There is no argueing with that !

Right on Red gear sailing and DUH.

Wouter

Just to follow up, the F16 Club is a great idea, my "summarized" two cents as a long time opti coach at the national level:
-target the racing kids coming out of Optis. They are the ones that are looking to spend $$$ on a top notch 420 (10k, easily)
-Don't say "sail 420s or us", do like the 29er has, offer the boat as an alternative that compliments 420 sailing (most 29er kids I've worked with only used 420s for a season to get up to speed on double handed boats).
- Price Price Price, match top end 420s, 29ers, or don't bother
- To parent's, debunk the myth that a 420 is easier to maintain then a cat. Trust me, 420s SUCK to cart around to regattas, but on roofs, etc. Steping a mast on a viper is trivial compared to car topping a 420.
- Sell the boat with a trailer, see above two notes
- DEMO the heck out of the boat at opti regattas. If I don't see two club vipers sitting at Orange Bowl this winter you have missed out big time (800+ junior sailors in Optis, 420s, 29ers, Laser 4.7, radials and full rigs). THAT is your demographic.

I look forward to pushing these boats. Learn from Bic and the o'pen bic, big club deals (buy 10 at a ridiculously low price, get dollys, etc etc). They haven't surpassed the Opti, but certainly got a lot of clubs buying in.

First you have to tell them what the Orange Bowl is.

I know it's -the- big midwinter kid's regatta in Miami, but since there are no cats, most of the cat regulars here have never heard of it. Do you have the dates for that regatta yet?

I went to it once, in about 1986, to kid-nap my old 505 crew, who was by then sailing for the Navy Academy. I showed up, found him, and took him to South Beach...

Don't ask.

JC,

Thanks for coming to West River with the Viper Club. The three of us really enjoyed meeting and sailing with you. Looking forward to seeing the pictures you took of my 8 yr old Bella on the wire of the Viper Club while she was driving it. She hasn't stopped talking about it. Every time Bella brings up the moment Adam adds that you were sitting to leeward on Gertie and he was on the windward hull which was about 4 feet above the water. Thanks for the offer Wouter, I figured out how to make the pictures smaller

Send the pics to my mail account and I use photoshop to make them smaller and then post them in this thread.

Send them to wouterhijink(at)hotmail.com

Wouter

Very, very cool JC. But you better be careful, that kind of stuff will have you shopping for a Mrs.

very cool pics!

Orange Bowl: Arguably the biggest Junior sailing event in NA, 800+ kids (last year I think it was 1000) from all over the world, age max (I think) is 18. Fleets, Opti (the best of the world attends, 200+ plus boats), Laser Radial and 4.7, 420s... might be full rig as well, maybe 29ers, I'm on the Opti course so don't know for sure.

Always happens Dec 26th - 30th, every year that I have been alive and probably more ;-)