It was the people and the attendance - the event put two groups of sailors together that I normally don't get to spend time with at a single event - and they were from all over. It was also the nature of formula racing - there were plenty of both of the US boats present of various ages, but it was still a matter of who got across the finish line first.
Hi John,
Notice.. the factors that mattered most to you were social factors. It was not about how nice the boat sailed... (I am not saying the F18's sail poorly)
My point is that for many sailors (myself included), How nice the boat sails... IS the paramount factor because we are not JUST racing it... So,light weight, one or two up versatility and how well the boat communicates to you trump the strong class aspects. (IMO the Tornado is the best sailing two man boat that I know of).
Wouter noted the number of lightweight and faster boats that are being made and sailed.... I would turn around the negative view (they have not made a succesful class) and note... Hey... there are lots of people who want high performance machines that speak to them.
The single handed sailors are a good case in point where the A class boats offer light weight, high performance and a boat that people just go nuts over and are now building the social class to go along with the boat.
Apparantly, F18 sailors were concerned about weight enough to consider a weight reduction program along the lines that Bob H suggested. One day they may revist the issue again. I argue that such a boat would offer the best of both worlds (performance and social) to sailors
