I confess, I asked our friends in La Baule, France to host a regatta for kids using the SL16. They agreed to host and I plan to offer a US team the opportunity to go and compete. Details aren't worked out yet but you can bet they will be soon.

The whole thing started at the Catagolfa Regatta last year. Our winning team of Mike Siau and Sam Ingham were offered a trip to France to sail in this fun event using a new SL16. You might recall they won the US SAILING Youth Championship at Panama City, Florida in 2005. For those of you who have been to Club Nautique de La Baule you know what a wonderful setting it is for Multihull sailing. Anyway, Our gracious hosts agreed to some kind of event so kids could start getting the experience of sailing SL16's in preparation of acceptance by ISAF of the new class and equipment for future world youth events.

Bye the way, Mike and Sam came in 4th in class at Catagolfa. Not bad for a team that couldn't read the French sailing instructions and had to navigate around many Island rather then a traditional course. Not ones to sit around they boarded a plane for South Africa to the Hobie Worlds. So these kids had a full summer.

The new name of the game is opportunity for kids. Our US kids should take heed. US SAILING will have a championship this summer (details yet to come). Get in shape, get ready, get charged, it'll be a different world tomorrow.

The Singapore boat was sold to someone in Indonesia for those that care.

Best regards,
AJS