Jake, I think you are correct... your EMSA scheduling process is probably just right for the region. It sounds like each year you sailors take into account the number of events and the number of sailors. You make the call on the fun factor for each event and the local sailors do their thing.... you guys get the critical mass that works for you...
The local sailors can't get critical mass for Spring Fever
The issue is that the non EMSA fleet failed to show up in numbers.
The problem is.... There is no structure to manage this...
Contrast the Hobie MWE crew with Spring Fever crew...
Who Does Mr Ernie call from each class? Does he need to contact the regional class leaders? Does Mr Ernie even call anyone.... or does he just happily assume that if you build it... they will come. Does Mr Ernie even care what the fleets and classes are up to.. He could think that all that he needs is the email list from the last few years to rally the troops. He just needs to put the web site up a bit earlier... (really???)
Meanwhile... it sounds like the MWE guys have been trying to contact everyone they could... SINCE LAST YEAR and not getting support or clear answers.
The problem is larger then EMSA... and it is larger then the Spring Fever crew or the MWE crew can manage as well.
Chris W.... I wouldn't use the Soprano analogy... I prefer something more sinister... how about the Tri Lateral commission!
EMSA doesn't have enough active sailors to keep Spring Fever alive alone. I would say that all of our active sailors (except one pair who had a conflict) signed up in force. Our regattas have been in decline over the last 12 years as well and a good regatta for us is 15-20 boats.
You are hitting on some of the same points as brucat and I think this is probably the single most valuable thing that we can do is get the classes to come together to talk strategy. There could be some positive impact if we did manage to combine efforts and combine events. I'm not sure if that's doable or not.
