YouthSailing, the RYA and Catamarans

The funny thing is that the RYA has been held up by some leading authorities (not ISAF figures) and many many average punters in Australia and North America as the world's best national authority. Surely it's not a coincidence that you have the best dinghy scene in the world and the greatest Olympic success? Does any country come close to the UK in the number of small boats that race?

It's perfectly understandable that people think the dropping of the cats is wrong - so do I. However, surely it is one of those things that is reasonable, even if it is wrong. You can make a good case.

Cats make up only a fairly small proportion of boats sailing (please let's try to use something like reasonable figures to discuss this point ie the Y & Y Nationals Attendance Table). Arguably, democracy and fairness say that the RYA should try to get a medal for the larger number of kids sailing skiff types, rather than the smaller number of kids sailing cats.

4) Cat sailors have not developed large significant feeder classes. You could argue that's the fault of cat sailors - just as it was the fault of windsurfer sailors that they didn't do much for kids until fairly recently.

Surely the big lesson is NOT to blame the RYA for (arguably) trying to allocate numbers of medals so that the larger  number of skiff type sailors get a chance to get one, but that cat sailing internationally should be working hard on creating junior and youth classes, or contributing to the ones that exist.

When the youth topic has come up in our classes and regattas, and on the Cat Sailor forum thread about the RYA, the most common reaction seems to be "let's go out and show the kids from 420s and 29ers and Lasers how fast cats are, that'll get them in".

Attitudes like that are surely guaranteed to annoy the dinghy sailors - and it IS mainly dinghy sailors I think - who (in some areas) have spent countless unpaid hours teaching kids, building training fleets, running Opti and Cadet etc associations and don't really want to have their kids "pinched" by people who have not got stuck in to help.

If we had big fleets of mini cats for Opt-Mirror-4.7 age kids, the cat's place in the Youth Worlds would be completely safe - and sailing as a whole would be a lot better. It would also be a lot more productive than complaining about a reasonable decision by what is often considered to be the world's best NA.

Just to repeat - I DON'T think cats should get dumped. It's just that there are more positive things to do than to abuse the RYA.


 




Edited by Chris 249

Originally posted by Chris 249 4) Cat sailors have not developed large significant feeder classes. You could argue that's the fault of cat sailors - just as it was the fault of windsurfer sailors that they didn't do much for kids until fairly recently.

How can it be the fault of cat sailors? The dinghy sailors have not developed the feeder classes its been the RYA or the large manufacturers (laser,RS,topper) and well done on them. The issue is for the small number of feeder cat classes the format has worked then to have the 18 year olds making it through the system to the F18 squad to have it closed over night is shocking and a waste of money!

Originally posted by Chris 249 When the youth topic has come up in our classes and regattas, and on the Cat Sailor forum thread about the RYA, the most common reaction seems to be "let's go out and show the kids from 420s and 29ers and Lasers how fast cats are, that'll get them in".Attitudes like that are surely guaranteed to annoy the dinghy sailors - and it IS mainly dinghy sailors

I Can see where your coming from but the issue is that kids dont get the chance to try all the different types of boats and this is why alot of my dinghy friends disslike cats because they are un-educated by the sailing system in the UK

Originally posted by Chris 249 Attitudes like that are surely guaranteed to annoy the dinghy sailors - and it IS mainly dinghy sailors I think - who (in some areas) have spent countless unpaid hours teaching kids, building training fleets, running Opti and Cadet etc associations and don't really want to have their kids "pinched" by people who have not got stuck in to help.

Ok from my point of view I would like to think that a good majority of cat sailors are instructors but due to the rya sailing system teach in dinghys( I am one of those) If you look at holland sailing schools use baby cats as a stable platform to learn on! I am not trying to say we should teach kids on cats but I think the "pinching" claim is false!

 

 

QUOTE from the petition "As chaiman of the International Dart Association I strongly support this petition. Catamaran sailing is a fom of sailing so at least one catamaranclass should stay an Olympic class and to educate yungsters we need a catamaran class as youth class. There are lots of real catamran sailors and they may not be forgotten by ISAF or RYA! Nicolette van Gorp Chairman International Dart Association"

This is truely going Global and I can see why If the RYA and the Americans were to get their way the tornado would go and so many people all over the world would lose out!

Originally posted by ..Chris 249 Cats make up only a fairly small proportion of boats sailing (please let's try to use something like reasonable figures to discuss this point ie the Y & Y Nationals Attendance Table). Arguably, democracy and fairness say that the RYA should try to get a medal for the larger number of kids sailing skiff types, rather than the smaller number of kids sailing cats.

How do the numbers of cats internationally compare to skiffs (or skiff types)

Originally posted by Chris 249 When the youth topic has come up in our classes and regattas, and on the Cat Sailor forum thread about the RYA, the most common reaction seems to be "let's go out and show the kids from 420s and 29ers and Lasers how fast cats are, that'll get them in".

Heard much the same come from Skiff classes also.  Think you will find that kids don’t start off in Skiffs.

Wooo 1000 people at 11.09 on the 28.9.07!!!!

I have picked out some videos to remind some people what this debate is all about....

Tom Phipps and Jon Cook out training,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqRZie5NoaE

Chris Rashley and Marcus Lynch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOh8aY82_J0

The Swedish Olympic team pre Athens 2004 (one of the best sailing videos) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NldeTAH2160 

Edited by hurricane