Uninvented classes

What's wrong with a Graduate.  Smashing little boats, pleasant to sail, point nice and high, favourable handicap.  It's okay banging up and down in an RS400 but don't forget those of us who sail on smaller waters or rivers where a smaller, slower boat is ideal and a larger, faster boat just does not perform well.  The more I sail the more I believe that some of the newer classes are completely outperformed by more traditional designs.  So to the above list I would also add the Blaze, Topaz and the RS Vareo - the Velcro especially is totally hopeless waste of Polyester Resin.

The Vareo is a wierd thing - the rig looks horrible - they seem to have no kicker tension. At the 300/600/vareo inlands there were a lot of soggy looking leeches. However they do seem to go like stink offwind and had a lot of juniors getting involved.

Topaz can go in the bin, Blaze is now half decent but I can't see the point in it. If you want a heavyweight singlehander, go for a phantom or an RS300. Personally I went for the 300 on the grounds that its cheaper, lasts longer and is MUCH faster.

Graduates are okay but you may as well just stick people in an Enterprise instead - a tad more demanding but easy enough to sail and it's a cracking class to sail in.

However, rather than a class cull, I think what is needed is a more considered approach to open circuits; fewer meetings but bigger meetings. The RS association combined the 300's and 600's inlands with the Vareo's. Consequently there were 80 odd boats at an event instead of three events with 20, 20 and 40. Thus it's more profitable for the club, the social side is better and it looks like a healthier sport.

Then what about all the clubs close to each other , struggling to survive and often sailing on really nasty pieces of water. (e.g. Glossop and Pennine - within 7 miles of each other in the middle of nowhere) It would be of benefit to both clubs to consolidate their efforts.

I feel I have to defend the Graduate and I can't agree that you might as well sail an Enterprise - they are different. Both have a charm which gives pleasure.  Another boat I feel is underated is the Mirror - it has many qualities, which I haven't got space to amplify here.

My current boat is a Laser 4000 - different again!

Oh Dear !!

Got to defend the Blaze (and others) from the 'knockers' .... so when did YOU try one rather than just give a possibly biased opinion ...  I've sailed most of the singlehanders around today including Phantoms, 300's .... and even ones with a funny coloured sail upfront and a bit of string to hang off etc -  most are good boats that give good sailing/racing and are enjoyed by their owners.  But don't just knock what you might just see as an occasional rival to your favorite ''pop-out'' and maybe have not even raced yourself.  It does not expand the racing community one bit and with probably less than 5000 regular racers in all classes in the UK we should stop throwing stones at each other and be a little more proactive in attracting more into racing in the first place.  By all means promote your favorite, as I will mine, but knocking others does not necessarily strengthen your own class.

The 'symetrical multi-class' initiative started in the last year for a number of the symetrical 2-hander classes is surely an eaxmple of how to grow participation.  We have more in common than not .... So how about a Phantom / Blaze / 300 / OK / Finn / Solo  etc  version in 2005, say in September or October ?  (hiking singlehanders)  It would help us all.  Anyone interested ?