Blood on the carpet

Peter Bentley looks forward to this weeks ISAF Annual Meeting

ISAF may decide a crew-weight limit for the Yngling this week .

Equally highly billed and even more over-hyped is the ultimately simple decision on a crew-weight limit for the women in the Yngling class at the Olympics. The outcome of this decision will not make one iota of a difference to who wins the medals in Athens as the top skippers will simply select a crew that meets any limit that may be set. What is important is that a decision, indeed any decision, should be made. Pressure to procrastinate and 'seek more information' must be resisted at all costs. Proposals for everything from a limit of around 180Kgs to no limit at all have been made and the truth is that the boat can be sailed quite sensibly at any point in between.

To put off a decision would make life very difficult for anyone (and there are more than a few) who is trying to get a full-on campaign up and running. As a potential skipper do you set off now to recruit looking some large ladies in the hope there will be no limit or sail with a sensible sized crew and hope reason will prevail?

As always, the discussions at the meeting will revolve around national interest with nations of how shall we say, more generously proportioned people, campaigning for no limit and those with more normal sized ladies looking for a modest weight limit. The RYA have commissioned a scientific evaluation (based on the IMS VPP if you must know) that seems to show that fat is fast above about eight knots of wind. Perhaps the voting delegates should ask themselves if they want the Yngling to be a sailing competition or an eating competition. It the end doesn't really matter, potential crews and skippers just need an answer now.

So what are ISAF not going to do that they could? Though it does appear buried deep in the agenda the issue of conflicting dates between big events will in all probability see nothing more than gentle discussion. Does anyone really expect the America's Cup to move its future dates to accommodate the Volvo Ocean Race on a four yearly cycle. Even at a much lower level, the basis Grade One match racing events seem hard pressed not to get in one another's way. As for the ever growing number of Olympic classes events, that's another story altogether.

So how about putting a sensible system in place to select the classes for the Olympic Games six or seven years in advance (instead of the existing four)? While they were about it, the relevant ISAF committee could devise a voting system that brought forth the best boats and not just the most politically expedient. No chance.

Oh and yes, did I forget, there was a forum on the future of sailing on the Saturday and Sunday before the big cheeses get going. Not part of the main meetings of course, but organised by the sailing industry with boat builders, sailing schools, the media and other interested parties represented. Now that should have been an interesting meeting.