Meeting to positively impact the sport

The 2017 World Sailing Annual Conference will be held November 4-12 in Puerto Vallarta, México. More than 500 delegates, representing event organisers, class associations, Member National Authorities, key influencers and industry professionals, will be in attendance.

Throughout the week delegates will review the strategy of sport, discuss positive change and make decisions that impact professional and recreational sailors. Here are some of the updates posted on the conference blog from November 6:

The forum titled, “Balancing the Boat: growing female participation and developing pathways in competitive sailing,” sought to discuss solutions to ensure more women take up and remain within sailing. An expert panel included:

• Libby Greenhalgh (GBR)
• Sofia Bekatorou (GRE)
• Joe Jacobi (USA)
• Jo Aleh (NZL)
• Emma Westmacott (GBR)

Watch video replay… click here.
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The Match Racing Sub-committee received a report from the organisers of the World Match Racing Tour which showed how all their 2017 World Championship events used tour owner’s M32 catamaran except the Congressional Cup which featured monohulls.

Following the announcement that the 36th America’s Cup will move from multihulls to monohulls, the WMRT says for 2018 the tour will be a mixture of multihull and monohull events and the WMRT team are inviting monohull event organisers to come forward with proposals for inclusion in the tour.
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The Equipment Rules Sub-committee are deep in session. One of the topics of discussion is the World Sailing In-House Certification (IHC) Programme. This is a scheme whereby satisfactory equipment control is achieved and equipment certified by manufactures through the application of a Certification Quality Management System under licence issued by World Sailing directly or via a World Sailing delegate.

IHC applies to manufacturers. As most manufacturers are not class specific, the scheme is not class-specific, however, classes have a clear role within the programme through the enhancement of equipment control specifications and hands-on control training. This makes the class associations, together with manufacturers and MNAs, firm stakeholders in the Programme.
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To view the Conference schedule, submissions, and agendas… click here.

The Conference can be followed live on World Sailing’s Annual Conference Blog with live streaming available for the following:

• Sustainability Forum – Tuesday November 7
URL – https://youtu.be/ChLA7Rq8L9E

• Council including Council Symposium – Friday November 10
URL – https://youtu.be/XbVLiaqVppI

• Council – Saturday November 11
URL – https://youtu.be/jW0okGYWzBQ

• Annual General Meeting – Sunday November 12
URL – https://youtu.be/Sh1qcYY2fm4