Before anyone else mentions it, I had a NASCAR boat. Not because I was a pro, but because I needed to find a creative way to buy a new boat that I otherwise couldn't afford. I was new to Hobie Cats, and everyone welcomed me with open arms.

It's now 11 years later, I'm on my third brand new boat, and I've spent an inordinate amount of time giving back to the sport over the years. I'm biased, but I'd like to think that my having sponsors all those years ago was a positive.

As for others, I've seen plenty of cats with sponsors, notably the distance racers. I actually think it adds an element of prestige to the general public (hey, those guys must be GOOD!)... <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

There are also a handful of boats with one or two small sponsors, which have always been welcomed, and I've never heard any complaints about it at Hobie regattas.

In my opinion, we're not really in a position to turn away boats just because they have stickers on them. Yacht clubs may choose to go that route, more power to them, but I don't think it does us any favors.

Mike