"lots of people (myself included) were against BYOB"

But someone had to try it just to prove yea or nay, right?

There seem to be quite a lot of potentially good ideas listed by a variety of folk, and the novice would think an amalgam of them might turn out something grand.

Winning the Alter Cup means what?

Do they get to go on to something bigger?
Do they win some financial support for an Olympic or other campaign?
Does it give them "street cred" when talking to private sponsors?
Do they get a free spot in the next iteration of the event?
Is this award the Pinnacle of the Sport?


On the more nuts and bolts of the AC organizing, do the host sites (Yacht Clubs) bid on hosting the event? Does that bid include pro-forma?

Mike H - why would the spring be the best season for the Alter Cup? Isn't that the beginning of sailing season in most of the US (except southern, where it's near the end)?

Personally, I like the alternating Spin/Non-spin idea. It gives me two years to save up for the Cup (unless I sail both classes).

And if this Alter Cup is a service provided to the USS members, how much of my dues is contributed toward it? If another $10 per year was all it took to make the Alter Cup a cheap/free event for those top 10 qualifiers it would make a bit more sense to me (in terms of "what does USS do for my membership dollar?"), even knowing I'd probably never qualify myself.

Maybe it's my naieve "trickle down" theory, but if the Alter Cup (1) was an important award in a sailor's resume and (2) it wasn't financially prohibitive to seek this award, then the top guns would be out there sailing hard for it by attending regattas and feeder-events that I may actually be participating in. This might allow me to improve my skills a little more each of the few times I'm out...?

Personally, I can't say enough about how helpful and approachable most of the rock stars in the multihull universe are. Sure, they shouldn't tell me ALL of the secrets of speed (we all know it's TOTW anyway), but they're usually the first to help me troubleshoot a tactical situation, understand boat settings, etc.

To see them rewarded by a quality and affordable event like Alter Cup seems a worthy use of my membership dollar