I think you see the R&D thing from the wrong angle Bill. The Tornado class has been the R&D department for catsailing for everyday use. The C class has become so specialized that it's like comparing NASA to what GM has got going. The C class do fantastic stuff, and Ben might have taken a step towards bringing the technology into everyday use, but I still think the development done in the Tornado class has been more important.

This is not the end of catsailing for sure, but it is changing as we dont have olympic status anymore. A lot of money came trough the olympic status.