Why not NAMSA
Because it would have duplicated the efforts of the Multihull Council within US Sailing.

The problem we face is in response to mandatory membership and forces us to ask the questions:
IS US SAILING serving it's Mission?
Are they doing the Admin jobs efficiently and professionally?
Do we multihull sailors have adequate input and access (given our membership and financial commitment).

Right now.. Multihull sailors would say No! US sailing is not serving it's mission. (see Olympic fiasco)

#2. The monohull world is evaluating how well US Sailing does the administrative job of the sport. Why? because they now want to charge a mandatory membership fee to race. The sailing anarchy crowd would argue... They do a poor job of this as admin job as well. BUT... few of the multihull crowd would actually KNOW. Matt Bounds and those in the Race Management business think they do a fair job of training. The Olympic cat crowd has had issues with Bodie and Brenner for years... so they would have a clear negative answer to this question.

#3) Finally, it comes down to the rank and file catamaran sailor... have they joined?, ... have they stepped up and served? Have they recognized the need for the administration of the sport beyond their narrow and immediate interest? It would seem that we do NOT do a good job of stepping up... most are not paying the dues (because in their opinion they don't get anything that they can see for their money) Most are not contributing time and effort at organizing the sport, at their fleet, club, Regional, Class, or National level. As Chaos said... we do a hell of a job bitching that someone else is screwing it up. (I haven't digested John W's latest comments though)

Yes it is true... we could step up and create a new organization and operate like the Ice boaters or even the US Windsurfing organization... but we won't... We usually act like spoiled kids... hell ... we can't event manage a pissing contest between Hobie and Non Hobie catamaran regattas.

The Olympics issue is dead. we lost. Our representatives did a great job in the 11th hour and we thank them.

The immediate focus is... and must be... How do you deal with the bad feelings of this mandatory membership on top of the Olympic fiasco?

Most importantly... how do we deal with the effect on turnout of the casual racer at a regatta. The US Sailing policy will effect the marginal racer and any catamaran sailor who is pissed off like Bill V.

For example, in Div 11, the Wildwood regatta has drawn upwards of 20 or 30 Hobie 16's who only come to this one regatta a year. They come for the good ol regatta party ... If the entry required $40 US Sailing and $40 in Hobie Class dues these causal sailors will not show up. Do we care? Does the host club care? How doe we manage this?

IMO. The Yacht Clubs have an identical stake as the multihull sailors in this issue (eg growth of the sport and participation at club events. We need to affiliate and follow their lead. My organization of yacht clubs, CBYRA evaluated this issue and said... It's going to happen... lets manage it.. I would have preferred they fight it out. But, ... I want the sport to continue in my area and we have to evaluate the fundamental issue. Do the Yacht Clubs in my area support Catamaran Racing. The answer is an overwhelming Yes! Therefore, I will encourage everyone to follow the Yacht club programs as a practical matter and set aside the rightness or wrongness issues.

I think that the Olympics and Gran Prix sailing can be viewed as an entirely different issue now. In the US... they USSA does not want to support this level of the sport, We do not need to suck up to the ISAF and US SAILING mafia if we develop our sport independently. For example… the iSHAREs cup seems to be growing quite nicely. So… I think we should work outside of the MNA organization to have a multihull in the Olympics and do this completely separately from ISAF and US Sailing.... I will support the pro sailors when they get organized and ask the International Olympic committee for a slot in the games separately from ISAF.

Mark Schneider