probably a wash.
HOWEVER, because the number of people sailing in the Alter Cup has been doubled, and because there is a pretty major division between the spinnaker and non-spinnaker folks, I think the way you are doing it now is probably the ONLY practical way – announcing the boat in advance of the qualifiers.
If the Alter Cup boat is going to be a spinnaker boat, you are probably going to get mostly spinnaker people at the qualifiers and in the finals. If it is a non-spinnaker boat, you would get both spinnaker and non-spinnaker people at the qualifiers and finals (and also by petition), which would be more inclusive of our whole beach-cat community.
It is too bad that the boat chosen for the Alter Cup has to influence whether or not people even want to sail in the event. Maybe it would be better to have it always sailed on the same type of boat, something generic enough, main and jib, that everybody can handle it. That would certainly level the playing field and make it more like what is done for the US Sailing monohull championships. You don’t see their championships being sailed one year on a Rebel and the next year on a 49er.
IMHO, the Alter Cup needs a permanent, common-denominator boat.
Meanwhile, this early announcement about the 2007 boat is going to be great publicity for the Blade F16 and for Vector Works Marine.
