Devil's Advocate
Okay, since I'm not a fan of racing (other than that it helps segregate the hyperactive into places where they're less likely to hurt us), let me take the devil's side on this one. There are 2 basic philosophies in any type of racing, including automobiles as mentioned: you can make everyone use identical machines and call it a test of the pilot or you can allow variations in the machines to test technical innovation. The world of auto racing has become terminally boring because they've managed to squeeze out all variation in the cars; we won't get to see hybrid or rotary engines and different aerodynamic pieces raced against each other, so the technology takes a back seat (in a technology-driven sport!).The Maxis are making use of the current new ideas in sail technology, such as canting keels, complex fibers, multihulls, and ballast transfer (which are, by the way, still pretty conservative innovations). Is there no room in the sport for some racing to be a showcase for new technology? Do they really need to dumb it all down every time so the Maxi's won't have an unfair rating over you guys in the Pearson 30's? Cut'em some slack, you might be able to crank up a canting keel on a 35-footer, but on the 70-footers power assist is called for. All of these boats are owned by rich guys who know what rules they want to play by among themselves, so just let them be...