[Public-List] Mast Heads for the Alberg..........................rules interpretation or determination???

[John Birch]

George writes: I'm not aware of Whitby delivering any Alberg 30s with 
internal
halyards.

George is correct, WBW never built masts with internal halyards for the 
A-30, they did for the A-37. The last A-30 was built in 1986.

How the rules committee handles replacement masts is beyond my input but I 
am sure many will wish to input and I wish all an amiable settlement of the 
matter

Best regards to y'all from the frozen land your new President chose to visit 
yesterday as his first official trip abroad. His visit to the USA's biggest 
trading partner, though short, was much appreciated and he is warmly 
regarded up here - as are you all.

Only good things

John


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "George Dinwiddie" <gdinwiddie at alberg30.org>
To: "Alberg 30 Public List -- open to all" <public-list at lists.alberg30.org>; 
"Alberg 30 Racing" <racing-list at alberg30.org>; "Alberg 30 Member List" 
<member-list at alberg30.org>
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 1:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Public-List] Mast Heads for the 
Alberg..........................rules interpretation or determination???


>J Bergquist wrote:
>> I have not and will not make a value judgment about who is more savvy.
>> I am a fan of both racing and cruising. I know many cruisers who are
>> excellent sailors, and likewise many racers who are such. I would love
>> to see more cross-pollination among racing and cruising. Anybody who
>> has ever met me will know this.
>
> J, I'd like to point out that your vociferous response to Michael is not 
> conducive encouraging cruisers to participate in racing.
>
>> Several have pointed out that many boats currently racing have or were
>> originally supplied with internal halyards. As I understand it, this
>> makes it allowed under the class rules. I have sailed on some of these
>> boats.
>
> I'm not aware of Whitby delivering any Alberg 30s with internal halyards. 
> And, as Michael mentioned, the Alberg 30 rules committee used to take a 
> very strict interpretation of the rules to the point that it took several 
> years before cunninghams were allowed in Alberg class racing.
>
> I'm quite sure that, at one time, internal halyards were NOT class legal. 
> If the Rules Committee has since changed that interpretation, or has given 
> C.B. special dispensation since he acquired his boat with internal 
> halyards, I have not seen that reported to the membership.
>
> Actually, I'm quite pleased to know that the only reason that I never beat 
> C.B. is that I have external halyards. :-)
>
> The fact that the Rules Committee has traditionally been very conservative 
> in relaxing what it allows is a GOOD THING(tm).  It is the very thing that 
> allows a cruiser to decide to try racing.  Those who have unlimited money 
> for outfitting a racing boat will be attracted to newer faster classes, 
> anyway.
>
> It's worth learning a lesson from the Laser 28 class.  This started out as 
> a strictly one-design class.  The sails not only had to meet the same 
> specs, they had to be made by the official sailmaker.  Eventually some in 
> the class complained that this was too limiting and favored certain 
> people.  The class rules were relaxed, and those with money bought carbon 
> fiber and kevlar sails.  This forced others to buy similar, or drop out of 
> racing.  After the expenditure of many thousands of dollars, the same 
> people were winning the races but the participation was way down.  This 
> was reported to me by a Laser 28 owner who quit racing rather than spend 
> the money required to remain competitive.
>
>> What I don't have time for is listening to people who don't (or at
>> least have not recently...) race their boats then claim that something
>> is or is not allowed by the class rules in a 2-line e-mail. It is not
>> helpful to our class association to have these kinds of acrimonious
>> discussions. On that point I am certainly agreed.
>>
>> I am very busy and do not have time to read and write a ton of e-mail
>> on this subject. There are many people (including several ACTIVE
>> racers) who want to upgrade using this masthead fitting that Stephen
>> has nicely proposed and designed. Part of that upgrade may, for some
>> people, include leading their halyards internal to the mast, although
>> as the fitting is designed, I do not see it requiring internal
>> halyards as such. I have asked the Rules Committee to look into the
>> issue and make a ruling on it. We will see what they come back with.
>> In the meantime, let's quick bickering about it.
>
> This is disingenuous on several counts.
>
> First, Michael was reporting what the Rules Committee has said in the 
> past.
>
> Second, he was hardly acrimonious in his short email.  Your response has 
> certainly been closer to "a ton of email" than was his.
>
> Third, saying "we will see what they come back with" obfuscates the fact 
> that you are currently on the Rules Committee.
>
>> Personally, I do not believe that changing the masthead or using
>> internal halyards conveys any material advantage to the performance of
>> the boat, and I also do not believe that it is a material increase in
>> the cost. Therefore, I believe it should be allowed. Maybe the rules
>> committee will agree, maybe not. We will see.
>
> If internal halyards did not convey an advantage, they likely would not 
> have been invented.  The benefit they give is perhaps small, but setting 
> up a boat for competitive racing often involves gaining many small 
> benefits that may add up to a large one.  Fitting internal halyards is a 
> relatively expensive modification compared to fitting a cunningham.
>
> I hope that the Rules Committee will give such issues due consideration 
> from many angles, and seek the advice and opinions of a broad swath of the 
> membership, before making a decision.  If the decision is not supported 
> widely, it will be damaging to Alberg racing.  And I hope that the Rules 
> Committee will make any decision widely known, such as the one permitting 
> halyards to be led aft being added to the bylaws.  Fairness and 
> transparency should be the goals.
>
>  - George
>
> -- 
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>   When I remember bygone days                         George Dinwiddie
>   I think how evening follows morn;            gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
>   So many I loved were not yet dead,           http://www.Alberg30.org
>   So many I love were not yet born.
>                'The Middle' by Ogden Nash
>  ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
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