[MHml] AntiFarrier

[roy mills]

With all due respect Chris (Yes Paul, you are right). I find little to 
follow in your argument replying to Paul.

    Ian Farrier is a boat designer. He designed a fast, safe, cruisable and 
raceable trimaran in the F31/F9a and X/XT variants. Someone thought that the 
boat had a great deal of potential to be exploited as a faster racer and 
began to modify it to that end and for that purpose. Eventually, at what 
point I do not know, they commissioned Mr Farrier to design several further 
improvements of an extreme racing variety. I don't know, but I suspect that 
the initiative and the ideas came from the owners, I suspect that Mr Farrier 
commented on those ideas and charged for his design work, I also suspect 
that he figured that if someone was going to mess around that much with one 
of his boats it would be as well if he did the work rather than someone less 
familiar with the overall design and construction of the boat. So, IMHO we 
have Mr Farrier being involved with, but probably not originating, the 
development of one flat out racer from a fleet of numerous all round 
excellent boats which sail all over the place with safety.

    Mr Reynolds is building a catamaran which he says, tongue in cheek I 
think, is a cruiser.The tall rig, narrow beam version, is clearly aimed more 
at racing than cruising. Its not one extremely modified boat, it's a 
designed model range, and several of them tipped over. IMHO, there is no 
parallel between these situations.

     It is most unfortunate that Mr Farrier did not say that he was sorry, 
though not really surprised, that CM tipped over, these things do happen in 
races, and it is a pity because it tends to foster a poor image of multis in 
the public eye. Had he done that I do not think that you would have had any 
vestige of a cause for complaint. But how many of us have never ever made an 
off the cuff remark that could have been phrased better given time, or a PR 
consultant, to put a bit differently?

    You clearly have extremely strong feelings about Mr Farrier and his 
comments about the R33, and it is a bit unusual for one designer to be so 
openly critical of the work of another one, especially one who is a 
potential market competitor, but please Chris, let it drop at least from 
this list.

    Roy