Well, that's a well thought out, logical and factual rebuttal of my post Seeker .

Sorry I'm anonymous.....of course we all know exactly which of the 150,000`"Bobs" in sailing you are.


Keith, sure some (not all) of the classes I mentioned have been significantly updated. In others, the only change has been a shift to newer, cheaper materials. And sure, some OD classes have died. Of course I would never try to say OD guarantees success.

The attraction of strict manufacturer-supplied ODs is another matter (I know I can afford to race my manufacturer-supplied ODs for less than I can afford to race my development gear, and I just don't care if one is a couple of minutes quicker than the other).

I was NOT attacking development or Formula classes, merely pointing out the gaping flaws in Seeker's assertion. I think we need Formula and development classes as well as ODs, and manufacturer ODs.

I totally agree there's a need to bring in new sailors to restore critical mass.

All I'm saying is that ODs are NOT doomed, and they DO grow (which is indisputable looking at the figures of ODs like H16s).

But all that aside - to build cat sailing, either in the racing venues or as a past time, we need to bring fresh blood in. New sailors will revitalize old and new classes. Restore the critical mass.