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The Offshore Committee has one of the widest briefs within ISAF. They are charged with promoting offshore racing by assisting and providing services to all organizations involved, setting criteria for designation by ISAF as International or Recognized Rating Systems and Offshore Classes. They approve the Offshore Special Regulations on behalf of the ISAF Council and monitor the activity of all elements of Offshore racing.

Covering such a large range of boats, events, disciplines and sailors, TOLHURST acknowledges it is, 'A real challenge to create a consensus'. For him a key question is, 'How do I get everyone working together?'

In the President's Report on the first day of Council meetings, ISAF President Göran PETERSSON (SWE) had challenged, 'We have the many evolving and exciting disciplines of the sport - kite sailing and single-handed offshore sailing. How is ISAF going to support these areas?' It is a challenge TOLHURST is also keen to face up to and he explained his Committee are 'getting stuck in the single-handed issue'.

Offshore Ranking

One area TOLHURST was keen to expand upon was a potential database of offshore sailors around the world. He explained this would simplify the process for creating crew lists. In future he speculated that it could even lead to an offshore sailor ranking list.

The offshore calendar is also an area where TOLHURST in focusing his energies. The Committee are working towards a more unified calendar together with the organizers of the major offshore events. The Committee are also planing to develop a system to generate a model Notice of Race for offshore events.

In all the work the Committee, TOLHURST stressed he applied one crucial question, 'Every decision we take is looking at how do we promote the sport'.

Meetings Microsite

The ISAF Meetings microsite - www.sailing.org - contains the Agendas, Supporting Papers and Submission from past meetings, 1997 to date. Via the online Minutes Archive you can access all past minutes of ISAF Committee Meetings from 1993 to date.

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