From the Feedback - 21/11/00

Bullimore vs Goss is getting you well stirred up

Anyone can join in with our From the Feedback features, all you have to do is click on the blue question link at the bottom of each article, or hit the My Feedback button at the top of every page. Tell us what you think, and don't feel you have to wait for us or someone else to get around to a topic. If something is steaming you up in your class, club or pub - let us know.
We'll be publishing the choicest moments from the stuff you send us - but each contribution may or may not be subjected to a rigorous process of editing for language, taste and imparted wisdom. And of course, as they so famously say at the start of anything like this, the opinions expressed in From the Feedback do not necessarily reflect those of the management, staff or investors of madforsport.com. Instead, and much more importantly, they reflect your views.

From Dirtbiker
All the entries bar Playstation and perhaps Club Med seem to be experiencing problems meeting the start time. I think the organisers of The Race should delay it to a date which all competitors agree. If this doesn't happen Tony Bullimore should focus on a realistic target and do it well, with a boat that works and is well trialled.

From Jim C
Bullimore has gone for a relatively low risk solution. Its unlikely that his boat will catch the Playstations of this world, but had it had sufficient time for setup, and barring accidents one would expect it to get round pretty quick. However the appallingly low time to set the boat up is against him. Goss, on the other hand, has gone for a high risk radical solution. Hero or Zero. If the boat stays together and if the concept works he could win by a mile. Its a big if. Radical boats are the boats that win big-time and make the advances, but only some of them succeed. Let's hope most of all that it howls all the way down the Atlantic so they can get the boats checked up and tested before the Southern Ocean...

From Mark B
Bullimore can always withdraw if it goes wrong. If he does not enter The Race he will never realise the full potential of the boat in regard to the new generation.

From Matt Critchley, ref RS extended Championship Weeks
For definite! The weather in the UK is now unpredictable to say the least. With the trend for 4 day nationals (to minimise time spent away from the office) recent years have shown that almost as much time is spent waiting for the wind to build/moderate as is spent on the water racing! A 5 day champs is therefore only likely to increase the chances of determining a meaningful champion. Although for those who will be competing in both halves of the Nationals (I for one will be in an RS800 and the RS200) it might result in severe liver damage/bank overdrafts given the reputation that RS Racing has gained for its' social activities!

From Unknown (Come on, put your money where your mouth is! - Ed)
Will IRM become the international handicap rule of choice? No way, IRM has the same problems as IMS and they are just starting. IRM promotes very heavy (read slow) boats which performs better than IMS upwind at the moment. (wow, this is a great new way of sailing, we are doing 7.5 upwind instead of 7.2) unfortunately we are dead slow downwind. unfortunately there is no perfect system at the moment to rate all kinds of boats.

From Offshore toad
In America we would say "Ellen - you go Girl!" I especially like her writing which gives a good feel of racing those magnificent machines. And she is ahead of lots of other nationalities who we sometimes find insufferable. But then here in Annapolis we have to put up with lots of Kiwi's who sometimes are a little hard to bear. How come Kiwi's don't singlehand? One hand for helming and one hand for ......(We'll end it just there - Ed).