Background
When the first Wayfarer World Championship appeared on the horizon in the early 70‘s it became obvious that we would need to standardize Wayfarer Class Rules and their interpretations. Hence the birth of the Wayfarer International Committee (WIC).

The Committee was formed with the expressed aim of maintaining the one-design character of the Wayfarer worldwide, so that it would remain a simple, multi-purpose dinghy, suitable for both racing and cruising.
 

Present Committee

At present the WIC consists of six voting members. 

Our National Class Associations each have one respresentative on the WIC.

The interests of the Copyright Holders (Ian Proctor Designs Ltd.) are also represented.

The Rules & Technical reps from each NCA are also non-voting members who are necessary to most of our discussions, and myself, the International Secretary. Sadly, none of us gets paid!

For the current list of WIC contacts, click here.
 

How does the WIC affect you?

So you think the Wayfarer should get with it and have a trapeze?! To try to effect a change in the Wayfarer Class Rules, such as the above, you should first approach your National Class Association‘s Executive Committee with your brilliant plan.

If they support your proposal, your WIC rep would circulate the suggestion and its rationale to the other WIC members, to solicit input from the other National Class Associations (NCA's) and the Copyright Holders.

By mid-October your NCA would submit its official proposal (which may be an amended version of the original) to the Secretary of the WIC, who would send it out to the WIC Representatives of the other NCAs for consideration at their AGMs.

To be ratified, your proposal must get at least 2/3 of the votes cast by the WIC. Voting rights are related to the size of an NCA‘s membership, and the Copyright Holder gets a number of votes equal to 10% of the total voting powers of the NCAs.
 

Communication is the key

Over the years I have grumbled as much as the next person at other NCA's and seemingly inexplicable rule changes. I was, for instance, severely under-amused when my mast was suddenly declared illegal in 1976 when mast rules appeared in radically different form in the latest Class Rules. The change was total news to the North American Wayfarers!

Which brings me to what I feel is the best function we of the WIC can perform - to communicate in the same friendly manner from one NCA to another, the way we all do as one Wayfarer to another. And the good news is that this is being done all around.

Happy Wayfaring to all,

Al Schönborn
W3854 SHADES