Dear <name removed to protect the innocent>,
I am writing on behalf of Sarah Treseder (RYA Chief Executive) and thank you for your email, the contents of which are noted.
The decision to amend the International Laser Class Rules was taken by ISAF and we have therefore forwarded your email to ISAF at: secretariat@ISAF.com
As you know, the matter is now in the hands of the District Court for the District of Connecticut and it would not be appropriate for us to comment further on the matter until those proceedings are resolved.
Regards.
John Derbyshire, OBE
RYA Racing Manager/Performance Director.
Sent on behalf of Mr John Derbyshire
Jeffers is right, and ILCA has ignored offers by BK to sit down and find a way forward. Why? Did the lawyer tell them not to meet with him? He should have told them not to get involved
Seems to me as you are on the bottom of the world you must be pǝɹɟYes Fred....and nice write-up!
Seems to me as you are on the bottom of the world you must be pǝɹɟ
and I didn't pay attention to the ISAF meeting so info will have to come from elsewhere
Too bad the wonderful John Bentley ran out of Earth time. I would have loved to hear his educated opinion about all this crap.
¡uʍop ǝpıs dn ןןɐ ǝɹɐ ɔʇǝ ǝdoɹnǝ puɐ ɐpɐuɐɔ 'sn ǝɥʇ uı ɹoʇɐnbǝ ǝɥʇ ʍoןǝq sʎnƃ noʎ
My opinion, based upon conversation with one attendant at the ISAF mid year meeting:
Things need to be sorted out quickly.
If not ISAF will substitute Laser/Radial with other singlehanded classes at the November meeting, and it will NOT be the Kirby Torch.
It is all at the hands of Bruce Kirby and LP.
They will either come to an agreement rather soon, or the Laser is out of the Olympics and probably other major ISAF events.
When it comes to the survival of the class the way we know it - that’s how simple this seemingly complicated case is.
Discussion here on who is wrong or who is right is waste of time in this respect.
Is there anything we – the sailors – can do to motivate the parties to get to an agreement within time?
My opinion, based upon conversation with one attendant at the ISAF mid year meeting:
Things need to be sorted out quickly.
If not ISAF will substitute Laser/Radial with other singlehanded classes at the November meeting, and it will NOT be the Kirby Torch.
It is all at the hands of Bruce Kirby and LP.
They will either come to an agreement rather soon, or the Laser is out of the Olympics and probably other major ISAF events.
When it comes to the survival of the class the way we know it - that’s how simple this seemingly complicated case is.
Discussion here on who is wrong or who is right is waste of time in this respect.
Is there anything we – the sailors – can do to motivate the parties to get to an agreement within time?
My opinion, based upon conversation with one attendant at the ISAF mid year meeting:
Things need to be sorted out quickly.
If not ISAF will substitute Laser/Radial with other singlehanded classes at the November meeting, and it will NOT be the Kirby Torch.
It is all at the hands of Bruce Kirby and LP.
They will either come to an agreement rather soon, or the Laser is out of the Olympics and probably other major ISAF events.
When it comes to the survival of the class the way we know it - that’s how simple this seemingly complicated case is.
Discussion here on who is wrong or who is right is waste of time in this respect.
Is there anything we – the sailors – can do to motivate the parties to get to an agreement within time?
My opinion, based upon conversation with one attendant at the ISAF mid year meeting:
Things need to be sorted out quickly.
If not ISAF will substitute Laser/Radial with other singlehanded classes at the November meeting, and it will NOT be the Kirby Torch.
It is all at the hands of Bruce Kirby and LP.
They will either come to an agreement rather soon, or the Laser is out of the Olympics and probably other major ISAF events.
When it comes to the survival of the class the way we know it - that’s how simple this seemingly complicated case is.
Discussion here on who is wrong or who is right is waste of time in this respect.
Is there anything we – the sailors – can do to motivate the parties to get to an agreement within time?
The split in the Laser class is happening right now.
We, the sailors, are watching the events unfold that are becoming a 'physical election' where we will be required to vote with our feet.
I would agree and add that they (with the ISAF) should start talking to Kirby quickly with a view to resolving this and accepting that the Torch may well be taking over.In my view, the first step is for the ILCA to repeal the rule change.
+2I (and quite a lot of people sailing the boat) think it would be much better for the class not to be an Olympic boat. So in that regard, come Nov should the ISAF select an alternative then it would (in my opinion) be good for the class.
So "When it comes to the survival of the class the way we know it" the few elite top sailors are not what I would call the class. For me the "Class" is those many many sailors who each weekend go out on small lakes/ponds/reservoirs/creeks/beaches/etc. around the world and have a race or two against each other and then a few beers afterwards (whilst other classes repair their damage, re-tune their rigs, etc.). The elite few at the top and the Olympics are irrelevant and probably hinder us far more than help us (e.g. rumoured delays to the new sail because the Olympic schedule dictates times when such developments cannot happen).
And then, to a degree it is the ISAF and ILCA who are making the entire situation worse - so they are not really in a position to start demanding people sort it out and quickly. As things were is was a commercial/contractual dispute involving a builder. ISAF/ILCA with their Fundamental Rule Change, Plaque Change, etc. have made matters far worse (as evidenced by the additional aspects BK has had to introduce following their actions).
Ian
This is one of the early "Torch" hulls. Is that the long-awaited sail? It looks to be radial-cut.
Here's another shot that appears to have the exisitng sail design, but that's not the interesting part.
Does that sail say Scheidt?
---snip---
Now that Kirby is advancing the Torch with the first ones rolling out of the production line, the potential split is happening now.
I may be mistaken, but I don't believe those are "new" hulls from a Torch builder.
I don't think it will be such a painful, long transition from Laser to Torch class. The same boats will be used, the same people will sail them and very likely the same volunteers will step up to help with organization and member support. Nothing has to change but the name, and the management!! Tooling up to build the boats, and re-establishing supply lines for parts will take some time but that just takes money and communication.
Indeed they aren't. They wouldn't have the ISAF plaque visible in 'Scheidt' photo if they were...
That wasn't the ISAF plaque because they are silvery and stuck to the right side of the cockpit. That was the regular manufacture's sticker with no value. As you can tell from a photo that another dolt posted on SA.
http://www.claysails.com/index.php?q=gallery&g2_itemId=1511
Not necessarily. It could well have been produced by PSA. If it had, it could still have a ISAF plaque etc. PSA and PSJ can technically produce which is legally both a Laser and a Torch hull, which have all the correct identification for either.Fair enough, the point is that it still shows it's a rebadged LP boat, not a new hull from one of the new Torch builders. A little bit disappointing as posting the photo shows an intent to deceive.
Not necessarily. It could well have been produced by PSA. If it had, it could still have a ISAF plaque etc. PSA and PSJ can technically produce which is legally both a Laser and a Torch hull, which have all the correct identification for either.
Yes, it could be a class legal torch built by PSA (or by LP before their contract was cancelled), except that the torch class doesn't actually exist yet - it's just a website and a logo. No class association, no class rules, no organised racing, no affiliation with any governing body. I think it's pretty obvious the photo was posted to imply that torch production is happening, and to sustain the illusion that the torch class is a real thing. They were pretty quick to photoshop out the sticker when they realised it was visible - why would they do that?Not necessarily. It could well have been produced by PSA. If it had, it could still have a ISAF plaque etc. PSA and PSJ can technically produce which is legally both a Laser and a Torch hull, which have all the correct identification for either.