Brings up a good topic for discussion, though: there is a proposal on the agenda to change the way the invitations are allocated next year. Rather than give Hobie and Performance both two slots, it has been suggested they each get one, with one going to the A-Class and one going to the Formula 18 class, since these two classes are multi-manufacturer and have consistently high participation at their respective national events. What do you folks think of that?
John,
Why can't you just simplify this by using the same guidelines (except only for multihull classes) that are used for the US Sailing Championship of Champions, with the modification that 10 of the 20 slots will be allocated to the winners of the Area Qualifiers?
Forget the petitions and forget the Olympic Class. Forget giving specific number of slots to specific class associations or manufacturers, because that doesn't make any sense to me at all.
In other words, for the remaining 10 slots, the winners of either National or North American Championships of any one-design multihull classes during the prior year can submit their bids to be in the Alter Cup. This could even include winners of, like, the Corsair 28R Nationals, for instance.
If more than 10 skippers want to enter, the Alter Cup Committee would have to make the decision about whom to accept and whom to cut, just as they do in the Championship of Champions.
If less than 10 skippers want to enter (and/or if you have vacant spots from the area qualifiers), petitions would only be used as a backup to fill the empty slots and they should also come from high-placing sailors in National or North American Championships during the prior year and NOT as "representatives" designated by manufacturers or class associations.
