Some were still ballasted for fresh water and were too light in the denser salt water. After the last race, we expected a large number of clones of our winning submarine, the FA U-Boat, and there were quite a few. It is the prevailing opinion that, to win, a submarine must be roughly cigar shaped, propellor driven, as small as possible and as ruggedly constructed as possible. The latter particularly refers to the drive train and the dive planes and rudder. None of the unusual submarines came close last race, although one placed in the runoffs, mostly by virtue of many others flunking out on safety tests, snagging buoys on preliminary runs, getting bubble buildup in the nose and doing Polaris missile imitations, etc.
Lets look at the requirements for entry.
The subs must be entirely human powered, by a single propulsor, most often peddling or pumping with the legs. The latter is in reference to the tried and true method of communication between propulsor and navigator. Safety is the name of this game. With a hoard of lawyers just waiting for a chance to sue for a sum like the national debt, no stone is left unturned for safety. Among the requirements for the ocean races which may be resumed in 1997, a strobe light on each sub must flash during the entire race.