Here is what was posted on my Scuttlebutt e-mail this morning. After reading all this, you tell me whether ISAF doesn't know what they are doing or whether they were scamming the IOC to buy time. (Read the editorial piece at the end.)

STRONG WIND FINALE
One race; double points; must count; 18-20 knots of breeze -- that was the last-day mantra for some of the 610 sailors from 40 countries competing in US Sailing's Rolex Miami OCR. Adding the emphasis on today's finale was the new Olympic format, which stipulates that only the top-ten sailors from each class can participate in the Medal Race. Their scores count double toward a total point score that is better when lower.


Although sailors did not have the option of allowing the Medal Race as one of their throwouts, three teams nevertheless had won the right to sit out, as mathematically they had already claimed victory. Those teams were France's current world champions in the Star class Xavier Rohart (Martigues) and Pascal Rambeau; USA's reigning Yngling world champions Sally Barkow, Carrie Howe and Deborah Capozzi; and USA's Olympic silver medalists in Tornado class John Lovell and Charlie Ogletree. The latter two teams sailed today, winning their final Medal Races for good measure. - Media Pro Int'l, www.ussailing.org/Olympics/RolexMiamiOCR


49er (32 boats)
1. Piero Sibello/Gianfranco Sibello, ITA, 34
2. Chris Draper/Simon Hiscocks, GBR, 36
3. Rodion Luka/George Leonchuk, UKR, 67
4. Morgan Larson/ Peter Spaulding, USA, 69


470 Men (21 boats)
1. Nic Asher/Elliot Willis, GBR, 42
2. Benjamin Bonnaud/Romain Bonnaud, FRA, 49
3. Gideon Kliger/Udi Gal, ISR, 52
4. Mikee Anderson-Mitterling/David Hughes, 59


470 Women (16 boats)
1. Ingrid Petitjean/Nadege Douroux, FRA, 33
2. Christina Bassadone/Saskia Clark, GBR, 35
3. Amanda Clark/Sarah Mergenthaler, USA, 51


Finn (25 boats)
1. Rafael Trujillo, Santander, ESP, 32
2. Christopher Cook, Toronto, CAN, 36
3. Jonas Hoegh Christensen, DEN, 42


Laser Full (89 boats)
1. Paul Goodison, Rotherham, GBR, 23
2. Felix Pruvot, Brest, FRA, 42
3. Maciej Grabowski, Gdynia, POL, 49


Laser Radial (47 boats)
1. Anna Tunnicliffe, Plantation, Fla., USA, 54
2. Paige Railey, Clearwater, Fla., USA, 67
3. Jennifer Spalding, Vancouver, CAN, 72


Neil Pryde RS:X Men (39 boards)
1. Nick Dempsey, Weymouth, GBR, 11
2. Nicolas Huguet, Marseille, FRA, 38
3. Ivan Pastor, Santander, ESP, 49


Neil Pryde RS:X Women (20 boards)
1. Bryony Shaw, Weymouth, GBR, 23
2. Marina Alabau, Santander, ESP, 25
3. Lucy Horwood, Wales, GBR, 26


Sonar (6 boats)
1. David Schroeder/Keith Burhans/Bill Mauk, USA, 13
2. Rick Doerr/Ezra Culver/Mike Ross, USA, 15
3. Carwile Leroy/Ali Soylu/Carlos Rodriguez, Fla, USA, 26


Star (69 boats)
1. Xavier Rohart/Pascal Rambeau, FRA, 50
2. Andrew Horton/Brad Nichol, USA, 86
3. George Szabo/Eric Monroe, USA, 94


Tornado (25 boats)
1. John Lovell/Charlie Ogletree, USA, 29
2. Olivier Backes/Paul-Ambroise Sevestre, FRA, 49
3. Revil Xavier/Espagnon Christophe, FRA, 57.00


Yngling (14 boats)
1. Sally Barkow/Deborah Capozzi/Carrie Howe, USA, 15
2. Hannah Swett/Melissa Purdy/Liz Filter, USA, 45
3. Sarah Ayton/Sarah Webb/Victoria Rawlinson, GBR, 47



A TOTAL FARCE
(In a story posted on The Daily Sail subscription website, Paul Brotherton gives us his view of the final race series at the Rolex Miami OCR. Here's an excerpt.)


So Olympic Sailing is going to be more interesting for TV in China as we have a fancy new double points, non discardable, last race, series decider, the thought being that this mechanism would keep everyone focused and excited about the sailing until the last day: No confusion about discards as they are all done, no lack of appearance by the winner as they must sail in this last race. The thought is well intentioned but for gods sake please someone grab those who come up with these 'great' ideas and ram some common sense down their throats.


Let's just take a wild leap in imagination and visualize this ISAF Grade 1 event (the Miami OCR) to be the Olympics in China. The points are not made up they are factual and the following scenarios are all possible. Tornado, Star and Yngling Classes: The last placed boat in the live TV spectacular, yes that's right, dead last across the finish line takes the Gold Medal! What a spectacular performance there from the boat cruising home in last place laughing and performing a victory plod round the track. 49er and RS: X men - this would be a similar scenario where the leader and the second placed boat could finish last and second last and still win Gold and Silver, no matter what else happens. 470 women, Laser Radial and Laser: Last place finisher in the medal race gets the Gold or at worse the Silver. That's eight of the eleven Gold medals up for grabs that could just come over as a total farce. - www.thedailysail.com

Don't know much about it, but do you ever get team/country crews covering the competition for one another? It interests me, because a format that encourages this would allow singlehanded (A cat) sailors and the fans to follow a team event. In motorcycle speedway, there is a team amd points system. The weaker rider may well ride to shut out the threat to his team's win. The teams are usually (in the UK) based on area or town. So how about the Louisiana Pirates vs the Florida Bucanneers? It encourages team training/helping out with skills and tricks, transportation etc, especially for those who are not disposed to actually sail on a boat with another person, but are keen on sailing and comeradery none the less.