No Trial of Tasar II

A message from Frank Bethwaite, reprinted from the TasarSailors list, December 6, 2002.    

"They are pleasant and well organised people, and the boat they sail is interesting. Why don't we do as they suggest; try sailing with them for a year in a used boat and see how it goes?"

For this to be able to happen, somebody had to think ten years ahead ten years ago. For the past forty odd years, I have been one of those people.

In 1960, we nailed the credo high - "Most fun - for men and women". By 1969, the NS14 class near a thousand strong enjoyed exactly the man and woman social and sailing pleasure with a cutting edge boat that we all still value.

In 1970, the threat from a weight-sensitive design was lethal to mature women. It was Bob Hammond who asked "Frank, can we use technology to preserve what we value?" I did the sums, and came up with the Nova, an updated NS14. The boat that you love so much today is an update which was given to you by the four giants who stood by me to get it started - Bob and Cath Hammond, Phillip and Janet Rowe, Michael Goldrick (Colin's father), and my wife Nel.

By 1980 the Nova had become the Tasar and Phillip was the president over the Sydney worlds with 122 boats and the presentation in the Sydney Opera House.

The next ten years are Keiji Yoshikawa's. It was in fact seven years from his initial letter to me to the first Japanese World's at Hayama. Amazing foresight and brilliant organisation. The '90's decade was a time of sea change for the whole of the sailing community as the apparent wind revolution started by the exotic skiffs of Sydney became mainstream with the selection of the skiff-derived 49er as the pinnacle Olympic high performance boat, the spread of the 29er youth trainer world-wide, and a mass of quickie me-too fraudulent copies which don't deliver. I think I deserve a brownie point for defending the Tasar class against fraud.

Throughout my years with the NS14, the Nova and the Tasar classes I have admired and enjoyed the maturity and the generosity of spirit of the membership, and their ability to see each others' point of view and reach a logical decision respected by all even when not agreed with by some. I have been confident that if I put ideas to the class they would be debated fairly, and both the class and I would be comfortable with the outcome. The B-14 inspired spinnaker proposal about 1990 was fairly debated, but it quickly became clear that those not then in favour far outnumbered those in favour, so I withdrew it, with the suggestion that it be adjourned for ten years. Ten years later was a different story, I was asked by the class to go ahead with a spinnaker trial, and the technical result - it did not work well - surprised all of us. Again, nothing but generosity of spirit.

Which brings me to 2003, and my dreaming of who will utter the opening sentence above in 2013, and to whom? The threat to the Tasar class of zero demand for whatever reason is lethal. The update route worked in the past, and the update route with parallel operation is my best suggestion, so I have put this proposal up for debate by the class.

The numbers from the two straw ballots are about equal. I count 9 yes and 11 no on this forum. Richard Spencer reports 9 yes and 9 no on the web page. On this basis of near 50% approval a trial would certainly appear to be justified.

But on this occasion I have been dismayed and enormously disappointed that for the first time generosity of spirit has been withdrawn, to the point where the moderator has felt it necessary to call for order.

What I read from this is that the class is not yet ready for this debate. It is certainly not ready for any trial, whatever may be the numbers in favour or against. And it will help if I remove myself as a target. I withdraw my offer to conduct a trial.

This will transfer responsibility for initiating any change to the class. I am not "going home" as Geoffrey fears. I will be happy to answer whatever questions are put to me.

Sincerely, Frank Bethwaite

Posted 2002-12-19

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