Class Rules News
On 5/21/21, the issue of Class Rule A.7 was brought before the DF95 Executive and Regional Board of Directors for discussion.
Rule A.7 Repairs
Emergency repairs to any part of the boat are permissible, provided they are not intended to enhance the original function or performance of the damaged items.
It was evident that the rule itself is meant as a temporary repair rule to allow a skipper to complete a regatta in which damage has occurred. In discussion surrounding the types of damage that can occur, the issue of a leaking/cracked hull was discussed as well. The consensus was that the field repairs available would almost certainly not result in a performance gain for a competitor and that the rule as understood does make sense in that light.
However, it is certainly the case that a fully and well repaired hull (fiber and epoxy or something similar) could result in a much stiffer keel trunk and hull and this repair would result in a performance gain and possibly a significant one. It was with this scenario in mind, the emergency/temporary nature of the rule and the possibility for performance gain after a repair, that the Board made the decision that repaired hulls would not be allowed to enter the National Championship Regatta. If a hull is damaged and is repaired it should be replaced prior to entering a subsequent regatta. Additionally, the inspection process at a regatta should not be the place for determining the nature of a repair, especially if that might mean a competitor might be left without a boat to compete after traveling to the regatta. No one wants to be put in the position of making a decision like that if other solutions are possible. Therefore, the best solution at this time is to not allow repaired hulls to be entered in the NCR, to not put a regatta inspector in a no-win situation evaluating a repair, and to maintain the one design nature of the class.
Note, that while this discussion is speaking directly to the hull issue, the rule is broader than that and applies to all emergency repairs. The emergency nature of the repair should be corrected to class design prior to entering the next regatta.
While this decision should most likely also be applied to Regional Championships as well, there is little to no time for skippers to address this decision prior to currently scheduled Regionals (R6).
This repair rule will be submitted to the newly formed International Class Association in June for consideration of all possible solutions and one uniform decision for the class worldwide this June.
DF International Class Association News
The purpose of the International Class Association (ICA) for the DF65 and DF95 class is primarily to allow for international organization of National Class Associations so that nations can interact around our hobby and our class of sailboats. By building and joining an ICA the US will be able to have a voice in the development of the class rules and be able to compete in International regattas with allocated spots.For club sailors, the primary advantage of the ICA will focus on rule development and adjustment for the class. Currently, the class associations have no formal voice in rule development or adjustment. We can propose a rule change to the “Gang of Three” but their decision holds for the rules.
For racing class sailors, the ICA will be the focal point for the organization of international and intercontinental regattas. The ICA will insure that all the nations are organizing and running regattas with the same goals and emphasis. It will also manage the distribution/allocation of spots to nations wishing to be involved in international competitions.
The ICA is set up to operate with volunteer management and the only currently anticipated cost of the organization will be a web presence. The proposed manner of funding the organization is via donations from class associations and fees to international competitors at international events.
DF-95 Regional Ranking description 11/14/2020
International Class Association Developments: A group of us have been making the most of our disrupted sailing calendars to do some “shore work” with the goal of formalizing the International Class Association (ICA) in the new year. If you’re interested in helping review the proposed ICA Constitution, please jump over to the dfracing.world website