I have been in the class since 2001 and from my perspective, we've seen steady growth. Different areas seem to have growth spurts at different times and some areas the boats just don't seem to catch on for whatever reason (Florida panhandle a good example).

In terms of positive growth, the Pacific northwest, a resurgence on the west coast, the Annapolis area, and most recently the Tampa Bay area have been shining stars. In terms of regatta attendance, the NAC gets good attendance when it is more centrally located even though the strong growth of attendance for the midwinters and the recent WC seems to blow that theory (the venue in Islamorada is a strong pull).

This year we had 110 paid up members in the US class association. Over 100 sailors took part in the US district qualifying series that was used to start seeding out the allocations for the WC. Times are good, I hope we can keep the momentum going and keep sales up for our excellent builders and suppliers (Hall Spars, Morelli and Melvin, Vectorworks, Guck, Inc)in this country.

Bob Hodges
USACA