This has gotta be one of the most pitiful things I've ever read. It's all about greed, and I for one am ashamed of those behind it. Otherwise reasonable people, some of whom I've had the privelage to personally meet, who are driven by the bottom line. How sad.

It sort of reminds of so many long forgotten jr. high and high school cliques. You can't be part of our group, unless you're just like us.

At Bald Eagle regattas, we have always welcomed our "open class brothers and sisters" with open arms. Maybe someone with more history than me can speak as to whether or not any of them were converts. I have made some of the best friends of my life through this sport, and I'm a relative newcomer myself, as I've only been at this since 1998. I'm still not nearly the competitor I'd like to be, but no one ever turned me away when I was dead last on the most delapitated Hobie 16 that you've ever seen. How many other things have I been part of where if you didn't measure up, you were ostracized and shunned. Now some people are trying to tell us we should act like the worst of the worst from our jr and sr high school memories. Talk about pathetic!

As I sit and write this, and think of some my open class friends who I'm supposedly now supposed to shun, it leaves a sick feeling in my gut.

Our club is having its regatta in a new location this year, which we are very excited about. One of the things I am personally very excited about it is that we will once again have the opportunity to plant a seed in an area of our fine state where there was once many catamaran regattas, including several open class regattas. As Commodore of the Bald Eagle Yacht Club (seperate and distinct from Hobie Fleet 52, of which I am not speaking for), I look forward to spreading my love of this sport to another part of Minnesota. We will find a way to be welcoming to anyone with a sailboat that floats, with or without NAHCA. If they think that I for one will have anything to do with turning anyone away, they can guess again, or better yet, they can fly out here to Minnesota and do there own dirty work of being unwelcoming to an enthusiastic newcomer!

How sad that they would think for even a moment that they could ask us to turn people away on their behalf. Hobie Cat Company, I still love ya, but I'm ashamed of you, and you should be ashamed of yourself. There are other ways to increase the sales of Hobies, and to make racing a better experience. I suggest you go back to your marketing classes and figure out what those methods are.

Respectfully,


Tim D. Johnson
Commodore, Bald Eagle Yacht Club
White Bear Lake, MN