Hi Mary, I will try to answer your questions if you promise not to ask questions about those answers!
Yes, we ask competitors if they used their headsails. This works fine because sailing is a Corinthian sport and people agree to sail fairly (see part one of the RRS, rules 2 and 3). Carol has the ratings all set in the computer and quickly computes the results as the boats finish. People pack up the boats and enjoy the provided "lunch" (sometimes it is pretty late) and keg as the rest finish and the results are completed. Then we give out the awards which includes every competitor and, yes, EACH participant gets an award. Why shouldn't they? They EACH had something to do to make the event successful. BTW, we also give EACH volunteer something for helping for the same reason.
Besides what Matt mentioned we also have had cloth frisbees that fold up in your pocket and can be used indoors yet fly surprisingly well and we have had drink Koozies; both items have had some sort of RTB logo on them. The knife sets that Matt mentioned came in wooden boxes that were laser engraved with the RTB logo also. People were shocked to each get a set. That's the best way to shock people at a race event!
We have always charged a modest fee even when OCRA encouraged all the organizers to make the events free one year. Like you, I disagree with the free idea - If people will attend only if the event is free then they are probably not the people we want at the event. We have to be sure people take this seriously because there is always the possibility that someone could get into serious trouble out on Lake Erie. We have had some really serious wind blowing offshore and the Canadian shoreline is a long way off! As for what we will do when the money runs out - Don't know, don't care. We will address that when the time comes. For now, we concentrate on doing better with what we have to work with. Carol keeps very detailed notes on every aspect of the event and we review what went right and what went wrong after each one and document that. We know that memories get pretty selective and you can quickly forget important details, especially unhappy ones.
Our old Fleet 400 foots the bills for losses. We do not refer to it that way anymore because of the Hobie class's edicts. There are so few key people left running these events in all of Ohio that (just my opinion) we probably are close to the end of the regatta era. Division Ten fizzled out years ago and that trend continues - without OCRA there would have been little or no cat racing in OHIO for many years now; So we don't worry about when the money runs out. But that trend is a different thread.
BTW, I appreciate Matt's comments about T shirts - I have drawers full of the things and cannot give them away fast enough (I have several just from giving blood). The last thing a sailor needs is another T-shirt. I do not know why so few regatta organizers understand that which is why we try to give them other ideas. Just keep an eye on bargains that that come along all year long and think to yourself, "Hey, now that would make a neat regatta award" and then act on it! Also, find out what fleet members can do and start early. Too bad Rick did not come over last year - then you could see for yourself what he could have had - I'll bet you would have thought the multi-colored wood handled knives were pretty cool not to mention the box they came in. The women could give the knives away if they wanted to and keep the box for jewelry or such.
O.K., enough on this. What is cool is that we get all these different kinds of boats on the same course at the same time, almost like an in the water boat show where you get a good idea of their strengths and weaknesses in the bargain. Then you come in and talk, eat, drink, brag, commiserate, encourage, congratulate, and celebrate another fun (and exhausting) sailing adventure. Come try it this year!
Mike
