Are we eternally slow boaters?

Dear Curmudgeon: I was wondering if there are any major efforts to support and promote foiling sports in the United States or are we eternally slow boaters? It took decades before the country accepted multihulls, so I would hope we don’t wait that long to catch up to the rest of the world on the water. – Need for Speed

Dear Need: There may not be another sport like sailing in which demand shapes activity. You can pretty much do what you want, and if the Racing Rules of Sailing are not sufficient, they get changed. We suspect there is plenty of interest in foiling but there are some hurdles such as heightened cost, skill, and safety issues, plus foiling boats are not great in calm winds, high winds, and big chop/waves. The 2025 U.S. Singlehanded Championship did use the foiling WASZP to help expose people to a class that is enjoying significant international growth. The 8+ years of scholastic sailing has been a hurdle to introduce alternatives to young people, but the needle has been moving. However, compared to other countries, the USA is pretty big place which makes change harder. – The Curmudgeon