F18 Rules Fact Sheet: Two Cloths

This is quite simple too:
April 2010 Published Rules www.f18-international.org/index.php?option=com_phocadownload&view=file&id=5:2010_f18_class_rules&Itemid=50
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G.3.4 CONSTRUCTION
(a) The construction shall be soft sail, single-ply sail.
(b) The body of the sail shall consist of the same woven and/or laminated ply
throughout with the exception of the window which may be different.
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Almost nothing to argue here, a clear rule stating that the body of sail must be made of only one type of cloth, for ie “Apen 06” pentex

After the 2011 Worlds mess on PSA, and after a list of SI sails were rightly banned, a second complaint started to circulate in the WC: That SI Main sails were illegal for using two cloths on rule G.3.4.b
Take account that I was the one reporting and confirming that the 2010 world champ sail currently in Argentina had two cloths too.

– The big question mark here again was: Why if some on the class knew that these sails were illegal since Erquy (remember I’ve been told that SI was warned even before 2010 Worlds)  only acted one year later letting the sailors buying illegal stuff for that period, including two Arg sailors that bought two sets on the spot after the 2010 champs were crowned.

So a vote was proposed on the WC to ban or grandfathering Two Cloth mainsails and these facts were evident, plus the sails were certified by measurers for a whole year and the builder stamped the two cloths specs on each sail not hiding the fact that it was made of two cloths.

The sails were illegal but it wasn´t that simple as described above.
Some additional details pointed by the chief measurer like the wording on G.3.4.b (above) where it says  “….same woven and/or laminated ply”  
AND/OR being not applicable as if the sail should be made of only one cloth you can´t have that wording!
But this is a minor detail , plus new waste of time now  on the meaning on the word “ply” (will attack that later)

So when I first knew about this two cloth issue I said and wrote to the management: “This guy Udin is playing with us  , he needs the axe over his head immediately.”

But when I start investigating a little further and above facts were known, it was clear it was not all that black/white on the two cloths, and weighting that the class didn´t reacted on time to prevent sailors buying illegal  stuff , plus full speculation from others on when to protest or report, plus the sails being stamped and certified measurement I decided that in this case a grandfathering of existing sails was needed.

So again like the Shockwave affair, my main goal was to protect the sailors, the class didn´t look for them, as some knew these sails were illegal and not acted in a timely manner. And who was paying for the class and builder errors?
Just the amateur riders, as the Pros will always get a new set of sails like Backes-Jarlegan use to win the F18 Europeans.

The class targeted one builder, not looking and not caring of  the amateurs and acted in a different way compared to the Shockwave grandfathering. Another example of (in my view) biased and unfair actions.

Again: Two cloths mains? who cares now! Only the unprotected sailors that bought in good faith.
And what is the best part on this? A new “clarification/patch” is coming for the jib and spi.
More patches, more loopholes, more mess, more spam reactions.

This is not the way to manage the leading Racing Catamaran Class World Wide.