470 Olympic status: going mixed

[LaLi]

World Sailing has its annual meeting this week in Florida, and this is what Council decided yesterday: 2018 Annual Conference - 2 November Recap

The way I read this is that the mixed double-handed event, already introduced at the mid-year meeting, is now being tailored to the 470, without any trials. The class would stay Olympic but would go exclusively boy-girl at the top! Hopefully that would lead to renewed interest at the grassroots level. From my own 470 days I remember how great it is for young couples... it's a feature of the boat that has sadly been lost for decades.

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[LaLi]

Somehow missed this one: 470sailing

“Equipment Criteria for Mixed Two Person Dinghy:
Boat concept: Displacement (Non-Foiling)
Skipper weight range: 50 - 70 kg.
Crew weight range: 65 - 80 kg.
Sail size: Mainsail 9 - 10 m2. Jib: 3 - 4 m2 Spinnaker: 13 - 14 m2
Sail types: Mainsail, headsail and spinnaker
Suitable wind range for competition: 5 - 35 knots.

Builder / Class structure: Measurement controlled

...

Other Equipment considerations: Glass fibre reinforced with polyester construction,
symmetrical spinnaker, single trapeze rig, class rules to permit adjustable and optionally
arranged rig and sail control systems.”

They might have linked directly to the 470 class rules.

Gone is the "segregation" rhetoric of the International Class Association: "The 470 Class is excited about the unique opportunity ahead to showcase mixed two-person dinghy sailing..."

I wonder how soon the 420 adapts, as the feeder class, to the new "mixedness" of its big sister.

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[thieuster]

That's going to be interesting! 420 class it totally destroyed over here... Dutch Sailing authorities have killed that class in favour of the high-performance (hp) route. Only one crew remaining... Last of the Mohicans.
The re-introduction of the 470 as a mixed boat can be the start of a whole new ball-game! Weight is perfect for a lot of youngsters who cannot reach the desired weight for a Laser Standard!.

Added to that: currently, you can buy a 420s and 470s over here for next to nothing.

Very interesting development!

Menno