Is this years Alter Cup boat the Blade? How well would the Blade handle 420#s - 430#s of crew weight?

What will next years boat be? When is it decided?

The Blade is this year's boat (the actual Championship will be held in early 2007). I cannot answer for how it handles the weight - I'll leave that to the F16 / Blade class to answer.

The process for a boat to become the next US SAILING Multihull Championship for the Alter Cup is a bid process where a manufacturer and a host sailing club put together a bid and submit it to the US SAILING Multihull Council to be voted on. There are bids in the works at the moment for next year but nothing has yet to be formally proposed and/or voted on.

Thanks Jake!

Can the date of the event change? It is a little cold up here in March.

See this post in the F16 Forum:


F16 Ideal Crew Weight Post

Jake,

Any chance narrowing the date down more than "the actual Championship will be held in early 2007". Trying to make plans for next year and early next year is not much more than 3 months away.
Thanks

Ken,

I understand and appologize for the delay. I can now tell you that it will very likely be nearest the end of April. We really hope to have a final date hammered in place by the end of this week.

Jake

Where and when are the area A&B qualiifers?

420 - 430 lbws = 190 - 195 kg

That is just too much. You won't be competitive with that combined weight.

Try to stay within 130 - 160 kg. Preferably withing 135-145 kg.

And learn to trim well. These are low drag boats not power boats. The crew with the best trim skills will be very favored.

Wouter

Yes. Date is flexible.

Will it be possible to compete one-up, or is the event locked down to two-up? I am obviously not qualified, but I am curious..
If one up is allowed, what is the competitive weightrange? (I guess this is more of an general F-16 question)

That there is a great question. Qualify as a team, then boot the crew:)

Or, would/could both get a slot, as in two boats? Probably not.

per Jake/John: Qualifiers for the Championship will sail the Blade 2-up. I paraphrased, of course.

yup - 2up only.

70 kg - 95 kg is competitive range with 75-85 being optimal I think. But the spinnaker handling requires so much skill that the onus of competitiveness is really very much shifted to skill rather then skipper weight. Getting that kite up and drawing or getting is down and carving a tight turn through the gate are just difficult things to execute perfectly. If you don't then you easily throw away 10's of meters or seconds. Going wide through the gate is especially hurtful.

Wouter

For the qualifier or for the Cup? It was my understanding 1-up was ok for the qualifier!

In the past 1-up sailors could qualify themselfs for the event. Kirt Simmons even did that on his Taipan 4.9 back in 2001 I believe.

Wouter

I know of several Uni sailors who have qualified solo, but had to get crew to race the Alter, which brings up the question, why can't a Uni boat be used once in a while for the Alter Cup? Is it in the "charter" of the Alter Cup that it always be sailed on a -two up- boat? I would love to see it done on 10 new Nacra 17's, or A2's or the Blade Uni. No excuses that way. Maybe every 5th year they could go solo?

Great idea, Tim - let me know as soon as you get those ten boats lined up. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Sorry - I thought he was talking about this Alter Cup itself. For qualifiers it has to be a beach cat with a non-bracketed Portsmouth handicap number. The qualifiers will be scored in one handicap fleet.

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