To hike or not to hike

The current poll on the Scuttlebutt website about the level of hiking in the Melges 24 class has thus far provided interesting results. As of Wednesday morning, 60% of the voters say to restrict the hiking, but far more than that have added comments in support of the hiking. The quiet majority may be leading the poll, but the more vociferous may help to hang onto the status quo.

Having extensively sailed Snipes, I know all about hiking. Crews need hiking pants to do it well, and many skippers wear them too. Hike strong in big breeze and you will do better than those that don't. This fact was established early on in the class. Now the Melges class has entered the realm of hiking pads, though these are getting strapped onto crew stomachs to reduce the pressure from the hiking line.

While the benefit of hiking is well known, it had not immediately come to the Melges class. When I finished second in the 1993 M24 Nationals in San Francisco, my crew was not hiking, and nor was the crew on the winning boat. Seems kind of amazing to think that we didn't do it then, but maybe this is a sign of how much harder everyone is trying now compared to 10+ years ago.

Dave Ullman told me that hiking is not in the best interest in the class when the majority of the fleet can't or won't do it. Here is a guy who has become the reigning heavy-air king, partly due to having a strong hiking crew, and he is willing to peal away this advantage for doing what he feels is best for the class. Other crews from the December Worlds have shared with me that they still feel the pain from leaning hard on the hiking line.

While one-design classes are able to control many aspects of the boat, they still do evolve. The Melges 24 class is no different, and it is up to the class masters to decide which direction they desire for the class to go. Do they live by the mantra, "Evolve or die," or do they reel in the level of athleticism now needed for heavy air sailing? - Craig Leweck

PS: Click here for the poll