Has it all gone too far?

Originally posted by RS400atC What boat that matters can sail in ANY weather?

12ft skiffs!

Originally posted by turnturtle serious question... do we think the sailors would choose different classes if they could? ... my gut instinct says that free from political consideration, the entire line up at the Olympics would be scrapped if were down to the sailors' own choices based on boat on boat sailing credentials alone (well except the Tornado perhaps... ironic hey) Second question, didn't the NP: RSX get selected by the sailors as the equipment choice? Has this been a successful selection? Rumours abound that it isn't... tricky dichotomy this argument then falls in to isn't it....

Whether the sailors are the best to choose the gear from is arguable, from some points.  They may not have the best grip of things like economy (many of them don't have to find the cash for their gear), appeal to smaller nations and new sailing areas, durability, etc  - and maybe the very fact that they'll be the ones using the stuff every day would tip them too far towards something that they find fun to sail, which could ignore things like cost, impact on the wider sailing community, etc.  They are dedicated and highly skilled fanatics, normally young and uncluttered with the baggage of life, and their viewpoint can be so different that they may not really have a great grip of the sport as a whole.    

Some point to the RS-X as an example of the problems.  The RS-X allegedly topped the poll among the sailors at the trials for the new Olympic board.  However, the RS-X at the trials weighed something like 25% lighter than the one we got, because the prototypes were all built so lightly that they fell apart during the trials (according to press reports and sailor's feedback).

It was a very poorly run trials, if the publicly available information is true, because putting lightweight prototypes up against production equipment that has proven itself to be durable enough for Olympians was never going to give a true indication of appeal.

IT seems that many of the sailors heartily dislike the board now, and the feedback and experience seems to be that it's slower than the old IMCO most of the time.  As one veteran said, those who made the choice assumed that they'd be sailing in 20 knots most of the time, but that rarely happens. So overall, it's hard to see the RS-X showing that sailors should choose. 

BTW, the Tornado is such a fantastic boat that as you say it could well have been chosen, but isn't the fact that was less popular (at Olympic and amateur) levels than most of the other Olympic classes just underline that Olympians wouldn't necessarily select the classes that were best for the sport? And of course, the prevalence of sponsorship among top cat sailors may also indicate how hard it would be to get them to make an unbiased choice.

The 49er also strongly topped the sailor's polls at the Olympic trials.  It's a great boat and was overwhelmingly the favourite of the "non-sailing" selectors (the leader of them bought one at the age of 67 or so and sailed it for years).  But you could say that the 9er is inherently going to suffer from a "skiff type" *  concept hull without "skiff type" multiple rigs.  "The 12, 16 and 18 Foot Skiffs  change down rigs when it gets really gnarly.


* I shouldn't use the "skiff type" reference in some ways, because these days many people seem to use it as a term for hard-chine flat-bottomed needle-nosed hulls designed with planing performance, and Skiff hulls are much more diverse in shape than that

PS - while on the RSX, as a side note and given that some people say slower-tacking boats are more tactical, it was interesting to see UK and Aussie Olympians raising the point that the RS-X is MORE tactical than the IMCO "because it tacks faster". 


Edited by Chris 249

Originally posted by G.R.F. What is needed is a side to the debate to convince me with a valid argument as to why my opinion is wrong. Like a crew who can actually handle the boat in any weather. That would impress me It's what creates debates on forums.

What boat that matters can sail in ANY weather?

That would limit things to serious leadmines like BT challenge boats. Is that what you want?

All boats have a weather/seastate envelope that it's not really good racing outside. Maybe the 49er isn't the perfect boat for the Olympics, but for me (as an onlooker) it does the job fairly well.

I have more reservations about the format and management of the racing than the boats or crews.

 

Oh TT, thats sooooo cute. Sticking up for your "partner" like that, nice ceremony was it?

[QUOTE=G.R.F.]Nobody listens to B14 sailors...

or you