Olympic dingy selection 1st announcement from WS is in!

Thanks Rob! Interesting indeed, I bet very few expected those results :eek:

Final score:

1. RS Aero 80 %
2. Laser 69 %
3. Melges 14 54 %
4. D-Zero 52 %

A lot to comment, but I think I'll leave it to next week when I'm back at my real computer...

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Quick thoughts on the matter. Getting rid of LP breaks up the world wide monopoly they have had for decades and would permit additional builders which could more readily supply into the markets which the report indicated there were supply problems but also other known problem areas (Asia and to some extent North America). The report also called for tighter tolerance in construction, again from my understanding from when I was a ISAF Measurer, LP were getting upset that PSA could work in a small area of the tolerance and were calling for PSA to become more "random" in their construction.

Personally, I would rather see the Laser or more ideally sailing get dumped. Olympic status has killed off the fun aspect of racing and sailing for life aspect, as want to be Olympians hope in the class get coached to the point where at 19 they hate sailing and never want to set foot on a laser/boat again, but it has also meant that those not wanting to "make it" are not competitive and just walk away.
 
I'm not surprised it comes down the RS Aero and the Laser. The Laser was ranked highest for athletic suitability:
Success is more related to athletic superiority and tactical understanding than technical knowledge of the specific equipment and the design was considered reliable and all around well suited for selection.
The Laser also ranked highest for Performance, but it seems they dinged the Laser on part availability, manufacture variation, hull weight, and the outdated sail design.
 
outdated sail design.
The Aero apparently hit a happy middle in this sense, as the laminated Devoti and Melges sails were considered negatively as well, especially from the "emerging nations" viewpoint. (The "EN" argument was used quite often, and not always logically.)

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