Each event on your list probably has a unique reason why it fell short - but I think you hit on it earlier at some point in that long thread. I've thought a good bit about this and I think it boils down to two related words: Outreach and Conversation. If you look back 10 years at the events that are struggling now, key people were very engaged in the national conversation around sailing and they don't seem to be as involved as they used to be on that level. I'm not placing ANY fault here...life, time, money, (thanks Jay) all get in the way. I also think that some of it is cyclical as the organizational energy transfers from old to new and I see some new that is ready to pick up and run.

I see the future unfolding two ways. The first one is a controlled method, the second is letting human nature take it (but with some risk).

1) For the big events to pick back up, they need to have conversations with the classes and other organizations about what they can do to be more accommodating and/or attractive to the classes/organizations. Through that, we will likely reforge some relationships and realize a slight reduction in the overall number of events. More partnership and a little rejuvenated energy will result and we'll get things back on track.

2) The other way this goes, is that we keep plodding along until enough events die that some of the new blood gets bored with having nothing to do and injects some excitement with something new once enough event death has occurred. There's risk in this option, however, because the newer folks might not be excited enough (or have enough free time) to pick up that big torch.