Class Politics Time For Personal Sail Numbers?

gouvernail

Super Opinionated and Always Correct
For the first thirty five years it was easy for measurers to examint laser hulls and determine whether the sailor was using a sail number which matched the hull number.
For whatever reason, the class has always required we sail with sails whose numbers matched those on our hull.
It is a fun, convenient, and quaint rule. We get to know at a glance whether the guy next to us is sailing on a new boat or an old piece of garbage. When a former hacker suddently squirted to the front of the fleet, he had to also tell with the sail number that us he also bought his way to the front.

Perhaps we were better able to guage, "Am I sailing well right now?"

Of course, the requirement and the fact all Lasers have unique hull numbers, guarantees that no two legally sailed lasers will show up with the exact same number on the sail.
There are other ways to guarantee that result.
The fact is. It really does not matter at all whether the sail number matches the hull number.
Vanguard is making it impossible to enforce the hull matches sail rule>>>
http://www.teamvanguard.com/2007/Boats/Laser/hull_numbers.htm

The only simple way to guarantee unique sail numbers is to assign them ourselves.

I propose the following new method for assigning sail numbers.

Some editing would be expected before the final rule is voted upon and implemented.
1. Any sailor may always use the current system
2. Any sailor may request a number from ILCA-NA. The new NA numbers will be:
a. preceeded by a "0"
b. assigned by ILCA-NA
i. ILCA-NA would set a fee for this service
ii. ILCA-NA could collect additional fees to reassign a number if a sail is sold and the original owner of the number requests reassignment of the number
iii. Numbers of living sailors shall not otherwise be reassigned
c. kept by the original person as long as that person remains a member of the ILCA-NA
d. applied according to the same rules as the original ILCA numbers ( locations, colors, size, materials etc)
c. legal in all ILCA events held anywhere in the world except for events where sails are supplied by the organizers
 
I think it would be cheaper (administration costs) to get Vanguard to release their code key for the middle 5 numbers representing the sail number.

If OQTL0101F707 means the sail number is 210101, but the site says it is 190374, then it's just the L0101 that doesn't match the current system.

The rest of the numbers seem to make sense:

Jan 2007 for 07 season and of course the builder, OQT (Vanguard).

Why they would even bother to do this is a mystery. Maybe someone in their offices got bored.

(I notice that 190374 isn't listed on the UK sail number site check. Will it ever be?)
 

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