YouthSailing, the RYA and Catamarans

This thread is starting to take on a very self destructive air. I don't think it is productive to slam cat sailors or windsurfers. Have an opinion about cat sailing and windsurfing, by all means, but personal sleights .......are irrelevant.

I absolutely agree. We should refrain from such behavior.

I think the RYA have made the wrong decision. But if they have made it following a period of proper consultation and debate then I will have to be content that a body that has a far broader view of sailing than me has voted appropriately. What bothers me is that when the RYA say they have followed "normal procedure", that procedure does not appear to involve consultation at individual, club or class level.

Also agree. The longer this debate runs on the more obvious it is that the RYA has developed these positions for both ISAF submissions internally and has not consulted clubs or classes. The RYA regards this as being perfectly normal.

The Youth Development question is more difficult. There is no doubt in my mind that the H16 is no-longer the right boat to bring develop children to a standard where they can step onto a Tornado once old enough. Cat builders haven't concentrated on the youth market in the same way that Ovington and LDC have targeted with the 29er and Feva. Perhaps that tells its own tale.

There is also some truth in this, but I think that you will find that some time ago (once again without consultation) the RYA decided to run down and possibly terminate the youth training programme in catamarans for strategic reasons. This position is, I believe,  as documented (belatedly) on p28 of this forum by "Sad Old Parent" and this entry is widely believed to be a construct of their current position by the RYA. This is very concerning to the CAT movement as it shows a hardening of position by the RYA on the youth training side. The negativity of the RYA on this issue (scaling down the catamaran youth training over the last few years) has caused a negative feedback to the prospective youths (and their parents) who would have signed up for such training had the environment been more positive. Thus the position becomes a self fullfilling prophecy and fewer youths are signed up in the future (before ISAF submission 129-07 was tabled)

This thread is starting to take on a very self destructive air. I don't think it is productive to slam cat sailors or windsurfers. Have an opinion about cat sailing and windsurfing, by all means, but personal sleights implying that cat sailors are aloof are irrelevant even if correct (which I don't think they are).

Whatever "normal procedure" the RYA followed in reaching its ISAF recommendations (an if it has been followed then perhaps its the procedure that needs review) I doubt that the decision was based on the helpfulness/sociability/uptheirownarses character of catamaran sailors. (For what it's worth, I'd like to echo Jack Sparrow's point in that I switched to cat sailing because of the friendliness of cat sailors).

The decision reached seems to be based on the financial cost of campaigning catamarans vs monohulls. I don't dispute that catamarans are expensive. Part of my decision to sail a Hurricane59 is that it is far cheaper that a Tornado or F18 of similar standard to run. But no aspect of any sailing is exactly cheap and, at the top level, campaigning costs for parents are high even for Toppers (I don't know why I was surprised but I saw last week a Topper being roofracked with a hull-cover).

I can't fathom the windsurfing decision either. I'm a perfectly competent short-boarder and years ago would travel the length of the country with my board on my car, sailing whenever conditions were right for a good blast. In all my years I have never met a longboard "air-rower". That aspect of the competition doesn't seem to represent the heart of the sport (windsurfing) at all.

ISAF faces a difficult decision (as does the RYA) as 11 into 10 simply won't go. We all have our preferences as to how the medals should be divvied-up and I personally would have liked some of the categories altered to give M+F crews rather that all men/all women.

I think the RYA have made the wrong decision. But if they have made it following a period of proper consultation and debate then I will have to be content that a body that has a far broader view of sailing than me has voted appropriately. What bothers me is that when the RYA say they have followed "normal procedure", that procedure does not appear to involve consultation at individual, club or class level.

The Youth Development question is more difficult. There is no doubt in my mind that the H16 is no-longer the right boat to bring develop children to a standard where they can step onto a Tornado once old enough. Cat builders haven't concentrated on the youth market in the same way that Ovington and LDC have targeted with the 29er and Feva. Perhaps that tells its own tale.