Hardest nationals to win?

I'd vote for Lasers, but with the proviso that with Lasers, becoming competitive involves largely doing a hell of a lot of work in a class where most things (not everything!) are a known quantity.

In a way that's the fascination of the thing....the almost mechanical/scientific way you can approach such a well-explored class, safe in the knowledge that hard work will pay off to a large extent and because the boats basically aren't hard to sail they don't take "X" years just to learn.

I think Turnturtle's right; some other classes are harder not in terms of expertise or general skill required, but in terms of time they take to learn how to get around the course. The handling skills particular to some classes seem to take longer to achieve than the skills required in a Laser, which can often be transferred from other classes. Other classes need tweaking skills that only experience in that class may give, perhaps.

Therefore other classes would be easier to win, but winning would take longer (as far as I can see).

One class I'm in is good (3 ex-Olympians, skiff worlds 1st and 2nd, Tornado Euros 1st or 2nd, 3 Youth Worlds medals, the 2000 Olympic trials runner-up etc etc etc raced at last year's states) although no one trains very hard these days - but one guy who has been on the podium at Youth Worlds and skiff worlds finishes right back.  It's not that he's not a bloody good sailor or that the level of competition is THAT high, it's just that some classes  take longer to learn than others because boathandling (or boardhandling in this case) is so hard.

PS; it was interesting to talk to a bunch of the top 14ers, like the ex world and current world champs; both of them mention the fact that it is now a less "professional" worlds than the 49ers etc and that the pros are at a higher level in many ways; as they damn well should be as it's their job.




Edited by CT249

In a phantom he could do it with out having to buy a hum vee to tow the boat to the event!

Edited by phantom871

Surely it depends on who you are.  Ben Ainslie seems to find it easy enough to take first place in a Finn.

Laser and Finn

Basically because you're up against Scheidt and Ainslie. Thus as a mortal, you have no chance at all. In addition to all you've said about the Lasers (which I agree with) in the Finn class you have an arms race for equipment to contend with as well. I suspect the International Moth class could be one of the tougher ones to win too.

Coypus clearly!

Not many of them around, but they are development class, so you can spend as much as you want (without altering the hull itself)

I havn't seen one foiling yet, but we hope to have one ready for it in a few years :)