There have been more instances like that. One just last september in Netherlands, but I don't see the point in highlighting this every time. The spitfires keep mostly to themselfs in the UK and in France/Ireland we don't have an F16 class yet. Outside these three nations the Spitfire class is non-existant. Spitfires were sold to a number of other places but never in the numbers to be able to form a class of their own. Holland is one such nation. I count 2 spitfires here. One crew we have approached to invite them to join us in F16 racing but he said that he was only interested in recreational sailing. The other boat is rarely used and for sale. This example is not to put down the Spitfire class, I think them to be excellent boats, but to show that the two classes are pretty much seperated from eachother. For this reason we don't see much direct comparisons; it is simply not possible. That is with the exception of the UK but here the Spitfires have a rather strong class and want to maintain that.

Personally I don't care whether they participate in F16 events or not. The invitation stands. If they don't want to then they don't want to.

With respect to the spitfire design. I think the design to be faster than the SCHRS rating is suggesting. It is a fast boat that will indeed run with the F18's;

Its rating is 1.02 under schrs (F18 = 1.01) when punching in :

Crew = 2
weight = 135 kg
length = 5.00 mtr
mainsail = 15.5 sq. mtr.
mainssail luff = 8 mtr.
jib = 4.5 sq. mtr.
jib luff = 5.5 mtr.
spi = 18 sq. mtr.
daggerboard = 0.19 x 0.76


However under schrs is has 1.04 as rating because it is measured at :

Crew = 2
weight = 139 = (135+4)
length = 4.98.00 mtr = (5 mtr - 0.02)
mainsail = 15.45 sq. mtr. (= 15.50 - 0.05)
mainssail luff = 7.9 mtr. (= 8.0 - 0.1)
jib = 4.45 sq. mtr. (= 4.50 - 0.05)
jib luff = 5.43 mtr. = (5.5 - 0.07)
spi = 18 sq. mtr.
daggerboard = 0.19 x 0.76


Now less than an inch difference in length, about 1 sq.ft. less sailarea and 4 kg more boat weight are not going to make the boat 2 points slower in reality. But it was enough to put the boat over the 1.0351 rounding off boundery so it gained two extra handicap points as a direct result of these offsets. Sadly that is possible with measurement rating systems.

But anyway, I personally regard the Spitfires as only a fraction slower then the F18's and pretty much on a par with the best of the F16 designs. So I don't think that fear of underperforming is at all a likely cause fro Spitfires not attending F16 events.

Wouter