The International Canoe

An interesting discussion on the DC Designs thread on Sailing Anarchy has me thinking we need to tweak the class rules to add:

13.
f) The use of a sliding seat as defined above is permitted, this alters RRS 49.1.

The part the "this alters RRS 49.1" is the critical part for those who sail in mixed fleet racing, which happens all the time down-under...

Thoughts? and how do we action this? can this be an amendment to the rules or will we require an international vote? given that it is just plugging a loop hole and doesn't obsolete any class legal IC's it should in my mind be an easy change/amendment.... and only helps those who do sail in mixed fleet races.

Thanks
Hayden
ICAA President

Last time I looked there were any number of classes which hadn't got round to putting the "this changes RRS whatever" in their class rules. I think its quite a new thing to require it, and I've never heard of it causing any issues. Just bureaucracy really. Even some ISAF International classes don't have the wording in their class rules - the I14 for instance. So I suggest we leave it until the next time we have a rule change to put through.

I don't believe that RRS 49.1 is relevant to ICs, or any other dinghy for that matter. It concerns positioning crew on boats with lifelines. Otherwise every dinghy with a trapeze would have to include some dispensationg in class rules.

Exactly so Peter. The RRS acquired this rather pointless bit of bureaucracy in Jan 2011. Its in 86.1c which from January will read "Class rules may change only racing rules 42, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53 and 54. Such changes shall refer specifically to the rule and state the change."
It will doubtless be many years before everyone gets round to doing it if even ISAF classes haven't caught up yet.