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From George Conk
Who would be your ideal choice of skipper for the second boat? Dawn Riley. First - because she is an American in a race which does not have an American boat. Having an American skipper - particularly a woman who sailed so well in the America's Cup - will help develop/sustain an American audience for the Volvo. Second, Dawn has Whitbread experience. Third she has run a campaign - America True, which not only made a good showing in New Zealand, but was well run on a modest budget. Having Katie Pettibone (who writes well) and Isabelle Autissier would make for a competitive boat with strong round-the-world experience. After the three women they will need a navigator with Whitbread experience and some strong guys for bow and the enormous amount of grunt work needed in the race.

From Fred Appell
What weight limit, if any, should they impose? I am against weight limits in the Yngling and favour requiring a crew of three. However the Yngling can be sailed with two or three persons. If there is a weight limit imposed, heavier sailors might compete with two in crew against lighter per-person-weight crews of three. This would keep heavier sailors in the class. The Yngling standing rigging can also be effectively tuned for the crew weight available in given wind conditions and competitors must be given the time and opportunity to tune their boats to their weight and wind conditions. The mast step position is variable (though many newer boats do not come with adjustable mast steps mounted on their decks) and sails must be cut to fit the choices the crew makes for their standing rigging. Thus the importance of the two jibs allowed. So there is a lot the lighter crews can do to maximize the performance of their boat which would not be available to them in a match race trial where boats are assigned or traded.

Weight slows the boat both downwind and on light air days which tends to even out the upwind weight advantage in heavy air. We have argued weight limits every year at the Lake Minnetonka Yngling fleet. Every year we decide that the keel tends to equalize the difference when combined with the different weather in series racing. In series fleet racing weight has never in my experience (of over 25 years of Yngling racing) been the deciding factor. The Yngling requires more skill to drive well than most any other keel boat because it doesn't track in a groove by itself but, like a dinghy with a keel, it requires constant skilled steering. It seems an excellent choice for a woman's Olympic keel boat, even though as a member of the class I fear for the future if (in the hands of the Olympic Committee) the class is subjected to misguided over-management.

From Chris Lewns
Is the 11.3 a formula owners want? Having sailed one of the new 11.3 's last weekend in Portsmouth I can easily believe that Jason Kerr has hit on a winning formula. The boat was a pleasure to sail, and considering this was the first time any of the people on the boat had ever sailed an 11.3 the performance was encouraging. It seems to be well balanced, clean and effortless through the water. Cost seems very good in comparison to boats of a similar size and I expect performance will be excellent once tuning is sorted. I think it will represent an affordable (relatively speaking) alternative to many bigger boats with similar if not better performance.

From Jason Ker
How wide of the mark is Peter Bentley's analysis? I applaud Peter Bentley's suggestion that the RORC should create a big event to be raced in IRM, (I would suggest in alternative years to the Rolex Commodore's Cup to sustain the momentum), however I would like to correct his notion that IRC was where the action is for "raceboats". In fact, all "raceboats" that were sufficiently close to the IRM typeform to be competitive were found racing in IRM. There were eleven "raceboats" racing in IRM class 1, all except two between 38 and 45ft. Good racing was had by all (two were just launched and had not had their sails measured, so were not shown on the scoreboard). There were nine boats racing in IRC zero ranging in size from 37 to 60ft, of which only two could be called "raceboats". Those two were racing in IRC because they are too heavy to fit the IRM typeform (despite a generous age and overhang allowance for pre-2000 designed boats) and so will probably continue to race in IRC indefinitely. While there are around ten or eleven new IRM racing yachts launched or scheduled to be launched this year, there are no IRC "raceboats" launched or expected to be launched for the UK (not Eire) market that I am aware of. IRM is now recognized in the UK as the rating rule of choice for those who want to race on and against fast racing yachts, though it would be a great boost to have a serious prize to aim for in odd numbered years... perhaps the Admiral's Cup?

From Keith Sammons
Experiences with the 2000 Three Peaks Race... None, monohulls gave the Year 2000 Three Peaks a very competitive spirit. A great deal of boats did not finish, but as an event it was jaw-droppingly exciting. Namely, Leopard Clipper with a team of scouty types, after a short delay (11 hours-ish) with the mud of the Menai Straits - from ninth place and 25 hours behind on leaving Whitehaven, to close and take second place by just 61 minutes, having passed the third place team on the way up Ben Nevis. All the teams and crews in the event take huge credit for simply competing in this very physical race and the addition of Whitehaven and the cycling rather than the Ravenglass stop adds to the competitiveness of the race.

There is now not so much pressure to make tidal gates, therefore putting more emphasis on consolidation and consistent performance than in previous events. To win takes skill and stamina, it is an event which requires round-the-cans concentration, not just for a few hours but for five days. There is not a great deal of time for rest and relaxation for either the sailing or running crew. To aid this, shore-based support is vitally important. Where else can you get an Offshore event with stopovers which has to be sailed like an inshore race while also creating additional challenges which are seldom seen in other forms of racing? Check out www.exiles.org.uk and follow the link for the Three Peaks for more on our campaign and a great time with the guys in Barmouth.

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