Important announcement from the Tornados

Originally posted by Stuart O My main point is that apart from the sails the boats at the olympics are pretty much one desing as it is.

If that is true whats the point?

Doug the point I was trying to make is that the argument about equipment is almost removed by making one design sails. Sure Roger wins in RS200 but its good to know that if you sail against him in a 200 you have the same equipment....the merlin yes you can have the same equipment or are you? Theres no argument oh such and such spent x amount on sail development or equipment development and thats why they won.

Rick...If in doubt look at the boats at the Olympics.

15 Boats competing, 14 martsrom 1 Eeles.
Masts 15 martsrom masts
chutes I believe it was either 12 or 13 Eeles chutes (If Im right I think I only saw 2 soft chutes, USA and NED)

No Rick it isnt....I was arguing that it isnt that big a step to SMOD than people think. I was pointing out apart from sails, and that is the expensive part, equipment is very similar at the top level. Which is what I was thinking you meant by 'If that is true what is the point?' you quoted me and I specifically excluded sails from my argument as the quote you used shows.

An Olympic campaign is expensive whichever class you sail, especially the non SMOD classes. I totally accept that, especially this year, an arms race is what we had and a lot of sabre rattling too...which IMHO did NOT do the class any good. Also ended up an arms race in the Finns, stars etc too, But as their future is assured by ISAF they dont have to argue about costs. The perception of the Tornado has always been that it is an expensive boat, see other threads for arguments, and the class has taken steps with this proposal to hopefully reduce the costs of a campaign and return to the olympic fold, where I and many others beleive it should be. The class has listened to arguments put forward by authorities and has reacted to these arguments and put forward a proposal.

For the Record I have argued before for majority of these changes, mainly the sails argument, and am fully behind these proposals.



Edited by Stuart O

Some thing gave the tornado's some good publicity and the olympics this year, that was Mitch turning up with upwind kite, it made it intresting, it got people talking, that wouldn't happen in the 49er or laser, thats why no one was talking about them!!

Having quite a few things non one design on the T probably keeps costs down, sail makers try and keep costs low so they can be competitive and other items.

Sailing isn't just about going out there and sailing, the best sailor is the one who knows his boat, has set it up himself, understands it, is comfortable with, understands his sails.

In the hobie dragoon i changed loads of bits on the boat so it worked better nand i felt comfortable with and it meant i could push it that little bit harder and get that extra knot of speed out of it, thats one of the reasons i think i won all the events i did in it. I knew my boat and others didn't.

f**k Isaf quite simply. There a bunch of old farts that once sailed a star back with Fred Flinstone.

We want to things that intrest your everyday sailor, NOT ISAF!!! If those every day sailors complain enough (like they have) we got get some where! Not by sucking up to a bunch of idiots that think they can tell us what to do.

If those every day sailors tell isaf where to stick it, other people, like people in the IOC start seeing that the guys at ISAF need to get with the times and stop listening to Baithoven and start listening Green Day. Get me!

We want to be noticed! Get in trouble! Cause problems!!

not sit there and suck up with out anyone notocing and beining pushed around by a bunch of HALF BOAT SAILORS!!!

I'M A CAT SAILOR AND PROUD!! AND TO HELL AM I GONNA BE PUSHED AROUND BY A BUNCH OF OLD HALF BOAT SAILORS!!!!!!

CAT SAILORS TOO FAST FOR THE OLYMPICS!!!

WE NEED MORE ANARCHY!!!!!