Hi Peter

While I hope you are right.... You have a very community based access program which is focused on cat sailing as a lifetime activity.... You report on 6 or so kids who are into racing. (Kudos to your region's commitment and success!)

You are one of three programs that people have voluntereed info on.... not exactly a wide foundation of junior cat sailing in the country.

When I look at the regatta scene.... I am guessing 10 or 12 kids who are regularly sailing with parents or friends of parents in areas like Area C, (Hobie Div 11.... might have 25 different kids at events on 16's and 18's over the year.)

Hobie NA keeps track of kids participation at nationals... but doesn't deal with the grass roots stuff at the division and fleet levels. So... it's hard to get a number on the number and ages of kids in the various fleets.

If the average age of a cat sailor is close to 45 or 50...
We might not have all that many of our own kids.... much less kids who get hooked sailing.

What I am coming to understand is that I may be overestimating the number of junior racers and interest out there. (certainly no interest in an east coast CISA program)

We lost the only stand alone jr cat regatta on the chesapeake this year...to my dismay... the interest in replacing the event has been underwhelming. Div 11 did not schedule any jr only races this year. They have opted for a grant program to get individual kids to worlds and national events and that is the program.

I am really surprised that more regions don't have any catsailor forum members who step and say.... "OH... we do XXX for our junior sailors, we have YY who are at fleet events over the year and this is our program."