Timbo
Are you saying that you personally will show up for a week long F16 NA's.... and a week long Formula regatta?
Fact of life... most sailors budget their time with their nationals as their top priority IF THEY CAN AFFORD THE TIME AND MONEY.
One of the issues with selling the US Alter cup championship is the Reply... You know... even if I won the qualifier... I would not participate because I want to go to my NA's or some class regional event.
Perhpas you should try to shape the F16 schedule to hit the existing big regional regattas and get the fleet together for a big three day weekend event plus your week long NA event.
Mark,
I think the point of this post was to look at getting the fleets to start working together to promote catamaran sailing. Hobie has long ago elected to head down a path of isolationism, and the A class rarely if ever is willing to get on the water with boats of any other make or style. The F18 and F16 classes are 2 of the more active classes left. We as sailors complain that there is no new blood, yet we continue down the same path. Larger “mega style” catamaran events or whatever you want to call them would at least allow for the possibility to generate more press, sponsorship and exposure to the public. If they do not know it exists, it is going to be hard to get people to participate.
I am a lot more motivated to schedule my time and money to head to an event with 100 boats than one with 20. (Nationals or not) More boats mean more money for the regatta to organize better events. It provides a much better opportunity for the organizing club to come out ahead and not lose money. A certain critical mass is required to afford production costs to have outside sponsorship, and media that can then reach out to the internet and the public. In the long run it means less total volunteers as there is 1 big event, as opposed to multiple little events held is separate locations.
Logistically there are things to work out as far as maintaining some of what we expect from the racing on the water. Where it can be arranged, maybe separate courses for the NA level races? If not, what are we really losing? I have never been at any race where there was not some obstacle “interfering “ with my getting around the course and “competing” against the other boats in my class. Sometimes it is boats of another class, sometimes it is a network of moored boats or crab pots. No matter what all competitors in the race have the same obstacles to avoid, so an argument on that destroying the quality of the event is a bit childish at best.
My view is we work together promoting the sport and cats and the class (all) will grow as a result, a lot faster than continuing to be separate and as openly antagonistic as a few of the current class leaders seem to be.
