YouthSailing, the RYA and Catamarans

I sail at a club with a lot of cats ... the dinghy parents organise loads of stuff for the Mirrors & Fevas ... but I don't see the same thing happening in the cats. In fact some of the cat sailors help with the dinghy stuff ...

Fair enough that the RYA backs the Mirror & Feva classes but I am sure if the parents showed willing the RYA would follow up ...

Perhaps a bit chicken & egg ?

I think you will find from previous posts that at LOT of cat sailors support the youth activities in their clubs, but without a development programme from the youth squad upwards in cats, you will not see cats in the youth classes (I was banned from sailing my Dart 18 at a scholls nationals - no reason was ever given). 

Currently, the RYA sailing roadmap to the Olympics only has a Catamaran at the TOP of the map (i.e. Olympics).

You could maybe argue the Hobie Twixy (or something like that) but I'm not sure that it would offer anything that Oppy's/Toppers etc don't and in terms of established class and training would offer substantially less.  Also bear in mind that the number of potential youth cat sailors is such that it would be a brave decision to go down that route.  For me the jump on point should probably be when the time comes to move on from toppers et al - when Dragoons/H16/SL16 become more a realistic proposition.  I also think that it is important to have an option that is both challenging and fun to sail. 

For my sins I sailed (well swam around it a lot) a 29er earlier this year and I had a ball.  Admittedly it was in a F4/5 but I've never sailed monos before and come in at 6'3 and 90kgs and downwind it was an absolute blast ( I would also say it was easier downwind once it was going than my f18 as it kept it's nose up.)  This is is the challenge that the SL16etc face in order to attract the youngsters to sail Cats, they are already used to sailing monos and when they hop in something like a 29er they will have a ball.