imho USSA should focus on those few activities that require national scope and ignore everything else to keep costs low.
What USSA should do:
1) Represent the USA at the international level. The primary purpose of this representation should be to policially constrain the power of IYRU.
2) Assure that a common set of rules are used across the country(this was why NAYRU was founded, originally each area had its own set of rules)
3) Provide trained appeals judges.
That's it. I think USSA should be able to accomplish this with a staff of 2 and a budget of <$1M.
What USSA should NOT do:
1) Run any regattas (including championships). Regattas are run by clubs and sanctioned by classes. By sponsoring regattas USSA is in direct conflict with its own constituents. The USSA ladder events are pale imitations of the real championships most competitors care about such as the <insert classs here> National Championships.
2) Teach sailing. Clubs and classes have great training programs. Once again USSA is competing with its own constituents, and doing a comparatively poor job of it.
3) Create a unified schedule. This is (and should be) a class and/or YRA issue.
4) Fund any sailors or sailing events out of membership dues. This includes ladder events, olympic events, olympic sailors, handicapped sailors, etc. If USSA wants to establish a seperately funded subsidiary that's fine, just don't use the dues or any facilities/equipment that is derived from dues. I find it offensive a mandatory tax I pay to race sailboats is used to pay other people to race sailboats.
5) Train judges and/or race committees (this should be the job of the YRA).
6) Fund the development of a handicaping system. The VPP/IMS/Americap debacle was disgraceful. USSA using hundreds of thousands of extorted dollars to purposely undercut establshed classes.
From Sailing Anarchy and written by a big boat sailor in my region whom I have great respect for.
I like his proposal. This would mean...
No Alter qualifiers or championships.
No Olympic coaches on the payroll
No Olympic class regattas.... Leave that up to the International class to organize.
No Junior Olympic /ISAF qualfying regattas. Again. leave it up to the international class to manage.
No funding for the Portsmouth System. (See RYA proposal)
No group policy for insurance to run regattas. (marketplace solutions no need for ussa sanctioned)
No group policy for charters (leasing or purchasing)
It would shift the emphasis to your RSA and club.
Under these circumstances... I would be happy to be a mandatory member for a nominal fee.
Then it would shift the work load to your RSA which will have to address the administrative issues of the sport in a manner that you could effect locally. These costs would be addressed locally and probably with mandatory membership fee.
I would be happy to pay
US Sailing 5 to 10 bucks for these services (mandatory to race)
RSA (CBYRA in my case) for 45 bucks (mandatory to race) The RSA trains judges, trains RC, certificaton of junior sailing instuctution organizes schedule, maintains regional highpoints, runs the appeals process. place to go to have rc fixed. Yacht club and individual membership based. Membership enforced at the Yacht Club level ... when you want to race in your region ... you join.
Other fees,
Class dues Purpose to allow the class to run national and mid winter championships and what ever else they want to do..
Handicap fleet membership dues... (Not all racing is one design... this would support a handicap rating system of your choosing PHRF, Portsmouth or SCHRS what ever your region uses)
Club dues /Regatta fees
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