Here's a couple of things that we are actively trying this year that we haven't done in the past to increase interest in our area (and some of it is showing promise).

1) Get the word OUT. Channels of communication aren't what they used to be and just knowing that there is a regatta coming doesn't cut it anymore. Embrace the Facebook generation. It sounds stupid to those of us were in high school while The Cars were making hits...I certainly used to think it was stupid...but it's not. We had two new boats show up at our regatta last week because of some of our publicity both on Facebook and putting some extra energy into our website. At that small regatta? That was a 15% increase in participation.

2) Schedule early - prompt early, push early. This one sounds kinda silly too but there's some truth to it. Not only is getting the word out important, but I'm really starting to believe that getting it out EARLY is critical to the fringe sailors. I've started pumping up events and making a roll call (yahoo conversation forum) three weeks or more in advance. Not only does this put you on the calendar but it shows interest and excitement and energy. It really does rub off.

3) There are x-boat sailors out there that either don't know about our organized activities or don't care. I plan to find out more this year. A couple of our sailors actively sell pieces parts and they touch base with a lot of cat sailors that we've never heard of. Bach was telling me that we would be surprised with how many of them are out there. We're going to find them and try to understand where their interests lie. From the outside, I'm pretty sure we look pretty damn intimidating now that we've been reduced to mostly serious sailors with the expensive shiny rigs.

4) Publicity. I just ordered 250 EMSA "hello" introductory business cards with our 2014 schedule on the back (actually, 500 because Vista Print tricked me). I'll be passing these out to all of our sailors at the next events and asking them to give to people that ask about our boats at the gas station and leave them with the people that have boats in their yards. Heck, just last week I just noticed that a guy down the street from me has THREE decent looking Hobie 16s in his driveway. If I can't get THAT guy out to a regatta, something is wrong.

5) Hobie Division 9. Mark Van Doren is striking up the old Hobie Division 9 that is what EMSA was before "the edict". Acting mostly alone, he has breathed life into the Hobie 16 in our area and is bringing boats to regattas. They're defining a Hobie circuit that partners with a couple of our official regattas. They're setting an example and hopefully the trend continues and we all benefit through increased participation.

There are a lot of factors involved that are contributing to our declining sport but, as organizers, we need to check our attitudes and make sure we're not sitting around shrugging our shoulders like a bunch of old farts. Times have changed. People communicate in different ways. Their needs are different. This isn't easy and the answers are not certain but we can improve the situation with a little effort. At the very least, there's little harm in trying a few different things.