USMCA NEWS

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USMCA BOARD OF GOVERNORS ISSUE LETTER RESPONDING TO THE PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE HIKING RULES

16 JUNE 2006 • On May 15, 2006, the IMCA published an article notifying Members of the intention of the Executive Committee to put forth an amendment to the hiking rules consistent with the following elements:

• The lines will be tight.
• The crews’ body position will be tightly controlled.
• The feet when sitting on the side must not promote standing on the gunwale.
• The crew may not use the lines to propel the body away from or off the boat.

The article requested opinions from the National Class Associations regarding the above amendment. Based on the nature of the proposed change, the USMCA immediately met to discuss the best method for responding to the May 15, 2006 article and polling registered Members. Each District Governor was tasked with contacting active Members within their district regarding the rule change and to obtain a consensus. An opinion letter would be composed from the result of the surveys and circulated for signature by each District Governor with the right of filing a dissent. The District Governors reported the Member’s strongly opposed any amendment to the hiking rule restricting the ability of crew to actively hike the boat flat. These results have been further supported by numerous correspondences from active Members.

Based on the feedback from the USMCA Members, the Board of Governors of the USMCA issued a memorandum (signed by all members) to the IMCA strongly opposing any amendment that includes tight life lines or limits the ability of crew members to actively hike. We believe a “no hiking” rule is inconsistent with the character of the Class and is detrimental to the value, enjoyment, safety, performance, and sailing characteristics of the boat and, therefore, should be denied. The complete letter and supporting arguments can be downloaded now. Registered Members are encouraged to contact David Chivers, IMCA Technical Advisor, directly with any concerns or comments at david.chivers@tesco.net. The USMCA Board of Governors will keep the Class Members advised of proposed amendments to the Class Rules as they are made available.

The USMCA Board of Governors