Thom



Hopefully there will be a formal announcement within the next 30-45 days.



As to who, what, when and where.



But, all parties know that there is a multiple year commitment required and are prepared to support the series for a reasonable amount of time.



Comparitivly speaking sailing is not nascar but, the financial commitment to one is significantly less than the other. That's one thing about sailing its green, user friendly, and inexpensive when compared to other racing sports.



As for a site, it should be up sometime around the announcement.



Steve

Do you really think a semi pro cct is feasable?



The sport is more fun to do than to watch and we don't have all that many people doing it.



Unlikely to get enough watching to justify sponsorship dollars.



You could argue you'd have a better chance of a semi pro cct on 14ft boats. Lower overheads making it more accessable bringing more participants and resulting in better return for the sponsors dollar.

Would that work? No I don't think so .We just don't have enough people interested in the sport.



I don't think there is a chance that beacause a boat is 22 ft long it would make the concept more likely to succeed.

After all the introduction of 49ers displaced the 18ft skiffs on TV (here) and the 49er is only 16ft. The close short course racing on the more agile 49er just made a better spectator sport.

Despite popular belief, bigger does not mean better.



Having said all that, I'd love to see the sport with a higher profile. Nothing would please me more than someone to prove me wrong.

Phil,



General thought was that the larger the boat the more talent could be pulled from sailing in general so that the series would be more like the IROC of sailing.



How would you like to see the big names in our sport (sailing)compete in a format that was fast, wired for video, and affordable for "gold" fleet non-pro's.



Steve

Its been my experience that if it looks like fun people will want to try it. The problem with catsailing is the scenes of boats capsized turn people off. I have heard this since the 1960s. "I don't want to turn over!" or "I don't want to get wet!"



As far as big names in sailing most people wouldn't know who they are if they sat next to them. Unless a way is found to make demonstrate how much fun catsailing is the sport will stay relatively the same I'm afraid. I've tried for 40 years to get people to try catsailing with about .3% liking it.



The major difference between catsailing and Nascar is the circle track that people can be next to. AT Texas Motor Speedway you can feel the cars go by the stands and the sounds are unbelieveably addictive. If I were 16 years old and had a coice of sailing or going to a Nascar race theres no question which I would do. One looks exciting and one looks like work to most people.



Another question is who these sponsors might be and who is their market. How can you keep them contributing??? Again if they don't see a profit they will pull the plug pronto. For example look at pro cycling...how many sponsors stick with that sport and its worldwide and the cost of most bikes is under $7500.



I wish I had an answer

thom

Thom,



Preliminary sponsors include an international bank, a national computer networking company, and a major software firm.



All of which are looking for new innovative ways to place their name in the marketplace in major markets.



The rest will be disclosed hopefully before the end of the month.



Steve

Majsteve,

I think the agility of the boat is more important than hull length when it comes to creating something exciting to watch.

Really close tackticle racing on a course that is not too big makes the best viewing.



A 22ft boat with a 12ft beam will tack slower than a shorter boat with an 8ft beam. So I think the wider beam will slow the action down and work against your objective of showcasing the sport.



Close racing is also much more important than who is racing

If you can get something like this off the ground the paticipants will develop a following not because of their past achievements but because of their performance in the series.

Having them racing is unlikely to be a draw card because Mr Joe average doesn't know them yet.



If you need to draw the big names to present a better case to your sponsors I think the way your project is promoted will be the key to drawing in the big names.

If you have people to support your initiative you are over the really big hurdle and I wish you the best of luck.

Regards,

Phill

I think it should be a boat that is severely overpowered and agile, as spectators want WIPE OUTS, close racing, and boats running into and over each other. People basically want carnage where the last boat standing wins. That is the only way Americans will sit down to watch our boring sport. Just PLEASE NO GARY JOBSON!

JC

Phil,



I tend to agree with you that more agile boats will be more excting to watch. I have owned two SuperCat (ARC)22s and loved them both, however they were not very good bouy racing boats. When my brother Tracy (a better sailor than I) sailed our SC22 and I sailed my old I-20 in bouy races the outcome was always the same. The more agile boat, the I-20, would win boat for boat! On the open water in a distance race, the SC22 would show its stuff and sail away from me on my I-20.



The idea of a circuit with $$$ purses is to enhance the specator's experience, therefore making sponsors more interested. More interested sponsors allow even more $$$ for the purses. The lighter, more agile 18 and 20 footers would be a lot more fun to watch, IMHO.



A test event for a planned purse circuit ($5k min purses) will take place in Va Beach on July 20 and 21in conjunction with the Chick's Beach Summer Sizzler. The GOLD Fleet boats (boats racing for the cash) will be limited to F-18HTs. The F-18HT class assigns spinnaker colors/schemes to the membership, just as they assign sail numbers. This is unique to catamaran racing classes and will make following individual participants much easier for the spectators. The agility of the F-18HTs is excellent and I feel unsurpassed in double-handed cats (IMHO) This dinghy-like agility will make the boats more fun to watch than slower tacking/manuvering SC 22s.



Other factors favoring F-18HTs over 22s for semi-pro circuit racing include, speed in set up and take-down (important at some downtown venues), managability for wider range of crews, and cost of the boats (you can almost buy 3 Jav 2/F-18Hts for the cost of 1 ARC 22 Carbon).



I am obviously biased toward the F-18HTs and the Javelin 2s, however my second choice would be Inter 20s, based on their availability, cost, set up time, and agility. During my days of racing I-20s, there was some talk to having a semi-pro circuit, but nothing ever materialized. Now, the bull has been grasped by the horns!

W.F,

I suppose, as the F18HT has the narrower beam and no jib, it should be quite agile and could make good viewing.



Whenever we run a regatta we invite the local TV station to come down and do some filming.They always give us time on the news each night. of the regatta.



The Local Radio stations also help spread the word and give updates each day and broadcast an interview when it's all over.



Also our publicity officer usually gets articles published in several Sailing magazines.

We do the best we can with what we have to work with.

I'd imagine a $5000 prize, even if it were only AUs dollars, in itself would get us more attention and air time.

I'd be interested to here how your test event goes.

Good Luck.

W.F.



How deep are you planning to go on the purse. Is that 5K for the entire event paid over X finishes or is that 5K for the winner??



Semi-pro racing is an interesting thing for this sport (sailing in general). The detirming factor for any event is the size of the course and the number of boats racing in each fleet with the proximity of the boats to the spectators. IE how close can you get to the guys on the boats. The best event will have to bring the action to the spectators not the boats to the beach.



One of the things the the F22 series has worked on for better than a year is how to make that happen.



As for action, the F22 should be relative to the designs being brought to the event. The SC22 is a good design but I believe that the newer designs will be faster, more agile, and exciting. Just as the evolution has happened in the 18 foot range. THe target goat is to place approximately 40 boats on the starting line with an occasional increase to 50 boats.



Yes that is ambitous but with the right boats and the right financial incentives the sponsors and staff believe that it is achievable. Series racing would not fully begin until probably 2004 so that the boats could be built and teams fully organized. The series is designed to be multi year (3 year minimum) with approximately 10 events held a year spaced about 3 weeks apart.



Builders interested in design criteria are encouraged to respond. Builders are required to carry product liability insurance on boats sold and raced with a minimum of $1m coverage.



Additionally, teams will be required to register the vin number in order to be assigned a hull/sail number and register their team name/colors(which will be tighly controlled and replication limited to multi boat teams) . All team names must be trademarked and are the sole-property of the team. However, rights to usage will be transferred to the F22 series on an annual basis.



Sailors must be ISAF registered and in good standing.



This is some of the basic information.



Steve

Steve -

While waitng for my crew to not show up again [happens too often] on Saturday I spoke to a few people about this concept. All seemed to like the idea but several wondered about the advertising dollars that would be directed to the sailors themselves. ie what percentage would actually go into the sailors pocket and what went to the "Formula 22 Org."?

We spoke of crew size and how many. They thought 2 was fine but also that 3 crew members would be interesting as well. All had sailed on 24s. I know ARC22s have a max weight of 450lbs. This could accomodate a man and 2 women or a man and two sons, or a woman and two men, etc. Is the crew size carved into stone?

We spoke about viewing it from shore or on TV and helmet cams and jetski coverage came up. Thats how they cover the Tour de France and other cycling events but using motorcycles instead of jet skis.

thom

Thom,

Thanks for asking people for their input. The crew minimum is pretty firm at the low end of 360lbs. This is one of the reasons for the three crew option. As you know from the SC22 the boats aren't so weight sensitive and that there can be a good reason to carry extra weight on certain days.



As to viewing, one of the sponsors is working on technology for another project that F22 series will use. Each boat will be equipt with two small cameras and transmitter. The whole package weighs in at 3.7 pounds is IP coded. The spectators will be able to watch the race from monitors on shore or via a live web broadcast. Since each boat is ip coded the viewers can select the view on each boat and around the course. Currently, we are looking at ways to video the course from above and hopefully will be able to bring something together with proper testing before the first event.



Costs of putting on a large professional quality event are sizeable but the payouts to racers will be adequate to compensate a team's expenses for running the series.



Tentatively, the series will be limited to a number of boats and a minimum payout will be guaranteed across the fleet. Since this is a semi pro series racing teams would be encouraged to seek sponsorship to allow them to operate for the entire series.



More to come with the offical announcement.



Steve

Steve,



Please keep all of us informed on the progress of your tech sponsor's progress, as this IP videography has far reaching implications in both this and other series', and watersports in general!

Jay

Another way of demonstrating catsailing would be a video shot from a boat going along with the action. I was in the 2001 corsair Nationals and there was a video made that really demonstrates the racing. Of course the farriers/corsairs are relatively tame compared to a 22 but a 22 can be stable with 3 crew members. Just found out my "perfectcrew" rode her bike into the side of a house...No more sailing for her this year. Getting and keeping a crew for these boats could be a problem. I trained with a guy that made a committment to race with me on my Tornado. After almost a year it was time to go race and his wife said "No". That was it for that season. A crew of three might enable more people to participate. Shared expenses, smaller people would be able to handle the boat together, and and righting one of theSC/ARC22 is not problem with the shroud extenders and the mast base that locks on but if they don't have thiese features I don't know if 2 people will have that easy a time getting one back up.



I think you can get the video off the FCA site.



thom

Thom,



I'm sorry I forgot that the safety boats woul dhave remote IP cameras on them also. I was thinking more along the line of view from the boat when I wrote the last post.



The safety boats I feel would not be the best video platforms due to their primary job. I do know that the safety boats will be the jet-rib (no props to worry about getting tangled). The racing spec sheet calls for 1 line boat, 2 pin boats and three safety boats. Depending on the number of boats racing their will probably be more safety boats. The insurance companies are firm on no repeats of the recent loss in Europe.



I/we would appreciate any more feed back regarding how the events could be structured for better viewing/partcipation



Steve

How many traps? If you go 3 then everything has to be beefed up I would think if you go over the specified max boat crew weight. . Max weight on the 22 is 450lbs so two 225lb crew or their equivalent would equal the max. Theres room for two easily but three maybe a little crowded..



thom

Thom,



This is an issue for the boats designer. Remember that the series is a formula series and boats that fall with in the formula are eligible to race (upon review of the PRO and committee). The original question is "Should the sc22 be allowed to compete". Also, remember that there are a couple of new boats in the design phase to compete in the formula series.



Personally, most boats are over engineered to a point that 425lbs on the wire is still 425lbs on the wire whether it is split two or three ways. There are some dynamic differences but they are minor.



One of the designs that I have seen is similar to the Marstrom 20 in layout and looks like it would be an interesting boat to sail.



Thanks

Steve

Steve,

In response to the first question: Every class doesn't have to be and should not be a development class. When the objective is to determine the 'best sailor', then the class should be strict one design. The only variable should be the cut or draft of the sails to accomodate the normal variation in sailor's weight. The sails should be of identical plan form and area and cloth type/weight but there should be flatter cut sails for lightweight teams and medium cut sails for average weight teams and full cut sails for the big guys. In other classes it has been shown this leads to tighter competition and that is why it is allowed in all Olympic classes except one.

When the objective of a class is to develope a faster boat, then anything goes within the rules for the class, within the box.

I would think that the objective of a pro sail circuit would be to betermine the 'best sailor' for sure without any influence of boat to boat variations; just like the Olympics.

Bill

Comments on Thom's input: The weight and the non use of carbon in place of aluminum on the ARC 22 was a business decission, not a technical decision. The builder could take approximately 75 pounds out of the boat with carbon parts, like the mast and beams and tillers and cross bar, spin pole, etc and Aramid Fiber rigging. This would raise the cost/price of the boat another $10,000.00 to $15,000.00. Now there is Cuben Fiber sail cloth for another $15.000.00 and a 10 pound weight savings. Where do you draw the line? This is not a decision that requires advanced technology. All of these carbon parts can be purchased from outside suppliers. Do you want to sell 5 boats per year at $20K with a PN of 58 or do you want to sell one boat with a PN of 56 for $50K

Aquarius decided to get the most bang for the buck , the biggest weight reduction for the dollar, and put the carbon in the hulls, CBs and rudders and have a $20K base boat price.

The Aquarius ARC22 hulls are among the best made and lightest weight hulls in the world. Take the metal off and you have a 90 pound hull 22ft long that can take the loads of a 12ft beam double trap. Scale that down to 20ft long and it weighs 67 pounds. Scale it on down to 18ft and a hull would weigh 49 pounds. Now that's technology. Some of the old carbon 22 hulls are over 10 years old and still going strong. The 22 hull is a wave piercing hull shape designed for sailing in the ocean. The high crown deck will split a wave just as easy as the keel and keep on ripping. The eliptical curved hull cross sectional shape is inherently stronger and stiffer than a slab sided hull with a flat deck like.... you know.

Good Sailing,

Bill

Relative to Steve's second question: If the decision to race the F22HT is to race it on a windward leeward race course, then the boats would all go jibless. An ARC22 would add a few feet to the height of the mast and add about half the jib area into the mainsail area according to class rules.

What about a spinnaker slurper?? This is a kit that can be added to any 22. I am the inventor of the spinnaker slurper. I invented it in 1965 while sailing a Flying Dutchman. I have a US Patent on the system, on the idea, on the concept. I made kits for FDs and other monohulls and sold them all over the world, back in the 60s, even behind the Iron Curtain. I think I know how to make one.

Good Sailing,

Bill