ISMA News International 6mJI Association

Dear friends of the 6mJI Class,

we enjoyed a summer as rarely before. The sun, the wind, the lovely sea and lakes compensated us for the cold and wet spring. Hopefully all of you had the time to spend days on your yachts, either for a local trophy, for a national championship or even for leisure sailing.

Again we have to thank all the Yacht Clubs, their teams on shore and on the water, having us raced in superb conditions and arranged perfect courses…….not always, but mostly.

We lived also a novelty at the Annual General Meeting 2013 that was held in the rooms of the Flensburger Segel Club. It was not only discussed about the future of our Class. More than this a team of engagd sailors decided to work out a questionnaire that could help us to find the direction and decisions we should take to continue to be a lively Class. Please do have a look at this special chapter, do either answer the questionnaire available on site www.6metre.ch or do answer the questionnaire on paper and send it to the ISMA secretary.

When this issue is published the first questionnaires have been sent back. The ISMA board hopes to get a good response. If you did not answer yet, please do it as soon as possible. You will find in this issue some interesting comments on the 4th rule proposed also.

We lived another novelty. Now it´s clear to all of us, that we sail in classic boats, some are more classic than others, but finally they are all classic. The 34th America´s Cup let us understand, that the future of sailing is flying the boats! We have to congratulate both teams from USA and New Zealand for the spectacular event they offered us in the bay of San Francisco. Never has been presented sailing in such a professional way and we have also to admire the virtual presentations that finally helped for a perfect communication on TV. This was also the reason for the late issuing this ISMA news.

For me personally the question is still open who we could win to get more support to our Class? I fear that we as a 6mJI family will have to support ourselves.

The 2013 World Cup in the Flensburger Förde was the best example for a fantastic "self made" event.

Oliver Berking and his team, but also the sponsor BMW and the Flensburger Segel Club offered some spectacular days to all of us. First of all they organized best summer weather, then the World Cup was peppered with superb social events, mainly in the impressive yard of Oliver Berking in Flensburg.

We must be aware that the 2013 World Cup cannot be the model for next international Championships. We do not find in any place a sponsor like Oliver Berking. The entry fee itself is covering a very small part of what has been offered to the sailors. Please do submit your entry also for races that are organized in a more modest way.

Finally we go there for sailing and meeting friends. The year comes soon to an end. Please do accept my best wishes for a Happy New Year. Good health, a lot of nice hours spent with your family and hopefully successful business will open you the door for more sailing also in 2014, when we will have the Europeans in Falmouth and a lot of other local races. Do prepare your boat in time and plan your crew……….they are more important than new sails.

Beat Furrer
ISMA President and news editor