Hi Steve - <br> It is great to see the commitment towards forming this 20 class, my apologies if I have offended any, Steve -Barry or any, the written word often reads more harshly than is ever intended, I’ve been very interested in helping form a 20 class for 3 years, It was very disturbing to learn 2 years ago the difference between the Inter sail plan, this after I purchased one to race the Worrell 1000, -This class has become the most popular spin 20, --If it was the same we would be set to go on F-20. <br> <br>-For the record in responding I’m 6’4 and 225 lbs - <br>but concerned that the class be FAIR to all, and that we find solutions to include all existing cats raced and allow innovation and look to the future of the sport rather than our own individual experiences and racing preferences only . <br> <br>-Not many of us finish ahead of Randy or Bob ,or several others I can think of that you may equate as a professional, their commitment and time given to the sport and skill level is such . These guys can hop on any cat in any race and finish ahead of most regardless of boat differences or weight. <br> <br>-If several believe in the total boat and crew weight rule, then define the top end boat weight and bottom along with total target, as applied to existing and new future boats. - <br> - <br>-We should together run through the process of how it effects each, and the long-term effects on the class and how it will evolve with this rule. <br> <br>-Some problems listed <br> 1- no manufacturer will build a lightweight cat with only a buying market of 360 plus weight crews. -may want to ask several their opinion, without their support this rule will not work .If we get commitments from any for this then lets enact it , along with working out these other potential problems - <br> <br> 2-Existing 420 LB boats with 2 big guys that want to race -their combined weight of 800 lb., --How do they race competitively against new lightweight boats with the same size crew. - <br> <br>-#-3-fair sailing for all. - <br> Do understand the ability to depower sails, You can crank down the Inter main until its flat as a board and twists off at the top without releasing the mainsheet. - <br> <br>-Posted the designers comment previously to indicate that the 20s with their huge sailplans are overpowered. <br> I race the 20 single-handed occasionally; it is nice in light air but am flying a hull with my 225 lb. at 6 to 8 mph winds. <br> <br>-The proposed Weight to sail area ratio scale rule would increase sail area on all boats, making them even more overpowered. -Up to a total of 610 sq. ft plus on some. <br>-Historically we can look at some classes that have huge proportional sailplans and see the long-term effects. <br> The Olympic Finn and former Soling classes for example. To race a Finn you needed to be around 200 lb., -The Soling crews are usually 3 guys around 250 lb. each, this is required to sail these boats with huge sailplans in top competition. <br> <br>-We can set a min 330 for the class , if your 350 to 360 it is not going to be a measurable difference ,or even 400 , it will not be the proportional effect that occurs on smaller underpowered craft. <br>- <br>-Received this e , thought Id post it for those that hav, nt seen it to provide some historical context – <br> <br>-Mark Foy <br>The birth of 18ft Skiff Racing as we know it today occurred on Sydney <br>Harbour on 26 January 1892. The father was Mark Foy. <br>Foy was a local businessman who loved sailing and believed Sydney <br>Harbour to be the world's best aquatic playground, and was <br>disappointed that, unlike many other sports, sailing attracted <br>practically no public interest. <br>He was quick to realise that the sailors themselves were responsible <br>for this lack of interest as they made no attempt to cater for the <br>public. <br>* They raced over a 12-mile course and were out of sight for up to <br>two hours. <br>* A complicated handicap system caused a further delay while the <br>winner was being determined later in the clubhouse. <br>* There was no attempt to entertain spectators while the boats were <br>out of sight. <br>Determined to change this situation, he discussed the matter with a <br>few close friends and came up with a series of initiatives which he <br>believed would popularise sailing as an exciting spectator sport. <br>His plan was split into three simple steps: <br>1. Racing must be exciting and faster. <br>2. Boats had to be more colourful and more easily identified than by <br>a number on the Sails. <br>3. Race winner should be decided on a first-past-the-post basis. <br>The major problem with Foy's plan was producing a faster racer, but <br>he solved this with the first of the 18-footers, which was an open, <br>centreboard boat with a very light hull, an 8-foot (2.4m) beam and <br>only 30 inches (76cm) amidships. It carried a crew of 14 (compared to <br>the previous boats with 25 crew) and had a huge spread of sail which <br>gave it a sensational aquaplaning speed downwind. <br>Foy's original idea of having striped sails to identify each boat had <br>to be abandoned due to the excessive cost of manufacturing varying <br>designs for registration. <br>His alternative was for each boat to have a colourful emblem on its <br>mainsail - a tradition which continues to this day, although the <br>colourful emblem is now almost exclusively the logo of a corporate <br>sponsor. <br>When Foy tried to enter his boats with the Anniversary Regatta <br>Committee of 1892, they were rejected as the committee believed <br>that "such badges were not in keeping with the dignity of the oldest <br>regatta in the southern hemisphere". <br>Foy was furious and announced "we'll run our own regatta on <br>Anniversary Day. I'll pay for it and we'll give the public what it <br>wants". <br>High-pressure publicity given to Foy's plans paid big dividends. On <br>regatta day, Clark Island (Sydney Harbour) was packed to capacity, <br>while moored ferries and jetties provided additional accomodation - <br>as did every vantage point along the foreshores of Sydney Harbour. <br>The crowd was without precedent in Australian yacht racing although <br>most of these spectators knew little about the sport. The vast <br>majority were there to thrill to the excitement that Foy had promised. <br>A triangular three miles course was plotted and a "staggered" start <br>introduced (where the best boats started after the slower boats) to <br>bunch the fleet for a spectacular, downwind run to the finish at <br>Clark Island. <br>At the start there had been less than three minutes between all boats <br>in the fleet. At the finish there were a dozen boats racing for the <br>line in a bow-to-bow finish. <br>The public got its moneys worth and the coloured badges of the 18- <br>footers were an instant success. <br>Foy had demonstrated that 18-footer racing was the most exciting <br>sport ever seen on Sydney Harbour - a status that has never been <br>seriously challenged. <br><br><br>
