No offense taken, We loved the race, it was a gift to me to sail around the statue and be sitting in the middle of NYC harbor, I grew up in manhattan and saw the statue for the first time when I was 11, I hope the coast guard does not give you too much trouble and we get to do it again next year with more of our fleet. I was a little disapointed though, we did not see even one body in the water.
I saw the RC from similar perspective as Matt... just missed it flipping but sailed right by just after it happened. When they got back to the beach most of their battens were poking out of the front of the batten pockets but that was all the damage I saw.
I got a chance to talk to the Tornado guy... he's from Syracuse.. bought it from Texas years ago, I think he said it was almost 30 years old but gets sailed rarely and when it does is always on fresh water. He sailed with his young son... probably about 10.
Ah, the CG. We are working on it right now... We will have a debriefing with them and are ready to admit several mistakes:
1. Boats should be able to be righted by their crews without external help (does that mean that the size should be restricted?).
2. Containment zone around the Statue should be strictly controlled (you go in, you are DSQ, no exceptions).
3. Nothing to do with CG: finish line should be firmly secured!
Hopefully, we will make it through for next year.
Jacques