What next after Cats...

[Michael Brigg]

Posted: 23 Nov 2007 19:37 Post subject:

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The Cat string seems to be losing sight of the it's original purpose, rather like the Olympics.
....how about these as a new class for 2012??
3rd world
Team sport
Inclusive
Exciting to watch
Televisual
Great music
Possibly not cheap but definately makes use of local materials.
Definately inspiring. I could imagine this off Portland! Every bit as impressive as a big cat and quite probably almost unchanged since Nelson raced the French fleet to the Carribean and back

Have a look and enjoy, they're as much fun or more than those Scows*.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1gfyj ... yole_sport

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2nmz8 ... rse_events

This really does look like taking sailing back to its roots. Boy would I like to have a ride in one of these.

Michael Brigg

* PS for a picture of the "Yachting World Scow" there's one at the end of the CVRDA Christmas Quiz,2004 in the "What is this" section. Here it is.

http://www.cvrda.org/quiz/quiz_2004.htm
_________________
Michael Brigg

[Rupert]

Sadly that event and those boats seem to be the exact opposite of what the Olympics is about. The Yoles look popular and fun...Only the 49er looks to be in the same spirit.

[Garry R]

The launch party video looks as if this was the technique that Chris was trying to follow at Clywedog!!

[jpa_wfsc]

Did you see the note at page 4 of the Hornet newsletter (posted elsewhere)...

Is the story about TV schedules affecting preventing) recalls at an Euro Olympic regatta true?? Hope not!!

[davidh]

J,

Yes and no.

As Dave C - and I have referred to in other strings, what is at issue here is the relationship between the IOC and ISAF. If you look at the 'televisual impact' that sailing has, it comes out bottom of all the sports. Yes, shooting and synchronised swimming all rated higher. In other words, the networks are not interested in paying for the % of the television 'day' that is given over to sailing. Now in the UK, Australia, France even - you would expect this NOT to be the case but in the bigger picture that is the Olympics this is 'sad but true'.

So - the IOC have an issue with sailing not being attractive to the TV executives and ISAF have an issue as the revenue from the TV at the Olympics is just about what keeps the administrators 'afloat' with the organisation in it's current form.

So sailing - at least Olympic sailing -'HAS' to change! What is no longer supportable is the events of just a few years back when the winner of the Gold Medal was getting ratted in a shoreside bar, having won with a day to spare. They have a point....why feature a race when the outcome is already know. So now we have medal races.

And as for recalls and TV schedules...look at it another way. THe race starts, the TV cameras following the leader all round, then find he's not the leader as he was OCS. Great TV guys.........

So - for those rarified moments every 4 years, sailing has to change. Some of the changes are good, some not so.

And don't even think of questioning the 'choice' of classes: Can anyone really say that watching Stars sailing is more exciting to a TV audience than, say.... Tornados.

So - "ca plus ca change" as they sometimes say, what it does do for me though is be thankful there is the cvrda!

D

[Alan P.]

From my own personal view point on "What next after Cats" Well....um.... death I suppose.

[Michael Brigg]

Oh dear, here is someone in need of help!

This means either you have no stomach for that other zietgiest of the 70's musical genre (understandable, though some of my best friends and even my children like Lloyd Weber) or, more probably you feel that Catamarans have a sense of the ultimate experience about them. "See Venice and die," perhaps.

Like some Mayfly your quest is to mate but once with the class of your desire, then fade away as the absence of mouthparts condemns you to a slow starvation.

I fear your only redemtion if that is the case might be thrill seeking on that other as yet undiscussed solitary discipline.....

KITESURFING!!!

[jpa_wfsc]

ISAF has ignored the pleas from oodles of sailors around the world.

http://www.rya.org.uk/NewsAndEvents/new ... year08.htm