Mark, you can say it all you want, but you can't MAKE us like handicap racing. There are those of us who HATE it, or will only tolerate it for 1-2 races a year. Why can't you accept that and work to promote racing of all types rather than shove this crap down our throats in every thread you come across?
37 Hobie 16As at Madcatter. Nuff said.
Mike
And the rest of the madcatter story... 50 Hobie 16's (outstanding!)
1 Hobie 20
1 FX1
7 Tigers
The Madcatter has an international rep for a great party, demonstrated record of hospitality...
Held on the most popular weekend of the year to run a regatta,
the best in one design hobie racing etc etc etc.
bottom line at madcatter
The North East Hobie 17 fleet ... gone.
The mid atlantic Hobie 18 fleet ... gone.
East Coast Hobie 20 fleet ... gone.
Hobie Tiger fleet ... hanging in there
Question?
What's missing?
Why do I bust your balls time and time again?
Because I have watched the decline for 20 years and I refuse to accept the status quo.
All you say is... we hate handicap... we love one design... So, more one design racing is the solution.
When faced with the attendance facts... not just at madcatter but at all of the big regattas, I would say that this approach year after year is insane!
I argue that the problem is no competition in small fleets...Either one design or open class. No amount of great party will solve this fundamental problem. I assert that a small fleet does not deliver the goods because you do not have much competition and the racing does not give people what they are looking for. So... we are loosing the casual racers .... the guys who do one or two regattas a year on old boats with new crews. These guys used to go to the big events.
Sure... the hard core guys don't want to compromise their racing experience and tolerate handicap racing... I got it.. I understand it. They are the ones running the show,
You are speaking for them... great! But, If we don't change course now and modify the structure of the racing... we will crater a bunch of fleets and loose sailors who by their very nature of choosing to stay in a small class are not likely to be hard core OD racers.
I think the game is about keeping them racing.
I will say it again... The Europeans don't seem to worry about handicap detracting from their racing.... they seem to just go racing in big starts with like boats grouped together, Then they score it out on handicap and OD, elapsed, masters, etc etc.
The EU guys keep the races large (handicap) so that you can always be racing somebody... you don't get marginalized into a 5 boat fleet which craters in short order when people loose interestThe more small fleets you have... the more last place finishers you have and little chance to escape the bottom.
That's my reasoning and I am sticking to it.
