Letters to the editor

NO MORE CATS PLEASE

For 130 years New Zealand designers and yacht builders have been right up with the world’s best. Clipper bows and topsails with sweeping counter sterns have given way to the very efficient and still beautiful modern keelers, large and small, built for a purpose. Some for ease of family sailing, off shore and cruising designs, and others with an eye on the silver cups and the finishing gun.

Large – for those able to afford them – down to attractive small and seaworthy keel yachts and trailersailers. Together with the small centreboard classes they all teach the ancient art of using the wind to sail the seas.

Racing improves sailing abilities and even when cruising who doesn’t have a fiddle with sheets etc if another vessel looks to be overtaking? The skippers who do well racing or sailing in heavy weather and light, you can bet started in a small sailing dinghy. If young again I would love to have a go on foils of some type.

But for the world’s most famous sailing trophy give me a proper mono-hulled sailing vessel. One Ton Cup keelers, although dated, are still sailing and giving pleasure well over 40 years after their cup days. A beautiful extra-fast mono hull able to be afforded by the many keen sailing nations turned off by the expense and legal fast talk of past Cups.

A vessel with one fixed keel. A proper non-freak fast and beautiful reusable vessel which will find the best designers and builders and the best crews and skippers. The world is facing major problems political and environmental. If we have another battle of the multimillionaires and bush lawyers it could kill the event.

Delicate boats that can only be sailed in light winds and smooth seas at great speed have their place but not in the America’s Cup. That’s the talk I’m hearing everywhere. Sam Mcharg, Kerikeri