Mary,
I disagree with your position here.
"First of all, it is not often that we have a World Championship in the United States, and when we do have one, I think everyone who has one of those boats (or can charter one) should be there."
There should be qualifications/requirements met to attend a World Championship event. To "just be a boat owner" allows sailors who don't know the sailing rules or who do not have very sharp skills to sail in a major event. These sailors frequently ruin a start or a heat for a serious contender because they do not know the basic racing rules. Sailors who don't know how to sail well and do not know the racing rules should not be on the race course at a World Championship event. Sailors should have to "qualify" to enter a National Championship or higher skill level event. If this isn't the case, then the event itself is compromised and some serious contender might have their chances for a top position ruined by some dumb bunny who doesn't know the rules and caused an accident they didn't even know they were causing. This is why in most classes there are "qualifications, requirements to meet" for a competitor to be allowed to sail in a National Championship or higher event.
All we have to do is look at how older, more experienced, classes hold World Championship events. Look at how the Olympic classes do it. They have been through the school of hard knocks and we can learn from them.
Bill