Whats the purpose of the silver fleet? What kind of license do you have to buy to race? And why do the Dutch specifically have to buy one?
It is all part of a power struggle between the Dutch national organisation for cat sailors and the official Dutch Sailing Federation. The cat sailors are by vast majority not a member of the official national sailing association KNWV (like US sailing) and have formed a long time ago their own organisation (over 30 years ago) together with two other unrepresented groups; NFB. Basically, the KNWV didn't want to have us back then and so we went our own way. Now the KNWV is trying to bring back these renegates into the fold. So they struck a deal with the Texel organisation and other officially recognized classes (like F18) that each racers needs to present an officially sanctioned KNWV racing-license when entering. Basically it is a trick to have cat sailing pay dues to the KNWV. But of course when push comes to shoove the representative at Estoril voted against the Tornado class. We are good for the money but nothing else.
The coastal clubs (85% of all cat sailing in NL) luckily are keeping the KNWV out of there events and clubs so for those you don't need any "racing-license".
About this Texel silver fleet; well there is a sizeable group of sailor that couldn't care less about any "racing-license" and certainly not for a single event per year. In order to NOT kill off Round Texel economically they made a loophole and that is the silver fleet, you don't need a KNWV racing license to participate in that fleet.
Personally, I'm all for an alternative Round Texel event, back to the roots, where the normal sailor is again the focus of the event and you don't have to put pay (combined) hunderds of Euro's for a starting permit, racing license, glass of beer etc and still have to stick scored of sponsor stickers to your hulls and sails.
Next weekend one of those old NFB sanctioned events is coming up again. The NAM-REM race, almost as long as the Round Texel, entry fee 50 bucks, food incl. for another 10 bucks, beer 1.25 a glass. Have a good time for under 100 Euro's and get to do the bouyracing on sunday as well. About 100 boats participating.
Wouter
