You can still talk smack if any F16 starts 3 minutes behind the F18's and then beats them to the finish line.
Hello ! Through all that dirty air and then having to pass about 17 boats to get there. That will be some show of force, I agree, but not very relatistic ! F16's ain't THAT good.
I think all boats should start and race together and have a major cup for the overall winner. Then a victory (over 50 boats) actually means something. But that is not the format of the Tradewinds, so we'll probably see several start fleets.
Their mast is about 32' high and they will stop you dead in the water until their entire fleet goes by, then you can start racing. So, what is the point?
The point is that more then once it was shown that F16's can pass I-20's through their lee-side and most often it is the I-20's who are really pissed off. The latter because the F16's are so agile on the start-line and once ahead an I-20 will have difficulty passing. Often they have to tack away and look for clean air themselfs.
Great fun !
Besides how about first an F16 start, then F18 start and then the I-20 start. Lets some of the other crews (I-20) breath heaps of dirty air for a chance. I mean those guys having the taller masts and thus sticking out of the dirty air layer into clear wind anyway !
Not to forget of course :
And you are right, if the F16's start with the F18's, the F18's will correctly cry "foul" if an F16 gets in the way. If I had spent the time away from work and $1,000+ to drive down and sail at Tradewinds I sure as hell would not want some boat from some other class sitting on me in light air.
No it is much better to close-in on the bouy as the leader in a later start fleet and have the bottom halve of the F18 fleet (the bozo's) clog up the bouy area and trying to approach it on a port tack and what not.
Ohh I just love multiple start events especially when the first start fleet is already rounding C-mark or coming down under spinnaker when your class has just started. I also never understood why the RC typically starts the fastest fleet first and the slowest fleet last.
Give me one start, one listing event any time.
Wouter
(I'm sure you guys understand to not take this post too seriously)
