From the feedback - 4/04/01

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From Will Gulliver
RS 300 come good? The RS 300 is an exceptional boat, Radical in design, yes, but both rewarding and exciting to sail. Its enormous beam and associated righting moment combined with its comparatively narrow waterline width, results in an easily driven hull shape this is both easily driven in light winds and blisteringly fast in a blow. How many other single handers can confess to being competitive in handicap racing in all wind conditions, especially with such a weight range of sailors onboard. Second hand purchase prices are comparatively low with competitive boats available from just over £2000. An active class association providing excellent racing at top locations with-in the UK. What else could you ask for in a hiking singlehander? It's not a Laser, but there are good turnouts at major events and some very close racing to be had.

From Mark Reddington
RS 300 come good? A fantastic boat that rewards time spent in the boat. People need to attend open meetings to realise that they can be competitive and then improve their skills.

From Stephen
RS 300 come good? Coming good? It already is good. A light fast and beautifully responsive boat, which allows mistakes which wouldn't normally be recoverable from, and offers fantastic class racing all over the UK. RS build quality, and full dealer backup throughout the UK all mean that the RS300 offers far more than other comparable boats available at the present, as many are finding out - end result - you try and find a second hand boat.

From David Lapes
RS 300 come good? The RS300 has always been good. However, too many folk underestimated how challenging it is to sail. Many boats were bought in the first 18 months by people who weren't committed or skilled enough to cope with it. Couple this with the distraction of the EPS, MX Ray and other new singlehanders, and the ever present default; the Laser. It now has been shown that the 300 when in the right hands, not mine, is a real flyer; well overdue a review from you chaps. I love my new 300, it's nonstop end-to-end stuff. So get your dancing shoes on, slap on some Sex Wax and trip the light fantastic in a 300. With an RS300 it only takes one to tango.

From Mike Ahrenberg
End of the road for the Soling? It was a sad day when they decided that the Soling should be left outside the Olympics, but to replace it with a "lobster-pot" such as Yngling is share madness. The Soling has all the features of a racer, somebody said it is uncomfortable and difficult to sail, but so are many other racers too. It takes men - not boys - to handle the boat. The Soling's history and heritage should place it among the top racing boats. If this kind of ruling from ISAF and company is a way of modernising the Olympic regattas just for the sake of it I think the boys on the board should take their leave. My apologies for the harsh language, but the frustration over such an unprofessional and layman like ruling is just too much. Up here (in Finland) the Soling regattas will however prevail, thanks to many very enthusiastic sailors. It has never been a very big class here, but the people who sail it likes it much. All in all I do hope that the Olympics would see something else than the Yngling. I also do hope that we could have match racing included in the Games as well as fleet races.

From James Baker
End of the road for the Soling? Boat selection is always contentious for any international regatta but I can't help thinking that like the Admiral's Cup, the time has come for 'root and branch reform'. The current line-up has been defined solely by lobbying and vested interests whose powers are frequently far greater than ISAF's (eg Star and Tornado). Is it not time that the ISAF sat down with a blank sheet of paper to put together their line up rather than battled to make piecemeal changes? I would suggest that by doing so the ISAF could create a far better Olympic circuit (even consisting of fewer classes) that better reflected the popularity of the world's keelboat and dinghy sailing and thus increased the numbers of sailors trialling for their country's places.

From Jessie Cab
Should the 29er permanently replace the 420? As a sailor from Canada, the site of the 2002 World Youth Championships, I am supporting the use of the 29er, but am also avidly fighting the choice. In Canada, the 420 is not sailed at all. I am a member of the 2001 World Youth team and I hate to admit it, but I have never seen an International 420, only the club version. The reason the 29er was chosen over the 420 was that there are no boat builders that have a licence to produce the boats. However, the 29er is a new, untested and highly expensive boat. The current boat that is used for youth sailing here is the Laser 2 , which, in my opinion, is a much better boat than both the 420 and 29er. The Laser 2 also has a long and illustrious history with the Youth Worlds, being the boat that was sailed for over 10 years. It makes sense to have a boat that is made in the country. But it should not be the 29er (which is made locally in Canada), it should be the Laser 2.