This is a bit long-winded. BUT if those of you who support the "Hobiecentric" thing actually have any interest in new blood, maybe you should pay attention to those of us who are relatively new to the cat scene. Here goes:

My first cat was a Hobie. But I quickly got a Nacra, because that was the boat that fit me. Then, last year, I had several very positive experiences with Hobie.

First, the local Hobie fleet was both friendly and helpful. They gave advice at regattas, and let me race my N5.2 with the TheMightyHobie18's. This really improved my attitude toward Hobies.

Then there was Nigel. At his Spring Fever regatta, the biggest event of the year, this guy takes the time to get me and my crew to sign up for NAHCA. I was more than happy to do so, because I'd already been going to Hobie regattas. But mostly because these people made me feel welcome. I wanted to be a part of what they had to offer.

I was seriously considering a Tiger, until I saw first hand the way things work on a national level at NAHCA. If NAHCA as a whole is not smart enough to realize that the sport is in immediate danger, and take steps which are not completely in keeping with their "one-design" policy, there is a problem. Nigel's philosophy got results.

The "hobie way of life" will get a bunch of aging ex-sailors with expensive beach furniture bitching about how all the young folks only like jetskies.

Look at Spring Fever. Does that type of event hurt or help NAHCA?

I'm no longer willing to buy a Hobie. I will support their regattas. My wife will (I hope) volunteer to help the RC at their events. But if the association is more interested in "hobiecentric" jargon than regattas with both twice as many x-class AND twice as many Hobies as the norm, forget it. I won't buy a Hobie.

Of course NAHCA is first and foremost there to promote Hobies. But it is in their interest to help the sport in general by being open to the "other" boats. Especially the dead/old classes. Because it's here that the new blood comes in. Do you guys even care about that?

So what are you guys really there for? To race/ cruise/have fun, or to sit and whine about how nobody wants to sail cats anymore?

It's not NAHCA's fault that catsailing has declined. If it is, I don't really care. But NAHCA was the best place to start to rebuild it. Too bad they wimped out.



Michael



P.S.

Do I sound ticked? Probably because I am. I'm pissed that I'm probably going to see the sport that I love die out in the U.S. before I get good at it. There's a lot of people out there who'd love to sail cats, but we're all too busy fighting over brand names and whose boat is better and ratings and one-design classes to teach people to sail. Acting like that, we deserve to lose the sport.