OK, I'll bite on this one.

I've competed in at least a couple of qualifiers in Area E. I won't go out of my way to do it again as long as the qualifiers are raced handicap, since certain boats prevalent in this area have gift ratings (Inter 17/NACRA F17). With a wide range of DPNs, it's more often the boat/conditions that determine the winner, not the skill of the sailor. I'm not going to waste my precious regatta time tilting at windmills in a Hobie 16. My perception is that the whole event is skewed towards spinnaker boats, which may be the hot thing now, but do not represent the vast majority of catamaran racers in this country (and I've got the data to prove that).

While recently the finals may be considered a "success" (although having to resort to "invitees" to fill the available spots speaks otherwise), the regional qualifiers have been less than successful with few exceptions (most notably in the south east - coincidentally the core participants on this site).