F18 Friends.
There has been a great deal of activity over the last month since I wrote to you all in September. In the meantime, the Board have been kept informed on numerous occasions, probably too many times for some of them. The Board have been told more than once, that the Board advise, the Council decides. Members who have received this information are the President, the Chief Measurer, Treasurer, Vice Presidents for Europe, Australia, North and South America.
We are preparing for our major annual meeting in Paris and so this Newsletter No3 will cover the background to the agenda items. Can I stress that I seek compromise and consensus in all our discussions, I regard voting as a last resort as there are always “winners and losers” when that occurs. There is a long agenda and if we are going to make clear and coherent decisions in just one day, then preparation is the key to success, otherwise we have to consider a two day annual meeting.
The meeting is on the 14th December, so ALL information has to be returned back to the Council members by 16th November, which means that any proposals that may require a vote have to be with me by 9th November, so I can get the requests back to Council within 28 days.
I will be forwarding in the next few days all the background information
- The National bids from countries to host regattas, Argentina, Germany, Oman, Spain, UK (when received)
- Copy of previous minutes July 2013.
- Report on 2014 Worlds.
- DRAFT Coaching Report.
- Detailed survey and summary on XL sails.
- Further DRAFT details on In House Certification.
- Further DRAFT details for Partnership Programme.
- Constitution.Voting procedure. NCA’s 1 to 10 members ONE vote; 11 to 20 members TWO votes; 21 to 30 members THREE votes. I need to collect current NCA members ship numbers.
- I have NOT included on the agenda a DRAFT for new Constitution. We were up to DRAFT No:6, but this item would need considerable discussion. Comments PLEASE.
- I have NOT included on the agenda DRAFT for new Cloth List. DRAFTS were rejected by Council in December 2012, since then there have been minor additions and no deletions. Comments PLEASE.
PLEASE Chairmen respond with additions/deletions
1. First DRAFT agenda for Paris 14th December 2013. 9.30 FFV Offices World Council meeting.
1. Welcome by President.
2. Apologies for absence.
3. Approve minutes of July WC Grosetto. 2013
4. Financial update
5. Acknowledgment and thanks to James Beckler for his Sec. Gen. work over four years.
6. Worlds 2014 Update.
7. Championship Rules
8. Worlds 2015 Decision regarding venue, see below.
9. Worlds 2016 Preliminary venue discussions, see below
10. Applications to hold World regattas,
11. Update on F18 Commercial site.
12. Establish F18 Coaching system and NCA responses
13. The decision on XL sails.
14. F18 Website. Discussion.
15. In House certification. Decision in principle.
16. Partnership Programme.
17. Future for Classic F18’s Tigers etc.
18. Calendar.
19. Handicap for F18. Chair of SCHRS to speak to this item.
20 . Any other business.
Background information to the above agenda items.
Item No: 4.
The President will present updated information of IF18CA finances.
Item No: 6.
I am visiting Belfast on Sunday 27th. for review. I will report back to Council after that visit.
Item No: 8/9/10.
We are fortunate to have requests from FIVE countries. I will send again the applications to all Council members. The UK application is still to be received. I understand the difficulties, but it is the National F18 Association that applies for a regatta, not an individual Club.
from:
Oman. 1st Choice. March 2015, or October /December 2015.
Germany. 1st and ONLY choice July 2015.
Argentina.1st Choice November 2015. Discussions to take place regarding early 2016.
Spain. July 2015
UK. Europeans July 2015, if Worlds are outside Europe.
Please find all related materials on the F18 Google Drive here
Item No: 11.
The new F18 Commercial site is moving forward, more goods will be added as we get more support, we now have had orders from USA, Spain, UK, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany. If we are going to give a strong positive image to the sailing world, we need to support this venture. Can I ask again that ALL F18 NCA’s promote this on their own websites, and put a link to www.netprintmanager.com/F18 . The Class needs money if it is going to promote all the services that members want, and I remind you all again, that the commercial website was provided without fee and that F18 does not hold any stock, so all margins will be returned to the IF18CA.
We are delivering to ALL countries in the World at ONE price, so truly F18 is covering the World.
Item No:12.
F18 Coaching. Our President chairs the ISAF Committee that deals with training/coaching and development and is in New Zealand as I write conducting an audit for their sailors on behalf of ISAF. I have written the first DRAFT for the F18 coaching policy and that has gone to Dan Jaspers, who handles this subject for ISAF. Council members will get all details well in advance of the Paris meeting. Our F18 sailors tell us that coaching is important to them, we must ensure that we provide coaching in a consistent and positive manner throughout all NCA’s, without creating too much bureaucracy (and paper work). We also need to know what are the demands for coaching, the associated costs, so we can make an allocation of resources. I will be writing to Council members again shortly on this subject, requesting their coaching plans for 2014.
Item No: 13.
Development of XL sails. There was a suggestion from USA, and then supported by Holland, that there ought to be “larger sails for larger sailors”. We have done considerable number of emails and surveys in US on this subject and the Council needs to consider the development for final decision.
The final summary is that :
Crews 175 kg and over can sail with standard mainsail, a jib of 4.5 sqm OR 4.6 sqm, and a spinnaker of 23 sqm.
IT was thought better not to have rules on jib or spinnaker cuts but to leave that to individual sail makers.
The XL sails cannot be used in any National or International regatta for a trial period of TWO years.
The serious message must go out that this is NOT a rule change, but an addition to the weight category and does not effect the rules in any way.
There was concern that some sailors under 175 kg would buy these sails for long distance and handicap racing, therefore breaking one of the Guiding Principles for F18 sailors, that we don’t have different handicaps for F18 boats.
We are still awaiting final technical information, concerning the sailing characteristics and likely performance data, which will be forwarded shortly.
Item No:14.
We thank Sanyi for his work in re-developing the F18 website after the problems experienced in the summer. It is essential that Sanyi receives information for the site. I will be placing this background information for the Paris meeting on the website for as wide discussion as possible.
Item No: 15.
In House Certification. This is a subject that has worried F18 for a long time and I am trying to resolve the problems. If we can succeed then we can get past the problem of measurement which for some countries is a serious problem. It will mean simply that we can “buy it and use it!” We are moving forward with ISAF, who are determined that EACH INDIVIDUAL PART MUST BE MEASURED SEPARATELY. This means that we cannot continue to measure mast and mainsail as one measurement, so we need to get measurements of all the mast sections that are been used. The historic problem is that the earlier masts, Tiger and Inter 18 and others, were much “rounder” and not “tear drop” shape as the modern ones are. The newer masts today are almost identical in circumference at 375- 377 mm. We take 50% of the circumference multiply by the length and will have the side area. Then we can make sails that fit that area, and not go beyond the 17sqm. THIS IS NOT A RULE CHANGE, SAILS WILL BE THE SAME BUT MEASURED DIFFERENTLY. Two mast sections that we have checked todate will have a side section measurement which is only 0.009 sq difference, the size of a postage stamp! We will have sails sold with signed measurement and then Measurers can check at regattas to ensure that the rules are being enforced. Further details will be forwarded in good time before Paris meeting,. so Council members have all the information they need to make decisions.
Item No: 16.
I believe that it is important that we keep in close contact with our commercial suppliers. To aid this, I plan to create a Partnership Programme where ALL suppliers can forward their websites and details that will go onto our main F18 website. This will mean that any potential buyer can see all the suppliers on one site in one place, This is not just for builders and sail makers, but also cloth makers, all gear suppliers, insurers, trailer/trolley suppliers. Partnership is a “two way” street” and we will be asking them for help in promoting and supporting F18 sailing throughout the World. Again further details will be provided well before we go to Paris.
Item No:17.
Classic F18’s I have been asked to add this item. There is concern that there are so many “older” F18’s which are not being used to their full potential. I ask for support in suggesting how we improve this situation.
Item No: 18.
I was enthusiastic about printing an F18 calendar. Now I know that most sailors will keep their diaries on phones, tablets and similar, but, it may be my age, but I still think that there is something attractive about having good photographs printed covering aspects of F18 sailing from around the World. I think that having these in kitchens or offices will help keep F18 to the fore in sailing, and IF we could get ALL the dates for 2014 in soon, then we could look and see that F18 racing was taking place every month of the year somewhere in the World. Also we could make money, depending upon how many could be sold. I suggested a sale price, posted to sailors’ homes at ONE price world wide, of E12.00, I guess every sailor would spend E1 per month to support his Class, if we could do that and sell through the commercial site then we can make a sensible margin.
Item No;19.
SCHRS Handicap for F18 in handicap racing. Chair of SCHRS to speak to this item.
That’s all for now, I think that is enough !
I have sent copy to Sanyi so he can place on the website, so all members know what discussions are talking place.
Thanks to all,
Don Findlay.
Sec. General. IF18CA.