wasn't it the "Australis"?

Well.. if we are talking B class boats designed for the rules.. Manta, Tornadoes and Quest B2s were all designed for the rules. Probably a few more designs but Im not familiar with...
Mantas looked like a T but had a anti-pitchpole rail at the bows (which could do the reverse once the rail went under!!) Quest B2 had a glass bottom and ply sides..
My club had 10ish Mantas, a couple of Quests B2 and 8? Ts .. Then the Ts took over..

There were a few Cs but the Ds were few and far between.. The Ds were mainly in the States if I recall correctly..

Absolutely fascinating, I had no idea they were commonplace at one time. Seems like the world is getting more and more dull. Thanks for sharing.

Or if the wingmasted tornado with its superior performance had been selected!

Cheshirecatman

If the X-games dropped surfing from its roster, Id guess your not going to see sailing picked up anytime soon.

Did they do that??

Jeeze...what else is left for displaced catamarans?

The Special Olympics?

Unless all catamaran racing looked like Wednesday at F18 worlds this year, I don't think we've got much of a chance of interesting the folks the X-Games

Could you see the world choosing a single handed F16 or F17 for men's lightweight single hander and a Finn for a heavy weight single hander


IMO, the world could live with out a laser in the Olympics....and the public could not distinguish between a laser and a finn on the water and would not see a difference.

That would leave the men's side with an F17 or F16 single handed multihull

the Finn as a Single handed heavy weight dinghy
Keelboat 2 or three person spinaker boat or stay with Star
Two person dinghy.... (49ner or 470)
Windsurfer

This would leave all 5 major branches of sailing covered... two single handed classes sorted by weight and one two person dinghy class.

They could choose a modern keel boat for three person teams with a chute and you have the same number of mens olympic sailor and reflect the majority of sailors who race spinnaker keel boats.

So... could you see the class supporting them picking a Nacra F17, or one of the F16 builds or even the Marstrom M18 as an olympic singlehander for lightweight/midweight men's sailors?

Besides fighting sports (boxing, Judo etc) we're the only sport I can think of that has "weight divisions" in that same class.

While I don't totally disagree with this I think we need to look at it. They don't have the 50m sprint in light weight and heavy divisions. I understand the differences but if we are going to be cutting out a major part of the sailing community (cats or windsurfers for example) at the cost of having a heavy dingy ASWEL as a "normal" dingy, ISAF need to re-think their priorities.

But from what I can see and heard I think they will be re-considering this... Lets just hope when it comes to vote it's not all about self serving and and back door politics.

. Lets just hope when it comes to vote it's not all about self serving and and back door politics.

Ugh... it's always about self serving... If you don't take care of your own interest... who will?

It's not too likely that the international sailing scene will change that much in 4 years and so the constituencies that support the current events will argue for the status quo. We need to rethink this problem and try to have some facts on the ground that favor selecting a multihull in the context of gender balance and 5 disciplines for the next time.

The Olympic sailors could form instantly around a single handed spinaker class. Even better, It would not blow up the succesful F18 or A classes and perhaps cause the single handed spin class to really explode.

Dear petitioner

You may have seen the bad news in the press that last week the IOC decided not to grant sailing an 11th medal for the 2012 Olympic Games. This means that there will be no catamaran in the 2012 Olympic Games.

The ISAF press release can be found at http://www.sailing.org/london2012/29214.php

Despite this result we would like to thank you for your support over the last couple of years.

Following this bad news UKCRA have sent the following open letter to Goran Peterson at ISAF:



Mr. Goran Petersson
International Sailing Federation
Ariadne House
Town Quay
Southampton
Hampshire
SO14 2AQ
United Kingdom

19th August 2009

Dear Mr. Petersson,

Thank you for lobbying the IOC for an 11th medal, so as to include multihulls in the 2012 Regatta at Weymouth. It is sad to read that your efforts have been turned down. The IOC said that the key positive factors for additional events included whether the changes would increase universality, gender equity and youth appeal, and in general add value to the Games, which an Open Multihull event would certainly do.

While there is a chance that this may change in 2016, that is seven years away - far longer than the horizons of both athletes and commerce. Therefore there is a clear need for some alternative pinnacle to our branch of the sport.

Your press release makes no mention of any contingency plan. If you have one, we ask you to publish it. If you do not have one, we ask you to take the lead by instructing your Multihull Commission to prepare plans for a World Multihull Championship in time for submissions to be made for your Annual Conference in November.

ISAF claims for itself the exclusive right to stage World Championships. With rights come responsibilities. We therefore ask you to exercise that responsibility, as you do for other branches of sailing, such as Match Racing and Team Racing.

Such an alternative platform for the sport’s best sailors to demonstrate their prowess and to show the world at large the wonderful spectacle that is multihull racing would have the full support of multihull sailors worldwide.

It should be an event with official ISAF backing that aims to approach the importance of the Olympics and therefore receive financial support from National Authorities. It should be separate from the championships of individual classes, organised at private initiative.

That would go some way to redress the perceived imbalance that is seen by thousands of passionate multihull sailors. Furthermore it would encourage young talent to remain faithful to multihull sailing so that, when multihulls return to the Olympic stage, the basis for an Olympics that truly represents the pinnacle of multihull sailing is already in place.

Yours truly


Nick Dewhirst
Chairman

Anybody have any idea what this kind of event would look like?

How about a USA type Alter cup championship with 20 teams on charter boats? Single handed spinnaker boat anyone?

If you guys are not happy with paying the ISAF heaps of your hard earnt money not to be even 1/10th recognized then why dont you ask for a refund or start a class action against them! What`s the penalty for fraud nowdays?

Nick (and the others which I dont know who is) is doing a great job!

Ben Hall among others in the States were driving the class forward. The minimum class weight also had a huge effect on stabilizing and growing the class. As to C-Class there have never been hundreds of boats. I think that the total built is below 50 boats.

That is exactly the point I am trying to make. The cost of an Olympic campaign won't be reduced with supplied equipment because campaigners will still need to own atleast 1 (if not 2) top end boat just to gain selection.

Tornado Olympic Submission

This push for SMOD supplied equipment is looking more and more like Hobie is trying to make a buck.

But what do I care, it's just sailing.

Game on.

http://www.29er.org/index.php/Seiko-Superbowl-Regatta-Miami.html

maybe all the other manufacturers.....

Not a fan of the Tiger being the Olympic cat. Compared to a boat like the Tornado the speed differences of it being sailed in the 'groove' and out are not as drastic. It is also not as physically demanding boat to sail fast which to me takes away from what the Olympics should require.

Not a fan of the idea of it being a supplied boat. Does the stock Tiger still come with no Jib luff control to the tramp and no mast control adjustment to the wire?

Boats being supplied will that also mean that you take the responsibility of equipment failure away from the sailors like in the Alter Cup?

My suggestion:
F18 for men
F16 for women (or F18 with smaller sail set?)

One year before olympics, have trials from each manufacturer to select which boat will be the Olympic boat for ONLY the next olympic. The manufacturer has to supply the boats for the event.

(alternative, something like a OD Tornado for men, F18 for women).

This would provide a great junior -> olympic development plan for all countries (something like H16 -> F16 -> F18 -> OD20?), which is a HUGE part of the politics (you have to give the governing bodies a way of developing juniors.

By eliminating choosing one specific manufacturer 4 years before the event you allow the class to develop boats for three years, all manufacturers, helping the class. Then, by choosing one for the year up to the Olympics you give Olympic sailors the chance to buy that one and train for the year leading up to it.

Just my thoughts, but lets not forget, you NEED to have a junior through olympic training / development system in place. (Lasers, Laser Radials, Laser 4.7s, Bytes, Optimists for example, or 470, 420, or even 49er, 29er, 420...)

My 2 cents