Absolutely agree- so how do we fix it? My skipper/boat partner and I bought an F18 having never sailed cats before. We did it not because it was a cat, but because it is the best fleet of high performance boats in our area. My skipper comes from a 420-29er background, I come from a keelboat/laser background. We both sailed in college and still team race and sail small dinghies (I Frostbit an IC.... talk about slow!).

Having multihulls at the Youth Worlds Qualifier and at the US Sailing Youth Champs will help exposure.

In our fleet we make sure to attend multi-class regattas like Sail Newport and Hyannis to make sure we are a visible presence. We also try to take youth sailors out on our boats after racing. All local fleets should try to do the same.

The yacht club problem is a hard one to fix. There is not getting around the economics. That is why I think the development of skiff/multi sailors will be in a regional team atmosphere instead of "traditional" yacht clubs.