YouthSailing, the RYA and Catamarans

Oh damn, that rotten point - sorry, you are right the number is about 4.5%.

I'm hugely impressed by the way the top cat sailors can pull enormous amounts of speed while seeming to do almost nothing different. It's something I envy a lot - and it exasperates me!

However, maybe sticking yourself away in just one area of the sport is the reason cat sailors (allegedly) lose out in the politics? As you say, windsurfers do the same thing, and as someone who has spent more time on a board than anything else, I can see how it harms us. It's frustrating in some ways, but I can understand it in other ways. And it's hard to see how sailors from cats and boards couldn't learn a lot from the massive numbers of dinghy sailors.

Maybe being a life-long cat sailor isn't the best way to medal. Here's what I can find about the background of the last few medallists;

1996 Gold- Loday/Henard – no previous career info available.
Silver – Booth (cat sailor)/Landenberger (Div 2 windsurfers, Moth world champ).
Bronze- Grael (1984 Snipe dinghy world champ) /Pellicano (no info available)

2000 – Gold Hegara/Steinacher (no bio available)
    Silver – Forbes/Bundock (cat sailors)
    Bronze – Gabler (1983 Youth World champ, Laser)/Schwall (no bio available0

2004 – Gold (Hargara/Steinacher)
    Silver – Lovell (no bio)/ Ogeltree (uni dinghys, 470s, S/20 yachts)
Bronze – Lange (Laser 4th '96 Games? Youth Worlds Silver medallist Europe 1982) / Espinola (Mistral Windsurfer silver, 2000)   

Of those 16 Tornado medallists,  6 were dinghy or board champs, 6 I can't find info on, and 3 (probably more, of course, are cat specialists). Obviously you do have some chance if you're not a life-long cat sailor.

I too, am disappointed with Mr Carr's reply, knidly reproduced by Scooby_Simon (on page five). I detect a whiff of treachery from the RYA. Cat sailors have been let down, and consultation with the multihull community has been non-existant. Instead, the RYA has forgotten how to represent our people, and has chosen to follow an agenda of its own.

Take for example, Carr's remarks about funding from the National Lottery. It is usually very difficult to obtain lottery funding. And when it is given, there are many conditions attached. Among these, are a requirement the sexes are treated equally.

Put more succinctly, the lottery people have got their fingers up Mr Carr's wotsit, thereby opening and closing his mouth for him. Unfortunately, he can't see that he's a puppet.

This is the danger of National Lottery funding. Mr Carr has been stitched into a straightjacket, and all he can do is to eulogise on the 29ers, and the medal hopes of the little darlings that sail them. He has compromised his position for the very reason that he cannot serve two masters. (Matt 6, v 24).

There is no call for Mr Carr to mess on his own door step. (He says he has been a cat sailor for 30 years). He should therefore begin to represent our sailors for once. As he rightly puts it, it may be a hard decision for him. 

Soggy Doggie.

I think Mr Carrs mention of Olympic lottery funding is in response to my and others comments regarding Cat sailors funding of the RYA , I was makingthe point that all racing cat sailors part fund the RYA through affiliation and personal membership , Lottery funding of Olympic teams etc is irrelevant , we as cat sailors should expect some positive representation through our funded corporate body not the exclusion of our sport from youth and olympic competition !!! funded by who ever.  I severely doubt the lottery have any views on competitg fleets and leave this to the RYA,

ps many of us l fund the lottery too !

 

Rodd Carrs response is most unnerving .

I don't think the Olympics should try to be represenative of our sport ... I think it is the pinnacle of sailing and can't possible represent all activities that may occour under the banner of sailing ...

If it was representative then female participation would not be 35% for example ...