Hi, Hope someone can answer my question :
I`ve heard of the Hooter & seen a pic of one, how does it compare in performance with a standard assymetric spinnaker?
I`ve attached a pic I found on the web, looks like a reaching assymetric, could someone identify this type of sail & tell me why it is different from a standard assymetric kite - it has a much longer foot & a hollow leech.
While I`ve read that a high-aspect kite is better, this sail seems to challenge that theory - I`d like to know more about it (maybe it is a hooter, I don`t know)
Any relevant info would help me to decide which type of sail would suit my needs.

The pictured sails appears to be a Hooter (or reacher).
The difference in spinnakers and Hooters is the spin has a full shoulder while the Hooter is relatively flat by comparison.
As for high or low aspect, I suppose some of the original Hooters may have been low aspect, but then they began to be more high aspect.
The transition in spinnakers has been from a very large, full, big shouldered sail to a much flatter, higher aspect sail.
So, it would appear the two are becoming much closer than their origins.
Two good points on the Hooter is that is very light air they can be used to sail upwind and still be able to point as high as boats without a Hooter and much faster.
It is far superior to even the flattest of spinnakers on reaches, and I believe they are as fast or faster sailing downwind.
I have arrived at a point where I believe the entry of the sail is more important than lots and lots of sail area. And a bill full entry might just be more drag.
The second point is the ability to furl.
There are those that knock the Hooter saying that when furled you have all that windage hanging from your mast to the bow sprit, but usually they roll up very tight and offer about the same or less windage than a Snuffer bag hanging out on the pole.
A good furler system is much, much faster to handle than standard spinnaker or Snuffer systems. After watching all the problems this past weekend that the F18HT's and F16HP's had with their snuffer systems, I am even more convinced.
The Hooter can be flying within on boat length or sooner after the A Mark and can be carried to within a boat length of the leeward mark before furling (I use a 1:2 furler line -- the small line on the furler drum comes aft to a turning block and then back to the a fixed spot below the furler drum. Then a larger, more comfortable- on-the-hands line is attached to the turning block and comes to the mainbeam. Now, for every foot of bigger, easier to use line you pull in, two foot of small line goes around the drum. This gives you really fast furling speed.)
As a history, most of the sailors have resisted the idea of the Hooter and have stuck with traditional spinnakers. I have had the fortune to be able to sail against these folks and have won a lot of events with the Hooter. Sure, I have not won them all, but have won my share. And those that I did not win I was very close with a lot of my Spinnaker-clad friends way behind me. And keep in mind, I am usually sailing against much younger, stronger sailors (I am 65 and hurt a lot).

Hope this disseration helps.
Rick

I guess, one point against the hooter or reacher is, they are rated under isaf or texelrating as foresail. that turns out in much higher handicap, other than with gennakers/spinnakers.
how is this under portsmouth rating?

Rick,

I remember when the 'hooter' was the thing to have! Who knows, it may come full circle once again, and be the headsail to 'have'.

I think the 'hooter' is rated like a spinaker in portsmouth.

Yeah, I don't think I'll ever forget blasting along on a jib reach on my Nacra 5.2 on the way to Put-In-Bay (18 miles) and about 1/3 there I look back and Rick is within shouting distance on his Hobie Wave hot dogged with a hooter! Have you ever hear the song "little mash rambler"? It's a song about a guy in a sports car out for a drive "and the little mash rambler was right behind and kept on tooting his horn...honk..honk." The song gets faster and faster repeating the same chorus. Finally the mash rambler overtakes the guy and the driver asks him how he can get his car out of second gear. I hear that song everytime I think back to that day.

"And the little hobie wave was right behind...."

Ok, Rick, heres the question:
Would a hooter be class legal on your Taipan 4.9 in F16hp?
If so why didn't you race it in your regatta?
I just got my 4.9 ( I'm the one everyone picked on at the Nationals, finishing Dead *&%## Last) and will consider getting a spin/hooter after (or if) I learn to sail it.
The ease of sail handling is a great plus...
If so, you racing with one against the spins would have been a great test to those of us on the fence.
Thanx
John

The Hooter is rated the same as a spinnaker despite it being a smaller sail. But I suppose that is OK since it has a broader range than a spinnaker.
It is not legal for the F16 Class as the headsail measurement requires a mid-girth dimension that the Hooter can't make. Too bad! I frankly would like to lobby to allow the option of a Hooter or reacher.
I didn't use it in my regatta for the above reason.., and that I was PRO for the regatta. So, I bought a new spinnaker that fit the F16 rules and had my son race.
That was interesting, too. We definitely found out that the boat does not support two grown men (Stan Woodruff and I) when we were at Gulfport and got hammered. And so my son dilligently sought out a light sailor. The guy he sailed with was only 130 lbs. but had never sailed before. They practiced a few days before the regatta and managed to do very well.
They were the only ones doing a standard spin set and takedown, while the others were all using snuffers. And they had much better sets and takesdowns. That was a surprise to all of us.
They didn't even have a sailbag to launch from -- they just stuffed the sail under a misc. bag tied on deck. Go figure!


At any rate, I really love sailing with the Hooter much more than a spinnaker and find it faster and easier to use. I certainly would like to know how we can overcome the rules of tradition and allow something that most folks can easily sail.
Thanks for asking,
Rick

Rick,
I'm considering a hooter for my Prindle 18. I don't race, but would like the downwind advantages a big sail up front. I'm not sure what type of hardware I would need. (what length pole, etc) Obviously, the boat isn't a high dollar racer, so I'm hoping no to invest big bucks in it. I do have a Harken furling drum and swivel, but that's about it. Do used poles / hooters show up very often?
Thanks for any info,
Jack Hoying
Fort Loramie, Ohio

The hooter definately has potential and the class that uses these sail regulary are the 60 foot trimaran class in teh OCRA cirquit.

The problem with hooters in beach cats comes from "traditions" outside the USA. In Europe a Hooter is regarded as a different implementation of a jib and is rated as such. This results in a handicap rating under both Texel and ISAF that is so low that the owners of Hooter will not stand a change against well sail spi setups. This was the main reason why the Formula 16 class decided to disallow the hooter in the same way the F18 and iF20 classes have done. Sometimes concerns over things like this win out over what may turn out to be more efficient.

I would like to remind everyone that the Formula 16 class allows dispensation of experimental setups that are not fully compliant. So if Rick puts in a official request to race his Hooter against spis to gether experimental data than the class will probably give the hooter setup dispensation. He will then not be listed in the scores thought.

Wouter

Wouter,
Just a few questions, I`m still trying to make up my mind which style of headsail would better suit my needs :
ISAF & Texel rate the Hooter as a type of jib ? Do you know of their reasons, ie is it because it is roller-furled instead of hoisted, or is it because it can be used upwind in light wind ?
I`d be keen to know what their definition is as to why they categorise it as a jib. I can see why it has been "banned" from many classes, a pity though that something that is easier to use & potentially faster is not allowed, takes away the "development" aspect from the F16 class, IMO.
I am still looking for the answers, any positive input welcome.

Steve,

Well ISAF and Texel don't ban hooters, that is a misunderstanding. They just see it as an extra jib sail in front of the normal jib. The result is that you get a rating hit that you can never sail too. If you take a look at hooter than the resemblemce to jibs is very clear; hooters are can be described as jibs with a very full cut and alot of sailarea. It is my understanding that the fact that this happens is the reason why formula classes only allow gennakers with a minimum girth of 75 %. Mind you there is no formula class who does allow hooters. So I don't really understand your comment "takes away the developement aspect from the F16 class". If you want a hooter go open class racing on handicap; if your want formula racing with first in wins but with a gennaker go F18, F16, Tornado, iF20 or F18HT.

It is also believed that a Hooter is putting alot of load on the platform.

Personally, I believe that the F16 class is setup to garantee fair (1-up and 2-up) racing between boats of different make and by disallowing the hooter I think we have improved on that goal once more. It certainly prevents an arms race about which so many sailors are scared about.

And to finish up this post, can anybody please point me to independently gethered results (no anonymous "I witnessed" claims please) where the hooter has proven to be faster than a gennaker. I would appreciate that very much.

Wouter

My first question is about the class itself. Is the F16HP Class international, or U.S.? If this is a U.S. Class, then why are we having to comply to ideas of another continent that has different wind and sea conditions? Not knocking anything, but just wondering.
Sorry for the digressive questions.
Back to the Hooter debate. So far I cannot see that an answer has come forth on why Europeans do not consider a Hooter a headsail. I know in the U.S. they certainly are. At one time the typical spinnaker had a bigger hit than the Hooter because is had more sail area, was fuller and was supposed to be faster.
Then after myself and a few others with Hooters started winning races, it soon became rated the same as a spinnaker.
How it could be considered a jib of any kind I am not sure. But if it is considered a jib in the eyes of the F16HP Class, then there should be no reason that a single person could not simply sail a Taipan 4.9 with main and jib (only the jib would be a Hooter). Should there?
The thing that has bothered me about the banning of the Hooter (and, in essence, it is a ban if the unfair hit is so heavy that it cannot compete -- sounds like someone is scared as hell of such a sail design) is how they can do so when the sail is smaller and even has a concave leech often.
At this point the F16 is set up to be fair racing, but I cannot see how using a Hooter (smaller and easier to use) would make things unfair.
And cost-wise, there is no comparison So, let's look at the advantages.

• The Hooter itself is less expensive that a standard spinnaker because there is less material and can be cheaper material
• the Hooter is more durable -- it can be made of heavier material and is alway rolled up neatly, not stuff and crinkled in a bag
• Roller furling equipment is very inexpensive in comparison to Snuffer equipment, the pricing of which begins at around a couple thousand dollars, instead of a couple hundred dollars.
• Furling is much, much faster to launch and retrieve (witness the difficulty of both the F18HT and F16HP performances in the recent championships).
• The whole idea behind the Hooter was too allow more boats to fly headsails (spinnakers) and to be able to include more women and youth in the sport (remember the furler is so much easier to use than standard spinnaker set, jibes and drops -- I am still feeling sorry for poor Mavis Harnden in the heavy air at the F16 Nationals.., it was all she could to get the sail out. In fact usually she had to take the helm and Chuck had to get the sail out)
• Windage of the furler has been under criticism, but doesn't a snuffer bag hanging out between the hulls also add a lot of windage. And tightly-rolled furled sail probably has less windage than the whole sail inside a bag hanging openly a foot or two over the water.
• The Hooter allows the deck to be very clean since there is only one line that is used to handle not only the deployment of the sail, but it also is used to retrieve. The Spinnaker requires a tack and head halyard and then a retrieval line.
• More on a clean deck -- you can set the retrieval system up so that the excess sheet wraps around the furled sail and takes all of that excess sheet off the deck.., and the sheet that is rolled around the furled sail insures that it will not start unfurling and causing drag.
  

Wouter says that the Hooter puts more load on the platform.., and this is true if you are using it upwind, but the loads are the same off the wind. The cost of adding a dolphin-striker to the the bow sprit handles the load on the platform, however. That cost is far less than the huge investment in snuffer equipment and all the spider-web line required to run it.

In reply to the post: And to finish up this post, can anybody please point me to independently gethered results (no anonymous "I witnessed" claims please) where the hooter has proven to be faster than a gennaker. I would appreciate that very much.
Can anyone do the same for the spinnaker? I doubt it.
On the other hand, I have been on the boat that has many times cleaned up on standard spinnakers.
The first time when we knew we had something going here was during the Bay to Ocean Race in Marthon Florida a few years ago.
I was defending my title of the perpetual for the event that year and when we arrived we found very light air that was a close reach up one side of the island, and then the course went through a bridge and came back down the ocean side of the island. I happened to have an old reacher that Randy Smyth had made for me to use on the Nacra 5.5 Uni. So, I decided to use that instead of the spinnaker. My thinking was that I might have large enough lead with the reacher that I could hold off the big spins down the ocean side. Also the wind was forecasted to clock to the right -- that would make the ocean side a beam reach.

Well, we never made the ocean side. About 2/3 of the way to the bridge, the RC saw that we were not going to make it in time (the wind was dying even more) Most of us were hugging the right side of the course thinking the new wind would come from the right side. All of us except Robert Ongsgard and an F-31.
The RC dropped a turning mark right in front of Onsgard and the F-31 (not very fair to the rest of the fleet, by the way). They rounded and headed for the finish line some 20 miles behind us.
The rest of the fleet had to sail upwind to get to the new mark. I was third around the mark and a good nine minutes behind Onsgard sporting a huge spinnaker. Right behind me was Clive Mayo who also was flying a large spinnaker.
I warned my crew, "We are going to be rolled by Clive any minute now with that big spin." But, lo and behold, I heard nothing coming up behind me. I looked back to see that we were tracking better and walking away.
We soon passed the F-31 (huge spinnaker) and reeled in Onsgard. We finished 20 minutes ahead of Onsgard.
And that was when I became a believer.

Well, this is my essay for the day. Sorry it was so long.
Rick

Rick:

You bring up some interesting points about the Hooter. Obviously you have had some excellent results using the sail but so many times in catamaran racing it is hard to make objective comparisons due to a number of variables such as wind conditions, experience of the sailors, etc..

Regarding using a hooter upwind, I'm doubtful you could point as high as a well sailed uni-rig like an A-cat or F-18HT (which have tacking angles of less than 90 degrees) so even though your speed through the water may be better, I'm not sure your overall VMG would actually be better. Also if you are course racing, the handling difficulty inherent in tacking a hooter could be hard to overcome. However, on a long one-sided upwind leg with minimal tacking, I would think the hooter could show its advantage (we have seen this to be the case with the "screechers" used on the Corsair boats).

I'm not sure I could agree with you on a furler offering less windage or less weight than a snuffer system especially the ones being used by the F-18HT and Tornado classes where the snuffer is set back. The hardware we used on USA 3 was pretty light. I would be concerned that the roller furling hardware and the sail itself (especially if it is not being used) creates more weight aloft and forward which increases the pitching moment of the boat (not good in waves). I do agree with you that the roller furling system should be easier and more reliable to use.

The best test for a particular class would be to get two evenly matched boats, two evenly matched crews, and then rig one for chute with snuffer and one for hooter with furling and then do some controlled speed testing in different wind strengths. It would help if the same sailmaker (like Smyth of Calvert) made the two sails for the test. That should help settle the debate!

Keep the learning curve interesting!

Bob Hodges
A-Cat USA 147

Hi Bob,
First of all the Hooter can only be used upwind in very light conditions. With those conditions and the boats I used the Hooter against, we outpointed the stock boats. The Nacra 6.0NA is the main boat I remember the most. Because of the speed created and consequent lift of the boards, we were actually able to sail closer to the wind once speed was acquired.
And you're right! A Nacra 6.0 NA could not possible sail as high as the A-Cats.., under any circumstances.
Tacking is a lot less trouble than you can imagine. With the Taipan 4.9 the Hooter is pretty small and high-aspect (much smaller than the class headsail size limits) and it sheets from the sidestays and tacking is pretty fast and without mishaps. The Hooter I had on the Nacra was much larger and sheeted from the rear beam and was abit of a hassle to tack. But, even then you still had your main and jib working allowing the boat to get out of the turn fast while you finally sheeted in the big sail.

Really glad you mentioned the Screachers on the Corsairs. I think where I first got the idea of the Hooter was on Lyman White's F25C. That boat was fast, reactive and pointed great with the Screacher (by the way, when Randy Smyth builds the sail it is a Screacher, when Dave Calvert builds the sail it is a Hooter) in winds all the way up to 15 mph.
The reason it worked on the F25C was due to the lightness of the boat. However, on a standard Corsair you are correct -- it only worked up to a close reach. After discussing this with Dave Calvert, we both seemed to agree that the difference was the lightness or the heaviness of the platform.
You have to stand in line to disagree with me about windage, but I really see very little difference. Also, the snuffer system does manage to slap the water offering tremendous drag while the furler is high in the air and cannot be dragged down by splashing water.
I do think it is a stretch to think that excess weight forward or aloft is a problem.
I remember in the Hogsbreath-Keys 100 we finished way ahead of all the other boats in Marathon (all with spinnakers) in heavy air downwind and had no problems with pitchpoles. They were all miles behind us. The fleet included Tornadoes, Nacras, Supercats, etc.
I totally agree that speed testing is the way to go. We have done that years ago and that is why I love the Hooter.

Guess my whole point of all this is that I cannot see why a newly formed class in the U.S. has to use the dictates of classes that race in totally different wind and seas. I love the idea of a formula class, but to arbitrarily use rules that will restrict the boats speed right out of the gate scrares me. And for no apparent reason the Hooter is banned. I think that is wrong. Geez! It is smaller and flatter -- what is everyone afraid of? Because it is easier to use?
And the Hooter is so much easier to use than the spinnaker that there is a chance it could now include women and youth sailors. Wouldn't that be good for a 16-foot boat? A 16-foot platform is not going to support much weight and with the use of spinnakers you will be restricted to finding 100-pound ladies. But 100-pound ladies are not going to be able to hang tough and be able to handle the spinnaker out of a bag or with a snuffer.
And snuffers are difficult. At the Championships I saw an awful bunch of problems with spin set and take downs. Very strong, athletic guys were having a helluva time. That would not happen with a Hooter.

At first I was loving the idea of the F16 Class -- at my size of 207 lbs I could single-hand (and not have to search the world over for a small person that may or may not show up for a regatta) the Taipan 4.9 as a uni and then with a flip of the wrist be sailing downwind with hot speed.
Just before the mark, just make one arms length pull and the sail is furled and I am on the way back upwind.

With the present thinking and present rules, I would have to spend about $3000 to set up a snuffer system that would be a lot harder to handle.
This is beginning to be a big turn off to me.., and as Wouter says, just stick to Portsmouth Racing. Apparently, that is what I am going to have to do. Too bad!
Thanks for listening,
Rick

>>My first question is about the class itself. Is the F16HP Class international, or U.S.?

The class is international with 1/3 of the sailors reciding in the USA.

The hooter was debated in the beginning of the class in summer 2001 and the outcome is in the rules.

>> I cannot see that an answer has come forth on why Europeans do not consider a Hooter a headsail

They do consider it a headsail but just rated it in the same way they would do with a large jib. The shape and fact that it can be carried upwind are likely the causes of this. It behave differently than a spi or gennaker and is therefor naot rated as one by Texel and ISAF handicap systems.

>> But if it is considered a jib in the eyes of the F16HP Class, then there should be no reason .... sail a Taipan 4.9 with main and jib (only the jib would be a Hooter)

As long as the rated sailarea of such a sail is no more than 3,5 sq.mtr. (about 3,7 sq. mtr. actual area) you can indeed use such a sail in the F16 class.


>>... in essence, it is a ban if the unfair hit is so heavy that it cannot compete -- sounds like someone is scared as hell of such a sail design...

Not really, this is a typical result of historic decisions in the catsailing community. This resulted in the situation where F16's with hooters would be effectively not have a fighting chance to win races in EU because their class rating would be 15 % faster than that of the new Tornado sport and many of us don't see that happening. So allowing it could result for example in hooter boats in the USA and Gennaker boats in the EU and make a World Championship all but impossible. We alos wanted to have fairer handicap racing with respect to iF20 and Tornado spis; and equal racing to F18; the only way to achieve this is to have a comparable setup. Going for a hooter would not do that and only take us further away from our class goals we set in the beginning.

Just common sense.


>>The thing that has bothered me about the banning of the Hooter ... is how they can do so when the sail is smaller and even has a concave leech often

Either a 17,5 sq.mtr. hooter is faster than a 17,5 sq. mtr. gennaker or it isn't. If it is than disallowing it is fair to the NON US sailors and US sailors who own gennakers, as is becoming of a formula class. And if it isn't than there is no point in removing the girth rule as we'll all be sailing gennakers anyway.


>>Wouter says that the Hooter puts more load on the platform

No I didn't ; I just said that other people with hooter experienced told me it put alot of load on the boat. Peter Cogan for example sailed with one on his Taipan 5.7 in the Worrell 1000 of 1999 (I believe).

I say I have not nearly enough data to make any dependable analysis of it's performance. Hence my request to links pointing at hooter results.

>>Can anyone do the same for the spinnaker?

Yes, over the last 8 years spinnaker boats have taken 99 % of all the line honours in cat races world wide; non of the open design skiffs are using a screacher, hooter, reacher or similar of headsail. They all use very full broad shouldered spinnakers. And the 18 foot skiffs have even less rules than the A-cat. They only have two, boat may not be longer than 18 feet and races start sundays at 2 pm.

They only classes using reacher, screachers, hooters, code 0 - 2 are ocean going distance racing monohulls and multihulls. But then these boats do alot more reaching than cats and skiffs who typically race windward- leeward.

A long reply I know but I think it is important to show that F16 class decisions are based on logical arguments and serve a well defined purpose (the F16 class goals).

With kind regards,

I just want to add that the designer of the Catris, Aldis Eglajs, also favors a smaller genoa-like sail instead of a big spi for fast multihulls.

His reasons are mainly the same ones pointed out by Rick, and the most important one is:

"The faster you go, the closer to the relative wind you sail increasing the advantage of the reacher/hooter against the spi."

That said, all the advantages of a smaller, flatter and more manageable sail follow - durability, practicity, ease of handling, price, etc.

The Catri 27 features a mainsail, a jib and a reacher (hooter, screacher - it's all the same). If you want a spi, that's fine, it is your boat after all, but the designer recomends a multi purpose genoa.

One way to make accepting the hooter concept less painful is to give a closer look to the evolution and use of the spinaker:

In the past all spinakers were symetric - now fast boats use asymetric spis and slow boats use symetrical ones.

In the past the aspect ratio of spinakers was very low and the sail very round - now they are thiner and flater. The faster boats use flatter and higher aspect ratio spis. The slower boats use full and round spis.

Conclusion: as the boat sails faster, the spinaker shape approaches that of the Hooter! It will not surprise me if the spinaker eventually "transforms" into a hooter in the faster boats.

Cheers

Questions for Rick, Wouter, anyone else WHO CAN PROVIDE ANSWERS FOR MY ORIGINAL QUESTION :
I didn`t intend on opening any old sores regarding this type of sail, no doubt the issue of which is faster can go on long into the night,
with the arguments becoming more convincing on both sides - I asked for more info on the reaching type sail I saw in the pic, thank
you to all who answered as it`s difficult to evaluate something you`ve only ever seen on paper and in an advertisement from the
designer of the sail, whose opinion on the matter is likely to be biased toward the product since it`s his idea. (No offense, Rick - only
natural for you to love the hooter since it`s your brainchild.) I find Wouter`s comment interesting regarding ISAF`s stance on the sail
"They do consider it a headsail but just rated it in the same way they would do with a large jib. The shape and fact that it can be
carried upwind are likely the causes of this. It behave differently than a spi or gennaker and is therefor naot rated as one by Texel
and ISAF handicap systems."
I would like to find out what the exact definition of a spinnaker is, as well as a jib, from ISAF`s point of view. If it`s due to the fact that it`s roller-furled,
easy - just sidestep that by lauching by another means. If it`s because it`s flatter than an assymetric I would be surprised - define "fullness" -
this would be impossible to regulate. You could cut a very flat assymetric that satisfies all the F16 rules & use that sail to also go upwind.
If it`s because it can be used upwind in light wind only, I`ll buy that, but then it should only be handicapped excessively when used in light air, since
it can`t be used to it`s full potential in more tha 5knots (according to Rick). ISAF`s handicapping system needs a lot of work - a 16ft cat with 100sqm of
sail area on a 30m long mast would make a boat theoretically twice as fast as a tornado - in reality it would be overpowered in half a knot of wind.
My question is, at what point does an assymetric spinnaker become a hooter, is it :
a) the fact that it furls
b) the concave leech
c) the fact that it is flatter (if so, at what "fullness/flatness" does it change definitions ? How do you control that ?
d) the fact that it can be used to sail higher than a beam reach

I`m not trying to get everyone thinking which sail is better for F16 - as Wouter says, the matter has been decided.
If you believe in the hooter, sail it in open events or just for fun. My question should have included my intended use :
To race open-class against anything that floats & beat it over the line. I don`t care about final standings - sailing
fast is my aim. Also to be used blasting around and covering as much distance in a day as the wind allows. That`s
my kind of sailing. The Hooter type sail probably suits this role better than an assymetric. If I was obsessed about
windward/leeward racing only, I`d go assymetric.

Cheers
Steve

From reading Wouter's reply and Steve Kwiksilver's questions, let me see if I can make a bit more sense.

Wouter has explained the basics of the F16 Class. The intent is to make it an international class in order to by ISAF sanctioned and to qualify for the Olympics and be able to have a legitimate World Championships.
I like the idea of both. And while the class is so small and still just a bud, not a flower now is the time to make a good analysis of where it is and where it is going.
First, I want to apologize to the many folks that worked on the rules and regulations to get the class to where it is today. I am sorry I was not there in the mix with you. However, I have been really swamped trying to keep this web site growing and being more useful for multihull sailors, trying to get NAMSA off the ground and flying, and helping Mary maintain her sanity and keep putting out the magazine. I apologize for not being there, nonetheless.
All the time things were developing I seemed to only hear about the parts that I guess I thought were pretty cool – options of main/jib and spinnaker with two up, or main and headsail with one up. That made for some great versatility and the possibility of a great and growing class.
Then when this year I actually started getting free enough to do a little sailing I was shocked to find the Hooter was taboo. How can a smaller, flatter sail be banned from a class. I have never heard of such a thing. In my days in the Tornado ( I was class secretary when we got it into the Olympics) if I showed up with a much smaller mainsail, I don't think they would have thrown out the sail. They would have just been grinning from ear to ear.

Now, since the class is still in its infancy, this is the time to get things straightened out. Not when the class is huge and unweildly and changes become almost impossible. And since the U.S. represents 33% of the world's fleet, I think the U.S. sailors should have a lot of say in the matter. And we in the U.S. all sail in light air conditions with flat seas for the most part.
Again, I am sorry I was not in the original debates, but I see no reason for the reaching headsail to be outlawed. And it is quite simple to change this ban – simply eliminate the mid-girth requirement.
Wouter stated, "The hooter was debated in the beginning of the class in summer 2001 and the outcome is in the rules."
I would like to have that debate re-opened and rules re-inspected. The reaching headsail will attract many more people to the boat that otherwise fear to use standard spinnakers. And the versatility to the class would also attract more sailors. Apparently the debate was akin to the Democrats discussing welfare with other Democrats – there was obviously no one there representing the other side. Debates require opposing views.., and while I could be wrong since I wasn't there, it would seem there was only one side represented adequately.

In regards to the way Texel and ISAF handicap systems work, I really have a hard time understanding the concept as presented. "They do consider it a headsail but just rated it in the same way they would do with a large jib" does not really explain things to me. And US Sailing Portsmouth looks at the reacher (aka Hooter) the same as a spinnaker. Since 33% of the class obviously must concur that the reacher is a flat spinnaker then is should be allowed.., or at least be considered for allowance. This begs to re-open the debate referred to.
In other words the US Sailing Portsmouth Committee's interpretation should not be disregarded and be replaced totally by the thoughts of Texel and ISAF (both of whom are either European or heavily influenced by the Europeans.) Shouldn't the American contingency have some say in this debate? I think so!

I am also fascinated by the word "genaker" used in this debate. I believe this is a hybrid name coming from the combination of two words – Genoa and Spinnaker. What is a Genoa? Duh! A jib. So, by the very description of the word the Genaker should be banned or rendered useless by ISAF and Texel as well. On that premise the only sail allowed on the F16 should be symmetric spinnaker. Wouldn't that be a huge step into the past.., and back into monohull dogma?

It is quite obvious that the outside U.S. influences have never seen, nor have any idea how and why reachers work. There is a lot of exposure here in the States and most of the hard-core spinnaker guys say they are slower and won't try them. Yet those that do try reachers find them easy to launch, easy to tack, easy to dowse and at least as fast as the standard spinnaker.
Yet outside our boundaries there are those that think reachers are only used on big boats and are useless around the buoys. If that is the case, why are you digging in your heels and resisting with so much malevolence. Just let it happen! If it only works for big boats on distance races, why the defensive stance? Just let it happen!

Again, the class is so small and if we get any numbers showing up at a regatta, we will be happy. So, if someone shows with a Hooter, you say they can race, but not be scored. Why? What are you fearing? Let the trials begin, if this is to be a class with a fast and good future. Now is the time to try things.., not when the class is huge and it takes years and years to make small changes (remember that the Tornado changes to what it is today – square-head main, double trap and spinnaker -- had been in the mainstream of multihulls for a decade before the Tornado finally voted on changes. Despite the world-wide desire for the change, it was voted down for years and years by a stronger European constituency.)

One more point: I would like to re-open debates on pole-length. When I first started thinking about bow sprits there was only aluminum. And aluminum comes in 12' lengths. If you want a 14' or 15' length for your bow sprit, you had to buy a 24' piece.
Incredibly, we found that a carbon fiber bow pole (heretofore considered way too costly) was cheaper than buying a 24' aluminum tube and cutting it to 15'. WOW! Lighter, stronger, stiffer, less likely to break and cheaper.
And, we all knew that the longer the pole, the more open the slot and faster the boat. This has been proven time and time again, and again just proven with the add-on to the Hobie Wave – that change made tremendous leaps and bounds in boat speed for the Wave, making almost as fast as a Hobie 16.

Both of these items are presented to the class with the idea that while the class is still a bud and not a flower, still blooming and trying to blossom, still in its infancy and struggling for maturity, still in need of some simple, "no brainer" and proven ideas that will keep the integrity of the boat's class and at the same time make it faster, safer, more versatile and easier to sail. These ideas will attract more sailors and allow the class to grow and grow.

Umm.. skiffs and australian sharpie classes have long had flatties as part of their sails.. The original skate and VJ kite was assymetrical.. with a furler.. one tacked/gybed the kite by throwing the pole over the forestay and replacing it on the mast.. May I point out "ballooners" were used before "genacker" in the 30s.. fuller cut sails that flew from long "bowsprites".. This practice died when bowsprites died.. To be resurrected by beasho on assymetric poles in the 90s..

a flat cut genacker can be used uphill in 0-5 knots of wind