One more try. Then I'm done.

"Only Wave owners may hold office or be on the rules committee." I presume you meant only IWCA members ..."

"That way, most folks come to the Nationals and pay their dues, so everyone is there and paid up." Not everyone Rick. But if the IWCA has 40 members total, a guess but I have asked and got no answer, then their memberships all expire on 15 November. So the twenty people who turn up for the Nationals are those who get to vote and the rest of us can ... well whatever.

So the general membership can debate and discuss on this forum and come to a consensus, of sorts, as to what should happen, about tiller extensions or pink anodized rear crossmembers or whatever, and then their memberships expire and a dozen people who go to the Nationals and attend the meeting vote and decide? Maybe you could ask those people who are voting whether their boats have EZ-Locs. Bet you there aren't three.

At any rate here are the questions, again, about the politics of getting tiller extensions approved:

How long will it take to convene a rules committee and discuss the proposed change? How many people are expected to be at the Nationals? How many people are in the IWCA and therefore eligible to vote?

The bylaws contain:

4. Meetings:
a. At least one annual meeting shall be held on the first night of the US Nationals. In the absence of a US Nationals, the meeting will be held at the discretion of the class president.
i. Special meetings may be held from time to time and can be done electronically with 15 days notice (web site posting).

and:

5. Committees
a. Rules committee - Shall consist of a Rules chairman, Chief measurer, and an Event coordinator.
i. The purpose of this committee:
1. Is to monitor the class rules.
2. Propose rule changes to the membership, as they feel necessary.
3. Solicit national and international event locations.
4. Make temporary rule changes as the situation arises.

So if we, meaning the IWCA membership, wanted to we could promulgate the rules changes, already done by Don; have an electronic vote; and then the Rules Committee could make a temporary rules change and people could try out the tiller extension without fear of being protested.

Charles Smith
IWCA Member
Sail Number 103 "Sploosh" (named by my granddaughter)