Latest canting keel correspondence

More views on the Cowes Week swingers debate

In response to Stuart Quarrie's retort over Ger O'Rourke's views on the canting keel boats being penalised at Skandia Cowes Week, Peter Morton writes:
Stuart,

Well said, any business or organisation has to protect the majority of its customers and those that support it year on year. There can't be anybody left in the World who thinks that you can race a swing keeler against a fixed keeler using a single figure system and get a fair result. It does not work now and never has.

I would make a few other points. If swing keelers are so great, why aren't there hundreds of them? It is not as though swing keelers are new, they have been around for years and I was taught that "The market is always right". Are owners like Charles Dunstone, Peter Ogden, and Colm Barrington really so stupid that have not "seen the light"?

I believe that Chieftan is on the market and I am told by a reliable source that the replacement will be a 68ishft JV boat and the decision on the keel swinging or not is yet to be made.

The decisions made by the Cowes Week Sailing Committee are after careful consideration and as a result of feedback from many competitors. That Committee is made up of people from all aspects of sailing including me. I don't drink "pink gin" and prefer a pint of 6X in the PV, but I have competed in nine British Admiral's Cup Teams, seven Commodores' Cup Teams, more Ton Cups than I care to remember, done 15 Fastnet Races and won it twice, won World Championships and won the Tour Voile. I feel qualified to make a decision not to allow swing keelers to spoil the racing for the majority and that it is the right one. As you say if there are enough of them then it is not an issue anyway.

However from Long Beach, CA, Dave Beck adds this:

Surely This is a Joke!

Well designed and built canting keelers like the Cookson 50 Wired (let alone the spectacular maxis) and others have established these boats as viable, safe inshore and offshore boats that offer a new level of performance in monohulls. Why ban them from the biggest regattas on the planet when they have been shown to race fairly and successfully both at Cowes and in the southern hemisphere? Why step back? Under IRC they don't always win, and the crews have a great time while everyone enjoys watching their blazing speed. What's not to like, and why is a problem being created where none exists?

Either give them a class, or race them with the fleet. It's worked either way. Banning them is not Corinthian (does anyone use that term seriously any more?), rational, or fair in any explainable sense. Is there anything else at play?

Clearly the same mentality that selected the 2012 Olympic classes is at work here.

Andrew Johnston adds:

Short and simple. That seals it.

Cork always has always been and continues to be the premier regatta in the UK for racing sailors.

Full stop.

From Australia Peter Lowndes sends this:

Daily Sail

The debate has raged in Australia as long and hard as anywhere else about mixed canting and fixed keel racing. No more so than between myself as tactician on Occasional Coarse Language (Cookson 12m, fixed keel) and my owner/skipper, Warwick Sherman. Warwick, for as long as canting keels have been around in Australia has been convinced of their advantage in IRC. A point he feels he was on the losing side of when he came second to Wild Oats 9 (now Wild Joe) in a Sydney-Coffs Harbour race when it was the newest toy on the block. A point that I would not agree with him on, defending my stance much as Mike Urwin does that IRC is a constantly developing rating system that will eventually peg back an innovation to a more or less level playing field. Innovations should be encouraged where appropriate, safe, value for money etc. all the ideals under which IRC was set up to promote. As Anatole Masfen pointed out in his article Hamilton Island race week still runs a mixed IRC fleet and the results last year were Yendys (Fixed), Wild Oats X (canting), Wild Joe (canting), Beau Geste (fixed), Quantum (canting), Quest (fixed). A testament to IRC and it ongoing development. I would think that new ratings/penalties, still a few months off here in the Southern hemisphere, for “power” boats will further reign back the big canting keelers to the level playing field whilst still allowing their exciting racing.

And finally Ger O'Rourke has another say...

Below are the IRC constitution objectives : 3. Objectives
3.1 To facilitate handicap racing based on the IRC Rule for a wide range of cruising and racing ballasted monohull keelboats by providing a system of measurement to classify boats for competition with single figure allowances based on time or distance.
3.2 To encourage design innovation consistent with stability , rounded performance, seaworthiness and safety.
3.3 To discourage unnecessary expense .
4.5 The IRC Technical Committee is appointed by the IRC Congress from representatives nominated by the RORC Rating Office & UNCL Centre de Calcul. The IRC Technical Committee has sole responsibility & authority over the technical content of the IRC Rule and reports to the IRC Congress.

Cowes' decision now accepting that if six or so canters show an interest they will run a canting keel class is welcome but how is a class to begin if not allowed to race prior to six being available?

IRC handicaps heavily canting keels & due to such heavy handicapping loading there is evidence around the world that they are not competitive in shore. Therefore to create canting keel class time should be allowed to develop as was the case in down South.

The actions of a few are going to scare owners away from them at the expensive of IRC’s constitution, performance of multihull sailing a mono hull, youth experience & fun. Cowes are breaking the principles of IRC objectives above.

IRC Rule for a wide range of cruising and racing ballasted monohull keelboats

Cowes asking owners to pin there keel is a total lack of understanding, grossly unsafe and liabile to a serious accident breaching design. If an owner was to attempt the expense would be huge, to request is in breach of IRC constitution above.

3.3 To discourage unnecessary expense .

There will never be enough of canters in the north if a small few self interested biased owners attempt to protect themselves, afraid of creating a class up north while our fellow Southern yachties are more openly advanced. Already down south such an IRC class exists and will if we let them sail past us - there will be a second generation of Northern sailors lacking in ability, technological advances + most of all fun while we circle the wagons in Cowes.

Attempt to stop progress will harm IRC globally, the fact that the same small group of self interested owners are on some IRC Technical committee’s is a worry.

4.5 The IRC Technical Committee is appointed by the IRC Congress from representatives nominated by the RORC Rating Office & UNCL. There should be someone  representing  canters on this committee!

Any one who has not sailed a canter is not qualified to decide their future in IRC racing (Cowes request to pin keels is an example)

Sponsors lack of coverage of not having the maxis, the Volvo 70s and others may help hard working race organisers make the right decisions.

Let a class of canting keel boats build by accepting the principles of the IRC above. Let's race in IRC bands until we get the ½ dozen at which stage break into there own class.

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