This is the only thing I have some reservations about. Racing is great fun if you're winning. Adults I think are more inclined to regard being beaten as motivation to continue working on their skills. Kids, I think, are a little more sensitive to feeling they're not as good as others and I fear may be more inclined to give up if they feel they're not near the front of the fleet.

I think we need to think a little more about the best way to emphasize how kids can have fun sailing even if they're not winning. Although we recognize the success of many junior mono classes in attracting young sailors, the experience in some places at least is that even though this may develop great abilities amongst the most successful, it doesn't necessarily lead to a high proportion of kids sticking with sailing long term. As much as we should try to emulate the successes of mono classes, we should be careful not to also repeat their mistakes.