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It's great to see the Moth doing well in the UK.
But I must take issue with your points. Those are UK figures, and in the UK most dinghies are NOT declining as you claim. Far from it - the Yachts and Yachting figures of national title attendances* shows that counting all classes of boat, overall national title attendance has climbed 20% since 1998. A steady 20% increase is NOT a decline, no matter how you measure it.
Seven years after it was launched, the Laser had a fleet of over 52,000 boats.
About 10+ years after the first commercially-viable kitesurfer was launched, there were about 200,000 kitesurfers.
Very few,if any, other technological revolutions in sailing have ever offered such potential to drastically increase speed and performance in general.
Interesting poll and discussion here:
Australian Moth Class Association :: View topic - Foil development, are we done ?
Address:http://www.moth.asn.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1187
Scott said he stopped once on the last day to clear a foil, but no one else commented. Scott may well have picked up something from the bottom in the shallows close to shore, I have done that at St George in the past.
All other races were further out on the lake. There was some floating weed and there always seemed to be a few strands on the fin when we come ashore, but I think that mostly it gets washed off the fins as the boat rises and drops. Surface floating weed never gets near the lifting foils.
Phil S