Hi Rick and all of the prospective organizers.
I don’t want to be a reactive nay sayer and I am certainly not opposed to NAMSA in principle but before a constitution is developed… I think that we need to develop a consensus on What would be its mission. What goals or objectives would the NAMSA organization work towards.
I believe that people are reacting to NAHCA politics and emerging policies. We should not simply create another organization that is NOT NAHCA with out carefully considering the consequences. I posed some questions that people might find useful in defining their own self-interest here.
Please feel free to offer your point of view on any topic below that you feel is a vital goal for NAMSA. Please raise other issues for consideration. Perhaps we can generate a major self interest in creating a working organziation.
Do we need an organization to speak to US Sailing?
Do we need an organization to run national championship events?
Do we need greater coordination on scheduling in regions? Nationally,?
Do we need someone to run the handicap system?
Does the fact that Hobie Fleets organize and put on the vast majority of cat racing in the US and are a monopoly for in many areas help or hurt Cat racing?
Has NAHCA mucked up the cat racing so badly with their actions that we have a compelling reason to bail out of this structure and create NAMSA?
Have Hobie Fleets responded to NACHA directives… now guidelines in ways that hurt Cat Racing?
Should NAMSA form and try to compete with NAHCA for membership and clout in response to NAHCA policy?
Should NAMSA try to run buoy’s regattas along side of the NAHCA regattas?
So… Here is the question for all Hobie Sailors who are considering NAMSA are you better off trying to change NAHCA over time or saying screw you and creating a new organization? (Obviously Open class sailors don’t care about NAHCA nor do the true believers of current NAHCA policy)
What mission is there for an association of one-design classes? What “mutual help” is needed here?
What mission is there for an association of multihull clubs like CRAC, CRAM, etc?
Do US Sailors in Performance or Hobie One design classes feel that they have effective control over their class? If they do should they build another one design organization under the NAMSA umbrella?
Do they feel that following the international class rules is helpful or harmful to the health of their class in the US and NAMSA would be the organization to effect change?
Do US sailors sailing dead boat society boats need an online-based class structure to vote on updating their class rules… IE Nacra 5.5 sloops updating to formula 18. Perhaps voting on allowing additional sail makers.
Should NAMSA advise US SAILING Portsmouth committee on what the “approved Class measurements” actually are (which is the underlying theoretical basis for all Portsmouth numbers)?
Should NAMSA advise US Sailing on Portsmouth numbers that should be frozen because they are not actively raced and the rating will not represent the boats performance?
Do the leaders in the new Formula 16 18 and 20 classes need to agree on general guidelines, racing events and codify these agreements within NAMSA?
Do we need an organization to interact with the larger cruising multihull classes?
Do we need to reconcile MASF, Chesapeake Cruising multihull, Portsmouth, PMA and PHRF rating systems for all kinds of mulithull racing?
Do we need to sponsor training of mulithull oriented PRO’s and judges within the US SAILING structure?
Do we need to create a Junior Olympic program on our own? Work with US SAILING.
Do we need a national policy of trying to move our racing away from NAHCA run events and to local Yacht clubs (like the rest of the sailing world)?
Do we have a problem with how NACHA and Performance organize their class? I.e. elections, representation, initiatives pursued by the classes. Etc.
