A-Class: Open letter by Lallo Petrucci
Open letter sent by Lallo Petrucci from Bimare. We’ve published several builders positions on opening
the rules and towards foiling, Petrucci aims to keep things as they were previous the J daggers proposing a constant foil radius. The objective side on Lallos comments is that the Class had some excellent Formula leveled racing, where any design with a good sailor on board could aim to win.
The main aspect of the foiling transition we are seeing now, is that the Class will have a period where that formula leveled racing will need to be built again while the optimal flight solution arises within current rules.
It is clear that current positions just wont go away after what we’ve seen at Takapuna , and some Nat Assoc must put through the formal channels a new proposal, to be seconded and if support achieved then voted with a 2 / 3rds in favor to be passed. Meanwhile the rules will stay as they are and development will continue.
Here in Arg, the 7 boat fleet recently formed is growing by 5-6 additional A-Cats being bought right now.
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Open Letter by Lallo Petrucci.
IACA Committee’s President
IACA Committee’s Members
IACA Technical Committee’s Chairman
IACA Technical Committee’s Members
Chairmen of the National A class Associations
CC
IACA Webmaster
Catsailingnews
“As a founding member of the Italian A Cat Association, perhaps the oldest national A cat association, and even more as the founder of BIMARE, the first boatyard worldwide to have started “mass” production of A class catamarans (back in 1973), I think we have the right to make public my position regarding the debate which is dividing A class members into the so called foiling and the non-foiling “gangs” .
Although I’m not part of the Technical Committee, (incidentally I have never been invited to hold any position in it so far), I consider to have the duty to defend the interests of hundreds of BIMARE customers, who have made an essential contribution to the development of the A class all over the world in these last 41 years.
Therefore I formally submit to the IACA Committee, to the IACA Technical Committee and to the Chairmen of each A class National Association, a proposal to revise ASAP the A class box rule in order to avoid that the our loved class lives the months before the next Europeans in France and the following full year in a state of complete stalemate.
It seems in fact that a few would like to wait until the routine WGM scheduled during the 2015
Worlds of Punta Ala to count the numbers behind the foiling and the non foiling option. According to my opinion, on the contrary, any further delay may seriously harm all A class stakeholders.
My proposal is simple and straightforward. All it is needed is to add the following article to the current text:
8.3 Daggerboads have to be straight or curved provided that the radius of curvature is constant.
This rule would prevent any cheating and allow all owners entering class events to compete on equal terms (thus helping the members of the Technical Committee to fulfill the task it was estabilished for, i.e. to draft provisions NOT to make the A class catamaran a flying vessel). Unfortunately the Takapuna Worlds showed that they have done a poor job.
With the addendum of the article 8.3, NO A class design will fly anymore.
To prove my assumption I enclose a self-explaining drawing (with a few calculations) carried out about 10 years for a project of a 16’ catamaran.
Taking into account the dangers which threaten the future of the class (many already speak about standard “A” class for non-flyng and “A plus” class for flying A cats), I invite A class authorities to dare and take immediate and even “creative” action:
I suggest to hold an INFORMAL ballot among all A class members.
Ask simple and unambiguous questions to get clear answers.
If you deem it appropriate let’s have a vote on my proposal too, but please DO something.
NOW!
There’s no time to waste.
Yours sincerely
Lallo Petrucci
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It is good to have Lalo in the discussion but his proposal will not work. Even with C-boards you can fly, just not as stable. Most people do want to fly and then it is the best to have a as little limitations as possible. A simple box rule works, only after adding some constraints the class got into this nasty discussion. We will have one transition season and in 2015 80% of the fleet will be flying at the Worlds in Italy. Flying is the future, even the kites have foiling boards now. The guys who have flown and the guys who were passed downwind at the Worlds will never accept that flying is no longer an option. It is simply too good to fly.
The A-class is lucky that it can absorb this technology and keep state of the art. It is another step in creating faster and better to handle boats.
warning Arno! if you can't dominate technology, she will dominate you.
the Petrucci letter seem to be balanced and reflexive… experience?
Since when are we afraid of new technology? We are all happy with our smartphones and tablets, hybrid cars etc It is always good to listen what the old guys have to say. Without Lalo the class would never have grown so much in Europe. The Bimare factory is a great example of how a catamaran production unit should look and should be run.
Unfortunately Bimare has lost its relevance in the A-cat business, which I do regret. Michele does a fine job with his S9 but it would be even better if the Petrucci clan would put more effort into the A-class. Flying will not be stopped with any rule. If new restrictions appear the class will see a split, but it is unlikely that there is a 2/3 majority for new restrictions. 60% of the votes in the WGM were for abolishing rule 8 and that has only increased since the Worlds. The people who want to fly are busy with their boats and have less time to publish. The French try to keep the floaters and flyers in one class that is an initiative I can appreciate. The nations are waiting for IACA and the IACA is waiting for two nations to ask for an extra WGM.
Arno, thanks for the comments on Bimare.
We have put much effort into the class A and we did not hyper technology in the hulls as you have done, and others, there is a reason, and the reason we're seeing in the last 2-3 years, in fact the class A is crisis also for this reason.
I believe that our job has no faults for what is happening, as I believe that you and others you have been the cause.
Arno, a question, but you had not changed jobs?
I have to agree with Arno. I have foiled over 100 metres with C foils and have seen others go further. And this is without any real development. Bring in this rule change and you will still have foiling, but it will be harder to do and that will lead to less people being able to compete. It will make the boats far more unpleasant to sail. The only way to ensure boats don't foil is to stipulate straight, symmetrical boards and make sure they cannot be angled within the hulls to gain lift.
the basic problem here is that evolution must be sustainable from the class, an evolution too fast puts a strain on the whole system, this can be seen all over the world, in every existing thing, force the time has always been a bad thing, and this we are also seeing in the class A now.
stop talking and publish on a class flying, why do not currently exist, you only see cat flying in flat water, perfect wind, out of the race, what you see is not a cat fullfly suitable for a fleet race in all conditions wind-wave, so it is a great mistake to change the rules now, "need more time".
if we want to do something good now we have to change the rules to avoid complicated and expensive systems to fly that circumventing the rules, and when we know better the discipline of the flight we will have more data to make a decision.
Michele
You miss the point of what I said. Mine was not a comment on whether foiling is good or bad. If somebody is going to propose a rule to ban foiling, it has to work. The rule Lallo proposes would not stop foiling and is therefore not helpful. If you want to ban foiling, suggest rules that achieve that. The last thing the class needs at the moment is another rule change which doesn't achieve what people think it will achieve.
I have changed jobs. The passion for sailing remains. I am excited about the flying boats, just like you. I wish to sail on the best boat possible, that's why I am in the A-class since 1984. The class is not in a crisis. DNA sold 160 boats in three years and that helped the expand the class. Boats have been sent all over the World (even as far as New Zealand, the USA, Argentina, and Brazil). The Argentines do sail the J-board boats and are quite excited about the flying. They just need a small upgrade to fly even better. I do not blame Bimare for anything, but it is not just DNA who wanted to go flying, there have been many experiments with flying A-cats.
If the Italians help to abolish rule 8 you can even add your S9 set-up the A-class.
With or without rule 8 we will be flying from now on,. (Sailing) life has never been better.