The high profile cat racing events (nationals, worrel 1000) are essentially open events, meaning no restrictions on the competitors (other then minimum weights). The organizors and the competitors would love it if the best cat racers in the world would attend resulting in a keen competition conducted at a high level of expertise) Everyone agrees with this philosophy (or you don't attend) and the issue of pro or amatur is irrelevant.
Other racers do not have the time, commitment or money to compete at this level. From their viewpoint, it is not a competition to go racing against these guys. Nevertheless, they want that same level of competition... all be it at a much lower level of profciency. This philosophy is a lot fuzzier, constantly shiffting and frequently difficult to pin down. The question is how do you meet this goal.
. How do you preserve these two levels of competition at your local club or regional regattas. Many yacht clubs choose to regulate the competitiors by not allowing advertising. (Many classes regulate competition by limiting the number of pro's driving and racing on the boat) This strategy preserves the competition level for their B fleet racers. Theycall this... maintaing a level playing field and preserving the participation of their members. If the A fleet pro's would like to compete they are welcome... they just need to take off the stickers. Low participation prevents dividing the fleets into A and B at most events.
I don't think we really know if mixing Pro's... ie sponsored sailors or sailors with advertising on the boat with your ordinary weekend racer is good or bad for cat racing. I have never heard a weekend racer refuse to compete against sailors with advertising.... ON the other hand, we don't seem to be attracting new racers who would start at the bottom and work their way up a fleet either. Perhaps there is a connection here.
One other point. Most regattas are now operating with little or no sponsorship.... Perhaps, sponsored teams... (Any advertising on the boat) should pay a premium for entering the regatta since without the event... their sponsor's dollars are wasted. (Flame suit on)
Mark Schneider
