I have been taking Dave Lister's advice and not been blogging much which turns out has made me no faster at all. So I will blog anyway because as Chris notes this game is all about ego and I have a huge one that needs to be feed.
There is a great podcast out where Bruce and Luka chat away about various moth stuff and it is really a great show with lots of good advice and ideas but the love ends there. Just like Dave, here are two more bloodly Ozys that do not understand my world or World(s). So when we talk about one equipment rules do we really understand the monster that these guys are potentially creating.
Do not get me wrong I would love to write a rule that would be clear, no work to implement, have full support from everyone, mean that the undisputed best sailor won, reduced costs dramatically and make me the winner. But I can not quite put it into words. Lets talk about the reallity that this rule needs to adress.
A Moth sailor goes to an event to help support the local fleet and make up numbers but has huge problems with cramp that mean he just wants to go home. It is hot and they want to change the size of thier water bottle for a larger one so that they are not so dehydrated. Is this OK?
A Moth sailor turns up with 5 sets of foils and is only allowed to use one set. On the evening of the penultimate day the forcast is set to change and they are joint level on points with another competitor so they want to swap foils for a last day advantage. However due to the one equipment rule this is not allowed. So they go for a training sail and come back with a broken set of foils and rig. It seams a bit strange but under the rule they can now legitimately change them if the official agrees. The official is a ISAF guy that sees foils broken (with a stange tire tracks that matches the thread on the coaches van)). Under the rule it is clearly broken and so they are allowed to swap, the the official uses their descression to take into account the rumers that these foils were delibratly broken on the other side of the lake and says no. Is this OK?
So far Bruce and Luka think they have it covered. But the following is the kind of world I live in:
A Moth sailor goes out on the water with 4 wands (3 in the tramp pocket) and does some 2 boat testing. Changes wands and does really well at the event with all 4 wands on the boat (but using only one) and gets his Moth Mojo back and shows how good an out of fasion design really is.
A Moth sailor orders a set of foils at one event but gets them 2 weeks before the next (1 year later). They fit them and drive 900km to the event. It turns out that the system is total crap and that big changes need to be made. Are they allowed?
A hobby Moth sailor goes to an event and is having all sort of problems with the main foil. Someone lends them a spare foil with a flap hinge that works better and they start to have fun. Is this OK?
A enthusiastic Moth sailor trys all year to build a local fleet so that they can test their speed and it does not work out. So they go to an event totally unprepared and want to change stuff as they realises the game has moved on and they should get with it if they are to take the lessons back home. Is this OK?
The cunning Moth sailor breaks off the paddel on the end of their wand during a capsize so that the boat behaves totally differently and is more controlable. Is this OK?
I top Moth sailor goes to an event and wants to put in a good performance but can not becuase they spend 4 hours before racing and after sorting out the policeing the one equipment rule. Should they resign from the IMCA Committee and not help out?
A Moth builder has the crazy idea to build boats half the width of all the others. He finishes his boat shortly before the event but has not learnt to sail it. At the event it shows great speed and changes the future of development and the boats forever. Should this guy experiment?
A guy develops hydrofoils but is only fast in certain conditions so swaps between low rider and hydrofoils mode. This swapping allowed them to use the foils on 1 day and show the potential of this development. Should they be forced to stick the tried and tested low riding foils?
A good Moth sailor has development a Moth sail with a sailmaker that is keen to get into the class. The sail is good but the guy has not tested it in all conditions. Should they be allowed to take it out and use it in a couple of races to get it seen?
A Moth sailor has 5 sails that look identical. Each night they take their sail home "to dry it" and swap it for the design that fits best to the forcast for the day ahead. Should event organisers spent volenteer time policing this so it can not hapen?
A Moth sailor develops a Moth based on a windsurfer. The thing is radical and mad as hell. Should they be encourged to bring it to an event so others can see it even if it is not fully developed?
The wand is not moving freely so the pivot mechnisum is exchanged which changes the performace of the boat dramatically. Is this an legitimate equipment change?
A top contender for the title breaks his rigging leaving the beach for the start of the race. His support team help him swap for spare rigging and he makes the start. Is this an unauthorised gear change?
etc.......
As I see it higher levels of effort, money, time, experiance, skill, commitment and luck lead to better results. The winner is the guy that got the best combination for the rule. Changing the rule is not the issue.
I have done 1 race in Austria last year against another Moth. So should I not bother to go to an event organised by the IMCA because I am clearly not prepaired? Should I be "punished with bad results" because my efforts to organise a local fleet have not yet blossumed? Should I be "punished with bad results" because delivery dates of training partner boats have not been taken seriously? Should I be "punished with bad results" becuase when my training partner organised a training event for 20 people we only had 4 boats and ZERO wind? Should I be pubnished with bad results because I can not go to a worlds due to the cost? Should the reining World champion be given a chance to defend his title at a time when he is not becomeing a father? Should we not allow people in the fleet to study navel architecture for 3 years so they have an unfair understanding of the Maths? Should we control time on the water so no one has the unfair advantage of practice? Should we control access to the internet so that people can not waste their training time reading this shit? Should we control the wind so that is always blows from the same direction?
So Bruce and Luka what about Geelong and Bruce's trying to get up to speed? You say in your postcast "not talking about you", but you are because we all sail under the same rules. If some ritch dickhead thinks they can beat me with 3 hulls, 30 sails and 500 foils, 5 coaches, and a full time training program then OK. I will take my one ride and take them on. The winner will be because they were the fastest in an 11ft monohull with less than 8sqm sail. If I loose it will be because yada yada yada... (see Chris's post)...
When someone can write a rule to deal with all the above issues then I will be their biggest supporter. I will not be at the next AGM (which is not fair either) so we will see what happens. In the mean time at least the internet Mothing is back on track, becaue it is Fucking cold here so real sailing is dangerous especially without a wingman. Surely I should get a climate compensation of serveral points. What about 10 points per day below 5 degrees per weekend that I do not have other commitments that prevent me from training?
Back to the Love,
One hull is easy to police and reduces costs dramatically. Foils I am not sure about. Wands, settings, toestrap tension and water bottle contents... is a can of worms that is impossible to police.
I am worried about hard sails. It is possible for someone to produces hundreds of hard sails and be very sucessful. That will make transport costs unbearable for a lot of the fleet. Shall we ban developlent? Then we are as interesting as the LaserCast intro to your show. I personally would love to see a Hard sail turn up at an event but not sure i want to have to deal with owning one.
Good work guys this is going to get fun...
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12 comments:
Doug,
The alternative scenario which you do not list is that the top 10 - 15 competitors all have a personal coach with a rubber ducky equipped with 4 sets of foils (and maybe rigs) all optimised for different conditions, and they all rush into the start area with 8 minutes to go and swap foils on their selected boats.
The result I see is that everyone else gets pissed off and does not bother coming next time.
But I will be taking two rigs and two sets of foils to Perth for our nationals this year. But no coach boat.
and that person will allways have the wrong foil, wrong sail and that nagging doubt in the back of their mind.
The single biggest thing that I can see making a difference is the banning of support boats between races. If someone wants to dash for shore and change gear that is fair play, but having someone following you around with gear is unsporting in my opinion. That could be written into the SI's of the world/euros which are the only events that this sort of thing matters in anyway.
Cheers,
Cookie - wishing he could go sailing.
Great Post Doug!
and yes Cockie, support boats or Mummy Boats should be banned, like the Star class did
PS: Seems I have to dig into the class rules to get a better understanding for the many questions raised here.
Dude that post is Fucking brilliant ... it would have taken longer than recording the podcast to write it ...
We were only talking about foils, masts and sails, nothing else should change.
Rohan touched on this at the agm. He said it was hard because he had so many foils to work with. I have been running just one. It is ok to have choices but when the flag drops...
we all know the rest.
im pro choice btw
So there are comments from the Current World Champ and UK Nat Champ both keen to stick to their familiar set of gear. These are the guys with lots of gear that you have to write the rule to stop them having an unfair cash investment advantage.
There are lots of others out there who try to get girlfriends involved and so cut down old sails for strong winds etc... There are others out there that have no local fleet and go to the big events to learn and part of that learning is getting help to sort out their gear. These are the guys I do not think you are trying to control with this rule. I think there is a big danger that at rule will hurt the middle and back of the fleet more than the front.
So I think us middle of the fleet guys need to get involved in the debate, if a fair rule is to be the result. Not sure where the best place to have the debate is, but I sure there are enough discussion forums.
On support boats. Yes they give a expensive advantage to top teams. But they also can be useful towing boats in if they get becalmed. The also can carry the photographers and video cameras. That feed us Internet Moth sailors. The can also take out spare water bottles.
We have such a friendly atmosphere at events I have only got support from support boats rather than an unfair competitive advantage.
I think it is not the equipment that is the problem it is the use of the equipment and behavior. This is harder to write a rule about that than a rule about the physical length of a boat.
So what are you trying to rule out?
Best post this year. I completely agree. I am absolutey against any one equipment rule. We are in a development class and the benefit of trying things is that the trickle down effect is heightened. Young kids get to use foils that were good but not great etc..
When its an issue it should be addresses, but until then No.
The class is very good at policing its self. In 2005 me, Rohan, Adam etc had a Gentlemans agreement that we'd keep the hydro foils on even in light conditions to be fair to the low riders.
Support boats should not be banned. Who in the Gorge gratefully gulped down water from a nearby RIB? At the Europeans Francois Psarophagis came uo and gave me a mars bar between races. It saved my day. Its the same thing.
Lets take the debate to the Worlds forum.
http://www.moth-sailing.org/imca/faces/posts/list/14.page
I am leaning to a simple ban on coach boats. Maybe from 20 minutes pre 1st race to after finish of last boat in last race.
Simon, you got a Mars Bar in the Euros but did you get any help from Rohan at Geelong? He was very Nathan/Bladrider focused and I know of some others who were refused help.
There was never a coach boat in sight of any of the tailenders who more likely needed a tow, or a drink between races because they had no time to go ashore before the next race.
Same at wind deprived Woollahra over Easter, AMAC was very M2 centred and they got the tows.
If we have support boats on the track they need to support all who need it not just the leaders or team sailors. I can not see how thats to be regulated though without a complete ban.
Doug and Si I agree. A lot of this stuff was addressed here: http://scott.projectsomewhere.com/2008/11/13/by-the-people-for-the-people/
ps has the class rule making sailingbits.com supplied name tags compulsary com in yet?
Coach boats do provide an advantage for some competitors, on the other hand they provide extra safety on the water. Banning them is not really a good idea. We should just encourage friendly behaviour through peer pressure.
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