Hey come on a bit fellas! we all seem to be argueing over "personal points of view! most people know that you can't change someones opinion by simply arguing about it. Whether spinnakers do or don't become the standard on cats, whether or not "A" class go spinnaker, whether or not an F14 revitalises 14' cat sailing are all "achedemic points of view" at this point in time! time is the only factor that will show which road is travelled.
When you put catamaran and for that matter ALL sailing into context, you realise that for sailing to expand as a sport it depends more than anything on the current socio economic conditions!
sailing has never been a "main stream" sport, (compared to "football, baseball, rugby, basketball", etc etc, it is virtually "non existant" and as such it is very much influenced by the amount of disposable income that the "common man" has available after meeting his esentual living expenses.
It will never be "main stream" no matter how much we (sailors) would like it to be. In the past, the slightest downturn in a local economy has proved disaterous to the number of people sailing, much more so than any other part of society that I can think of, (sailing is like a barometer to the condition of an economy) it's only when "times are good" that sailing "takes off" and every time that that has happened over the last 50 years its directions have changed,
In the early 50's, when marine ply first became available there was a boom in "home built" ply dingy's (which established most of the yacht clubs in Australia). In the late 60's when fibreglass was incorporated there was a boom in catamarans. In the late 70's there was a boom in sail boards, and in the late 90's this current mini boom in spinnakers on cats started. What is the common point about all these "booms"?? Well in between each of them there was a minor (or major) downturn in the economy, and when the "boom" movements all started and reached their peaks they were tied inextricably with the improving and booming economy's! At the start of every boom the "established classes all voiced the opinions that the "new kids on the block" were just a passing fad and wouldn't last!!! How wrong each and every one of those opinions were! The same could be said of spinnakers, but who is game enough to state that and stand by their opinion? I heard many cat sailors say before sail boards were accepted into the Olympics that they (sailboards) would very soon die as a stupid fad - wrong again - throughout the 70's dingy sailors were adamant that cats aren't "real boats" and will curl up in a corner and die, wrong! Fibreglass for boats is too heavy, too slow, and too expensive, remember that?
Forget the arguments fellas, there are just too few cats sailors around to be arguing over such unimportant things, lets agree to disagree and get on with putting on a united front and "promote ALL catamarn sailing". It doesn't matter what you sail and "which is best" that doesn't last. The best doday is second tomorrow anyway. The good points are that we all love "CATAMARANS" in their many different and varied forms, shapes and performances, lets all remember that and the rest will follow its natural progression.
