Official Statement On The 2012 Class Rule Changes From IMCA Chairman Riccardo Simoneschi

Dear Sailors, finally we have got full approval from ISAF to the Class Rule changes approved at the 2011 IMCA World Council AGM in November.

The most critical has been the weight rule C.2.2. This was mainly due to the fact that the Class did not want to be submitted to an "arbitrary system" in terms of penalty scoring and weighing procedure. We are happy to say that we have agreed with ISAF a fair and clear system that will be the same at all events with no subjective implications.  

At the AGM the World Council itself decided to endorse the US Submission to "weigh in every day".

The back ground of this rule change request was that, as a matter of fact, the Class, in adopting this submission, was facing and solving two different problems:

1) to avoid the unhealthy practice of having a big sauna and/or extreme diet before weighing in.

2) the wrong/right perception of the sailors that once they had successfully weighed in prior to racing there would be no further weight controls or grounds for protests from the race committee and/or other competitors. I wrote "wrong/right" because the previous rule wording led to the fundamental intention of the rule being disregarded for years creating a big confusion in the class.

As soon as the AGM decided this "policy" (to have a more fair weighing process) the Technical Committee and the Executive Committee started to face the "implementation" of this decision.

This process started at the AGM itself but the Committees have continued  to deal with the changes requested by the ISAF / Judges and Committees. 

Through dealing with ISAF and from experienced gained at the first real racing events of the season,  several changes have been decided in order to implement this rule in a fair and clear way for the competitors.

Last, but still in time, came a request to amend their submission from the US sailors to increase the Weight Limit by a further 5 kg.

The consideration was that, due to the above mentioned wrong perception and in light of the data collected,  too many teams were in the habit of weighing in during the pre-regatta weigh in at the weight limit of 360 kg having "dipped" to reach that figure but then sailing in the regatta at around (and often over) 375 kg.

In consideration of the existing time frame for the rule change (AGM in Novermber and ISAF approval in mid March) we decided that it is in the interest of the class to make the transition to this rule as smooth as possible.  As a result we will have a class sailing under a clearer and healthier rule, easily understood by everybody with all the teams much closer in weight on the water, in a way that will not affect performances, it being a difference of less than 0.5% of the total weight of a racing boat.

Further more we will have a clear penalty system not subject to any kind of personal interpretation.

It is now time for sailing, relaxing and enjoying the incoming racing season.

Riccardo Simoneschi
IMCA Chairman