Hang on for a minute there !
When Jerry switched the F17 didn't even exist yet. This quote is of Jerry is getting better by the year, I do think we must put it in the right perspective.
I recall that Jerry switched mainly because the Nacra 17's had good fleet racing going on in the Michigan area while the F16's/Taipans did not. I fully support him in that decision and I also did back then. I do not recall he switched because of the reasons you write down. I think alot gets invented or added to Jerries quote.
I'm not inventing anything...these are the words Jerry told me, in person, on the beach after sailing the F17.
And you guys are indeed having great net/forum promotion with it.
We don't hold a candle to what you do.
The only crew from Ned were Gunnar Larsen and his girlfriend Lisa, they never were World Champions.
They are current Nacra F18 World Champions, which you very well know. I neither said or implied anything different. I I was saying something different, I would have said the "Formula 18 World Champions", because that is what you are talking about. I am talking about F18 World Champions. Only Nacra makes the F18, which happens to be a Formula 18, as is the Tiger, Cirrus, etc.
Is this proof of Matt ability to sail or the nacra 17 superiority ?
Matt's capability, of course! The F17 performance speaks for itself, performing so well with sailors that are not of Matt's obvious capability.
and over 100 boats short.
I only know about the boats you count from this area, which we never see compete. As for my count, these are the people racing F17. Different methods of counting, however, I am delighted with local growth because that is what I experience, boats on the starting line. It is sort of like those 150 boats on the beach outside Chicago, which sounds like a great fleet. But they don't ever seem to make it into the water for a race. Addmittedly, I care about racing. The F17 was designed for single-handed racing and does that job very well.
