There are some really good ideas in this thread - when I get back to Jacksonville, I think I'm going to have to print this topic to take to the meeting.

I appreciate the input, but I'd suggest that any effort to "rank" the classes against each other is futile and counter-productive. I can only think of one or two people off the top of my head that have competed in all of the classes specified here - those are probably the only folks that can be truly objective. The rest of us just don't have the whole picture, no matter how well-intentioned and honest. It is a great topic for a friendly bar room debate after a race, but has little bearing on the topic. I don't think the Multihull Council would ever engage in any sort or effort to pidgeonhole fleets with respect to how talented, competitive, or deep they might be.

Remember that the current rules of how to invite teams to Alter Cup were concieved during a time when there were predominantly two "brands" hosting national events for their fleets - it wasn't always that way, and now it isn't really the case anymore... hence the discussion. But whether you agree with the method or not, surely we can all see that the format invigourated the event and raised the level of the whole idea of an invitational one-design US championship.

So, for the future, we need to continue to modify the format to mirror the evolution of our national makeup, and keep the door into the event clear and attainable.

Truly - thanks for all these ideas. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />