Keith,
You have some good points, however, I suspect Rousseau died before the
revolver and the subsequent game of Russian Roulette became popular. A couple
of
your "mights" have evolved into "highly probables" with actual experience and
consequences (perhaps four or five of the six chambers with bullets in
them).
I'm the very first person to avoid excess government, however, I'll always
trade a little government now for a lot of government later. This proposed
rule change was made for the combined purpose of keeping the boat from
becoming
too difficult to sail (except for elite sailors) and to ensure that we
protect the spirit of striving toward continued improvement. It "might" be
better
to avoiding punishing those who spend their time and money doing the R&D by
outlawing their inventions.
The problem with the word "might" is that it is devoid of any measure of
probability. On the other hand, I have little doubt that the majority of the
class will come to dislike these very long blades because they are indeed
proving to be faster in light and medium air and I can tell you with
certainty,
they will be significantly harder to deal with single-handed. If we don't act
now, we will be faced with the choice of pissing off those who've invested the
time and money to do the research or those who simply can't deal with them
(likely most who sail from beaches). Given the choice, I'd prefer to piss
off neither by acting now.
The box rule is good in most cases, however, it may stifle innovation more
than a maximum length rule.
In any event, I live in an area where Swift Solo fleet racing will become a
reality soon and where R&D is a way of life. I would like to ask the class to
vote on the issue and to live with the outcome of the vote.
Best regards,
Bram
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