NOT a dumb question. Olli and Kelly had not qualified in any other way, and they confirmed that they will be pleased to represent Area D South next April in the Championship.

JC is likely to be invited, and I expect Performance will name him as one of their reps - however, he'd been saying all along that he would not race with Kenny on the Blade. That is why Kenny was on the helm all weekend - JC never touched the tiller. Kenny wanted to qualify in his own right.

So, since Kenny was second, he has a chance of being invited - because Area D South was the biggest qualifier this year, if any other Area doesn't send a team, then the second-place team from this event gets invited.

Next month, the manufacturers will name their teams. Petitions are due by December 31st. By mid-January, the whole fleet will be announced.

I can say unequivocally that the Blade is fast fast fast. Matt and Gina were across the finish line seconds in front of us twice today - he's beating Nacra 20s and F-18s boat-for-boat. That is the good news. The bad news is that all this race data goes straight to the Portsmouth Committee - watch for the F-16 number to drop. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />