Wow.. I am floored. I recieved a call a few days ago, from a gentleman by the name of Phill Brander. He gives me a ring on his dime, from Australia (I'm in FL-US) to talk to me about how to build a boat, because I expressed interest. I wanted to publicly say thanks for the advice and tips you gave me, as they will come in handy (no doubt about it) in the weeks and months to come. It's great to realize that there are people out there like Phill. Not sure if he realized what he was getting into (offering his continued help if I needed it)

Thanks Phill!

PS: I started construction of my carbon rudder system a few days ago. I saw how you shaped the foam with a template, but I think I have an idea that could be usefull. How about a CNC foam cutter that cuts to .001" accuracy?

All I need now for my boards and rudders is a good foil plot and some dimensions....

He trully is, isn't he !


>>It's great to realize that there are people out there like Phill. Not sure if he realized what he was getting into (offering his continued help if I needed it)


He has done it before, several times even, so you better believe it. The question is more wether the receiving end will start and complete building ! If so, he will see it through to the end.

He is F16's secret wapon.


Wouter

Hi Theo

Being on the other side of the world. I assume you only got the two hour phone call.

There's nothing quite like talking about the building of boats and their designs with Phill.

Regards TJ

You can say that again….Phill is an extremely giving person. I have had numerous e-mail communications with him as well as some very stimulating phone calls dealing with catamaran design and timber construction methods.

He “IS” the secret weapon of the F-16 class (and probably with the new F-14 class too)…While most other classes say …here buy this and come race with us…the F-16 class with the help of Phill can say here buy this, this, or this….or you can build your own, and here is the design and the method.

While I know his heart is firmly in sailing and boat building for the love of it, I wish him much commercial success with the Blade design that he co-developed.

Thank you Phill for all the time and energy you pour into this sport.
Wouter, you showed great foresight when hooking up with extraordinary individual at the dawn of the F-16 class…

Bob

Hi,

I am a very active sailor from the Philippines. But first off, I would like to congratulate the people behind the F16 concept. I think its wonderfull!

Beach Cat sailing in my country has been growing significantly over the past 5 years. Although our boats are predominantly Hobie 16s, I think there is a big market for the F16s here. Moreover, the F16 is, I am sure, a more suitable platform for the most popular offshore catamaran race here called Philippine Hobie Challenge.

Is there a way for me to get a hold of the Blade design? I would love to get in touch with Phil Brander. May I have his contact details please? If possible he can reach me at philsailingatb@yahoo.com

Looking forward to meet the "nice guy" of F16 class

Thanks and best regards to you all.
Edmund

Dear F16 Sailors,

I have sent a reply (quoted below) to a discussion titled "What a nice guy" a while back but thought of starting a new one since my concern is sort of different.

Can anyone help me start an F16 class in my country. I believe there is a great potential for this class here. Got some ideas on how to start it but would like to know if there are like minded guys here that would assist a very excited sailor from Asia like me.

Looking forward to hear from anyone, many thanks.

Cheers
Edmund Umali
philsailingatb@yahoo.com

Welcome to the class !

It is exciting to see a potential for the Formula 16 class in the Philippines.

With respect to the Blade F16 design I must refer you to Phill Brander who can be reached at :

PhillBrander@bigpond.com

He is also the Australian representative.


With regard to starting up a F16 class in the Philippines I can help you.

My name is Wouter Hijink

and I'm the class chairman.

Of course you can start a Formula 16 class and I would love to help you in that.

Please allow me to fully react to your questions by replying to the mail you have send to us on Formula16class@hotmail.com

With kind regards,

Wouter Hijink

Hi Wouter,
Thank you so much for your reply. It is an honor to be in contact with you.

I was fortunate enough to also receive a reply from Phil Brander regarding Blade F16 design.

Going back to forming a class in the Philippines, I would indeed appreciate if you would fully react to my email questions. Please send it to philsailingatb@yahoo.com

It is truly an exciting era in Philippine sailing. Major regattas are being organised almost every month. In-shore racing, offshores, island roundings, and more.

The Philippines has 7000 plus (tropical) islands and sailing season is pratically whole year round.

I think the F16 class is perfect for our waters. This premise will be best described if you look at one of our international events, the Philippine Hobie Challenge.

Looking forward to communicating with you further. Thanks again.

Kindest regards
Edmund Umali

You'll find my reply there

Do you have a link to the "Philippine Hobie Challenge"

Regards,

Wouter

>>Wouter, you showed great foresight when hooking up with extraordinary individual at the dawn of the F-16 class…

Ahh, but it is higly debatable wether They hooked up with me or I hooked up with them.

I must say that the F16 was indeed born out of a group rather than a single individual. I quickly became the one pulling the car with regard to organisation, but at any time I was fully supported and surrounded by extraordinary individuals taking care of the other (very) important area's. For this reason it was very much a group effort.

Thanks for the complement though.

Wouter

Hi Wouter,

Many thanks for the email. It was a good read.

PHC site can be found at: http://www.philhobie.com

Kindest regards
Edmund

Wouter,

One quick question; can a hobie 16 join the F16 class?

This was a question I got from 3 of my H16 friends when I pitched to them the great idea of a new class in Philippines

Cheers
Edmund

Edmund,

>>One quick question; can a hobie 16 join the F16 class?

The Hobie 16 fully conforms to the Formula 16 limit with only one exception. Overall length.

The Hobie 16 has an overall length of 5.06 mtr = 0.06 mtr to long but its waterline length = 4.99

All other items like sail fully measure in.

If we would apply to the F16 limit in the most strict sense than the Hobie 16 would not be allowed in HOWEVER we have the grandfather rules (rules 5.1 and 6.1) that allow the local class head (You ?) to be accomodating.

I'm personally the local head for the Netherlands. In this role I've have decided that to allow boats like the Hobie 16 under the grandfather rule is fully along the spirit of the F16 rules, it is in the interest of the F16 class and the extra overall length does not constitude an unfair advantage in any way.

The spirit of the F16 rules is openess, inclusiveness and focussing on sailing skills rather than wasting time on which design is 1 % faster or not (= neglectable when compared to differences in skill).

Of course we all know that the Hobie 16 has a lower speed potential than the F16's and therefor allowing them in can never be unfair to the other boats (F16's). So why ban them ? In fact the more honour to the H16 crew beating all F16's, right. That crew will have showed great no-nonsense spirit by getting out there and doing it ! Not to mention showing great skills by fully compensating for the disadvantage. This is no wishful thinking by the way. The first 3 Hobie 16's in the round of Texel have beaten 64 F18's to the line out of about 80 F18's, I repeat, on ELAPSED time (not handicapped time). Considering that the F16 has the same speed performance as the F18's it shows that with sufficient skills a H16 crew can shake things up. Again a great showcase for point -1- as stated in my mail.

I know there are some great sailors on Hobie and if they want to enter their platforms and show us how to properly sail a catamaran to the finish first than I, for one, am not going to stop them. I think that when a Hobie 16 crew would win that that would be a great heads up to the F16 sailors. Showing the value of point -1- in my e-mail. Showing them that sailing skills are far more important than boat design.


(for forum readers point -1- and -2- in my e-mail to Edmund were :

-1- Final course results are at minimim 10 times more dependent on sailor skill than on the platform used.

-2- A good deal of sailors install a mental limit to their speed potential by thinking point -1- isn't true


I refer also to the example set by the Mosquito F16's. Both in South Africa and Australia. I think that in South Africa there was talk of having a combined event.

But it seems like that is a decision that the Phillippine F16 class head (you ?) can make by himself after weighing against the spirit and goals of the class. At least that is how the other class heads have done that.


Regards,

Wouter