A number of Q&As regarding the application of the 3-kite-quiver rule have been published.
https://www.kiteclasses.org/equipment/faq
From when will the 3-kite-quiver rule be applied
Any class rule change required World Sailing approval or an per-event-approval by World Sailing. The formal World Sailing approval is not expected before May 2025.
However, World Sailing has approved the change for the competitions in Palma, Hyeres and the Formula Kite Europeans in May.
Competitors can expect that the 3-kite-quiver class rule change will be in place for all major events starting with application to the Gold fleet.
For which events will the 3-kite-quiver rule apply
The 3-kite-quiver rule (once approved by World Sailing) will apply ONLY at the events listed in the class rule change (major classic regattas, major senior class championships) or when the Notice of Race so states.
Will the 3-kite-quiver rule be applied for other competitions than the ones listed in the class rules
This is up for discussion. In the mid-term it is to be expected that the 3-kite-quiver rule will be applied at all senior competitions. This may be through a subsequent class rule change or the Notice of Race for each event.
It is important to note that several national associations have already indicated to apply the rule at national level.
Will the 3-kite-quiver rule be applied for youth competitions
This is currently under discussion. An update will be provided in time before the next class youth championship.
Initial considerations indicate that the rule may be applied for the girls fleet to avoid the purchase of additional equipment (youth vs senior competitions), however for the boys fleet four kites may continue to be used with the XS kite serving as safety coverage.
How will the scoring work for the 3-kite quiver rule
The current intention (communicated to Palma and Hyeres and drafted for the Europeans NoR) is to score everyone on 3-kite-quiver in front of everyone on 4-kite-quiver. For the gold fleet this is obvious (as the requirement to make the gold fleet cut is to be on 3-kite-quiver), and the silver fleet will then be split into silver-3 and silver-4. They will race together, but scored separately.
Example: a competitor that sails on a 3-kite quiver and does not make gold fleet, will continue to race on a 3-kite-quiver (therefore no need to still have a 4th kite) but will be scored ahead of everyone in the silver fleet on a 4-kite-quiver. This avoids being disadvantaged once the split into gold and silver is applied and encourages the fleet to go on a 3-kite-quiver by default.
Updated Q&As
A number of previously published Q&As have been updated to reflect the most recent changes in class rules.
Importantly, for the upcoming competitions of this year, the Executive Committee recommends that replacements of kites at all events (including Europeans and Worlds) may be made with any other kite in the same range. This includes kites registered in the previous quad.
Any equipment listed on the registered series production lists is eligible to be used in competition until the end of 2025.
