Gents I recently received and replied to the below email message from one of our members who has seen fit to respond to the recent update that I sent out to members. I was really gratified to receive this as I believe the contents and sentiments expressed therein, very succinctly sum up matters.
We are still in the finalization process of tweaking of the new constitution and rule base and anticipate going back to the members immediately after the EC12 regatta here at Carbrook next weekend, for the ratification vote of members. Once we have the final documentation in place (assuming members agree with what is put in front of them), we shall immediately start production of the new boats. More on this soon.
Please see the reproduced emails below. I sought permission and it was granted by the writer to display what he had to say for the benefit of members.
Peter Thanks for your persistence and to the team who have supported you to this point.
I am still getting to grips with the basics and as a VERY remote member from the cutting edge of EC12 sailing the fine points of the class and current rig developments are quite foreign to me.
The EC12 is such a delight to sail and always attracts lots of favorable comments when out and about especially on the water. I would dearly love to make to QLD next year and have some plans in place.
Speaking as a "baby" and complete novice in model development and racing it is vital to me to have access to the best information to get me into a competitive level of competence and skill. Therefore any move to have the class easily available to old and new sailors is critical, including ready access to hulls and rigs and a chance to chat ( websites, email etc) with those who know.
I strongly support the moves proposed if as a result the EC12 class is recognised by State, National and International organisations. These days the world has shrunk in terms of information transfer and national boundaries do not exist. What does get out of hand is access to hardware where shipping restrictions and costs are a very real consideration we do need LOCAL suppliers including hulls if I am to encourage others to join us.
I am a might disappointed to think my boat will be redundant by 2017 and understand the reasons why. In the Flying Fifteen International Class we run a classic division for the older boats in State National and International events it would be good if this option for the EC12 could be left open.
I assume that IEC12 will be accepted by the other countries for international events.
In the end it is about having fun. Just sailing these beautiful boats is a very special privilege and we all do not aspire to be a national champion. For those who do we must support them as they have the skills and knowledge to keep the class alive.
Thanks for yours and the EC12 executive efforts to moving this wonderful class into the 21st century. It has a proud history and in some ways marks a time when sailing was something very special a time before the radical speed machines that are obsolete before their keel(s) touch the water.
I trust the other members feel the same as I do and give you and the executive the support you deserve.
Thank you very much Robert for these sentiments. I cannot begin to express how grateful I am to receive them as it has been a very long and arduous journey just to arrive at the point where we are now. I agree that it is a pity that we have had to separate ourselves in this way from the mainstream EC12 owners some of whom refused to support the owners association (OA) aims and objectives and as a result backed us into a corner with the new mould being the obvious casualty if we ended up capitulating and doing nothing.
I suppose this is the best outcome that could be achieved under all the circumstances and although there is a "use by" date imposed for the retirement of the old boats from within our ranks, it would seem that 5 years is a reasonable time frame to achieve this outcome. It is not that the old EC12 class will disappear entirely but it is fair to say that it is a spurious future that it has in front of it. The greatest criticism being that those "hold out" people were happy to put serious thought into strategies that could possibly thwart or derail the plans and objectives of our OA, but not one positive suggestion was put forward by those people to address the serious problems that faced the class. Now with our member's departure from their ranks, it will be interesting to see what their strategy will be to promote and facilitate growth of the old model boat? They do not even possess a legitimate mould to build from and even if they did have the means to do so, then they would simply end up producing a boat that is not the same as that produced in the USA, NZ and elsewhere. We however do have the means at our disposal to produce that boat and by golly, that is exactly what we shall do.
You are correct about the "new" boat being accepted worldwide. The mould that we collectively own is the accepted standard mould for the production of EC12 and the only people who have rejected that fact are the few misfits here who mindlessly were not prepared to assist in the process of its introduction. Go figure?
Don't forget that all the gear on your present old boat will be completely interchangeable onto the new hull that we shall be making available at a very attractive price so I do foresee many of our members making this "change up" as time goes by. After all we all have 5 years to make the transition and I believe this to be fair under all the circumstances. We simply have to make this distinction due to the circumstances that we were confronted with.
As for your need for technical assistance and/or advice, we are at your disposal. I think you have my phone number so do not hesitate to call if you have need. You know doubt have seen our new website and we have plans to make this facility even more user friendly in future. For now, again, thanks for your support and I look forward to catching up some time in the future.
Robert, would you have any objection to me reproducing your message publicly? I believe that positive sentiments such as these need to be seen more broadly and this has been in short supply recently. If you could let me know your wishes in respect of this request, I would appreciate it. I will wait till I hear.
Peter Thanks for the reply, if it would help others please use my comments. It is vital that this special class stays alive in Australia if for no other reason than it is a great boat to sail. Thank you for your confirmation of assistance. Like most of us with families we have to keep a balance in our lives and sailing either full scale or model needs to fit around that. The best part is that two of my sons are very interested in the EC 12 and my two year old grandson always gives it a once over every time he visits (yes an EC12 is two year old, under supervision, proof)
Regards
Robert Chaffe
-- Edited by Straw on Sunday 22nd of April 2012 05:12:04 PM
