by Charlie Roden
I apologize for missing the deadline for the last issue to report on the outcome of the vote on proposed VM rules changes. The proposed changes were presented and discussed in the Winter 1999-2000 issue of this newsletter. Three of the proposed changes were accepted by VM owners and took effect on January 1, 2000. The new rules are:
- Sail luff measurement shall be made to a point at the head of the sail where the width of the sail perpendicular to the luff measures 3/4 inch.
- Multi-paneled sails may be used in both the Traditional and High Flyer Divisions.
- Traditional Division Rules shall be based on the modification of the 1939 M Rules. (The High Flyer Division Rules will continue to be based on the 1954 M Rules.)
Proposed changes from registered VM owners (there are now about forty of you) for the 2001 sailing season may now be sent to me and will be published in the next newsletter for your consideration.
The present US VMYG VM rules were developed to apply only to VM R/C racing. There has been a fairly recent revival of interest in VM free sailing. The San Francisco MYC has an active and growing fleet of free sailing VMs. With their support, the US VMYG has held a free sailing regatta at Spreckles Lake, Golden State Park, San Francisco for the past two years. As reported elsewhere in this newsletter, a very successful free sailing event was held in Marblehead this year as part of our National Regatta. The San Francisco MYC group is now planning to a visit to the UK in 2001 for free sailing racing with their British counterparts. For your information, the San Francisco MYC has just finalized a set of VM free sailing rules for new boats being built at their club. If interest in free sailing continues to grow, the US VMYG will consider adopting a national set of VM free sailing rules.
