Mary there are trimarans that although they have foils on the lower ends of their vertical supporting foils, they are not hydrofoils! they achieve their bouancy with very high aspect ratio vertical foils (like three long daggerboards )which collectively have enough bouancy to fully support the "hull" (in this instance refered to more as "fuselarge") well clear of the water and the, neutral lift, horizontal foils under water are used the same as aerolons and elevators on an aeroplane. Although it may sound a little strange when one hasn't seen the plans for one (or one actually sailing)I can assure you that this form of sailing is getting up there with the sort of drag coefficients that we see in an ice yacht (almost but obviously not quite) and although by any ones definition, when you have seen one you would have to say, if asked what "type" of sailing craft was
it? you would answer Trimaran (and not hydrofoil because a foiler relies on forward motion to generate lift where as this achieves its lift with its bouancy the same as any catamaran, trimaran or mono hull). If one of these at 14' in length was put up against any catamaran of any size there would be absolutely no competition the "trimaran" would more than double the cats speed on all points of sail and more on some. Would that be fair competition? I think that instead of fostering more diversity and more sailor involvement, it would just stop any and all desire to try to compete against some thing that you knew was "light years" ahead of what you had and it was always going to be that way. Oh by the way just who is it that you say is the founder and director of the Formula 14 class? I have heard this "idea" of a formula style class for 14's 16's "A" class (18's) B2 class (18'sloop), B class (20'), C class being talked about, discussed at length resulting in association constitutions, regulations, and class rules being written and in some instances incorporated, ever since the late 1950's I have a copy of the constitution, the class rules, and the regulations that were written in 1979 specifically for a 14' cat formula where any and all makes of 14' cats could race for first over the line as long as they fell within the "box Rule" It is an idea that, as far as I am aware "belongs to no one person" It has floated around and at times in the past has come closer to fruition then than this one has (as yet). I have always been an advocate of this form of rating specifically sized craft, so that it gets rid of the "one class" idea which has always been slightly diversive for sailing and instead bring in this idea which portents more towards amalgamation of the "Class's"
