I would like to reply to my friend and "past" North Sails Loft Manger,
Bruce Hedrick's comments on the J35 National Championship Regatta, just
completed in Seattle.
I agree that the sailing and the sun were very good. Even with the loss of
Friday's racing, Werner's excellent work on Saturday and Sunday resulted in
an outstanding Regatta ( total of eight races).
If the J35 Fleet did indeed tighten it's rules regarding crew and helmspersons, it certainly did not have a noticeable effect, unless it was that other J35 owners did not participate because they realized that the rules and their enforcement had not gone far enough.
The Championship was won by a chartered boat crewed and helmed by people who have chartered and participated in the fleet "only" since May and, who have no intention of participating or contributing in the J35 Fleet any further after winning the National trophy.
As far a Cat 1, Cat 2, Cat 3, etc. goes, the National Committee really
can't handle that any better than the Fleet did in the past, can they? The
winning boat had one cat 2 or 3 sailor, the Manager of the North Sails
Seattle loft. They also had a "past" manager of the North Sails Seattle
loft; how long has it been, Bruce? If John Spurrier participated, I wonder
why his name doesn't appear on the required Crew List. There were many
"non" professionals crewing, even some that built sails as a member of a
team participating in the last America's Cup. There was a member of another
team that faired bottoms for America's cup competitors. There were people
that are preparing to compete in the next Olympics, who also sold sails
previously. We had a past representative of J boats Sailing World
participating as a Cat 1. We also had guys that install mechanical
equipment, working in boatyards, or sanding bottoms defined as Cat 2.
The basic ability of an individual to race boats will never be measured,
nor will it be weakened by 2 years "out of the business". I say again: the
National Committee really can't handle this problem any better than the J35
Fleet, but it may be better to let the National Committee do it than the
J35 fleet officers.
Measurement Nazi's!! There are people in the world that believe that
because they don't believe in the law of the land, or the fleet, that they
just won't comply. It was evident in the boats that were inspected that at
least 50% never read the J35 rule book. They depended on the measurers to
get their boat in compliance. There were others that knew the rules, or had
them pointed out to them, and refused to comply, which led to the Race
Officers compromising the existing rules. It is interesting that the two
boats that finished one and two, had wood removed from their boat
interiors, contrary to the intent of the rules. The problem with removing
weight from the stern interior area is that the moments of inertia may be
significantly changed. In light air where "wake" waves exist, moments of
inertia are important.
The life line requirement was written into the race instructions, along with the required test for adequacy. There were so many obvious discrepancies, that the "measurement nazis" felt it was necessary to get all the boats the same, isn't that the object of a one design Fleet?
And now the bottom line, my opinion as to the limited level of
participation was: "insufficient" Fleet restrictions on crew professionals
and helmspeople and the really ridiculous cost of preparing a 35 foot boat
to race eight races over a three day period. My records show that since my
crew decided to go for this Regatta, we spent about $40,000 to make the
boat equal to what we needed to be competitive. It is interesting that at
least nine J35 owners in Seattle decided to put their boats up for sale,
rather than compete.
Those of us who sail and race do it for pleasure. The boats are no longer a
competitive means of transport. Today, fewer OWNERS in the J35 world think
that $20,000 per day for 2 days of racing really provides that much
pleasure. If we want this to continue, we better do something ,
collectively!!
Wayne Berge Received on Thu Jul 9 17:03:31 1998