Mmm, we have 49er at our club. 5 of them. They race all year. There are a bunch of other skiffs like Musto skiffs and RS600. We are also the home port for australians 18 in the UK, 4 of them in the parking lot... We do sail with those guys.

I don't see those boats "disconnected from the sport", on the contrary: I see them as what the sport is all about.

On the other hand there is no 470 here. Zero, nada. For me a 470 is a relic of another age, a good fun boat, but not representative of the sport. No Finn either.

My ideal olympic cat would be a one design double trap 18 footer with a wing and a gennaker. But a Tornado will do.