Hardest nationals to win?

Originally posted by fizzicist According to last years, that would make it the Cherub Class.

But then those guys have never won the Cherub Champs either... Also I rarely note the Laser champ winning the Endeavour...

If you've read Bethwaite's book he has an interesting story about top Laser Sailors doing badly in a Tasar champs because they lacked the appropriate skills.

Because skills don't transfer well between the more demanding classes then you can draw webs of A beats B in class 1, B beats C in class 2, therefore A would win in class 2 which would be complete nonsense.

For instance the current B14 World Champion was a top end but not winning Cherub sailor, and the current Cherub Champion did as well in Moths as Olympic class sailor Adam May does. I suspect that does not mean that Andy Paterson, talented sailor as he undoubtedly is, could step in a B14 and win their worlds or into a Tornado and compete for a UK team place at Weymouth.

I don't think Andy would push Ben Ainslie too hard for a Finn medal, but if you were to detach Ben from his world class support and present him with the pile of carbon, foam and plywood Andy starts with, I wouldn't expect Mr Ainslie to beat Paterson at a Moth or Cherub champs.

As I've said elsewhere differnt classes require different campaign skills, and its easy to make comparisons that aren't really very valid...

The Laser Champs is I imagine the most difficult champs to win amongst single soft sail SMOD dinghies...

Originally posted by turnturtle Originally posted by Guest#260 PS- As to what is the easiest I don't think we want to go there as we'll upset folk ...   we could just look at the back end of the endeavour results....

Oh no ...

Maybe only Nationals winners should be allowed to comment on the easiest class to win in? After all, the rest of us haven't managed even that?

Mind you, as race officer for the Comet Zero Nationals, I'd say the winner of that couldn't have found it any easier - he was the only one! But, you have to be in it to win it!

oppie.theres just so many of them.

On the flip side, which is the easiest Nationals to win? I don't think Wineglasses are particularly demanding having sailed against a few of them many years ago.