An open letter to the Multihull Community:

Dear Multihull Sailors

Way backing in 2001 our US SAILING Multihull Committee put forward the idea of starting a national regatta for youth multihull sailors. The purpose was to generate enthusiasm with our children by introducing them to the concept they could be successful sailing catamarans. Our 7th annual US Youth Multihull Championship was sailed last week at ABYC in Long Beach, California. What a real success story.

Someone recently asked if we need the Tornado in the Olympics to be successful. Take a look at these names: Anders Straume, Hunter Stunzi, Tom & Jerry Tullo, Marc Kennedy, Todd Riccardi, Brett Sullivan, Chris Batchelor, Laura Young, Harry Newkirk, Tom Fruitticher, Marie Appel, Tim Wallace, Mike Iames, Frank Burns, Jennifer Innwood, Jack Field, Tyler Burd, Duncan Padura, Andy Warwick, Tyler Faust, Allen Michael, Cameron Biehl, Pike Harris, Kyler Hast, Mike Siau, Sam Ingham, Evan Miller, Sarah & Elizabeth Newberry, Eric Raybon, Jason Bilow, Luke Lawrence, Alex Sachs, Kaitlan Yasher, and Sierra Manno. Please think about who these people are for a minute. I bet you know several of these fine young sailors. These kids and many more are the direct result of efforts put forward by so many volunteers within our Multihull Community all across the country. They are our friends and our competitors in today’s real world of Catamaran sailing.

We have an opportunity now to take control of our own destiny. A new group is forming called NAYMA and along with Performance Catamaran, Sl16 Class Association and the Jacksonville Sailing Foundation, a massive effort to bring youth Multihull sailing to the next level will be achieved.

Performance Catamaran has announced their support by offering 6 new SL16 Catamarans to NAYMA for their use. This is a huge financial commitment to children.

The first year plan is to bring these new SL16’s to venues across the US and provide round robin racing and clinic opportunities to local children already acquainted with sailing. Those kids that sail catamarans with their dads, Lasers, CFJ’s or 420 sailors . We all know them at our clubs or they can be found sailing at yacht club sailing foundation events on any given weekend. We expect to offer each venue the opportunity to purchase at manufactures cost 1-3 boats if they agree to use them in their sail training programs. By the way, this is not a US SAILING program.

What can you do to make a direct impact?

1. We are asking the entire Multihull Community in the U.S. to send a check to Darline Hobock, 5373 East 27th Street, Tulsa, OK 74114. More is better if you can afford it as its all tax deductible. Founding membership is $2,000, Supporting member is $75.00 and sustaining member is $40.


2. What are we going to do with that money? It is going directly into this program. No other organization is getting a penny. We have an agreement with our insurance agents, our 501c3 corporation is in operation and trucking to venues is being arranged.

3. Volunteer your club or sailing venue to host a regatta.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 to eventually offer sailing programs free equipment. But we need start up funds right now to get a truck full of equipment on the road. We are besieged with parents wanting us to come to their venues and sail because of the championships in Long Beach.

We have the experience to make this work. Remember our Fast and Fun Program? After three years and 5,000 children I think we know something about exposure and working with children. With your help, we can make a significant difference. Almost a thousand responses to USOC andthe Tornado question must tell us something..

Sincerely yours,

Arthur J Stevens
Youth Multihull Advocate
310-245-0614
www.nayma.org

That sounds great, Art.

I hope you have told US Sailing and the Olympic Sailing Committee about your program. They keep saying the multihull community needs to create its own pipeline (and path to the Olympics) for our youth sailors, and it sounds like you are taking an important step forward.

And I also hope that you have given the OSC that list of names of young multihull sailors. They say they are already aware of the available multihull talent and took that into consideration when they decided we would not be able to win a medal in the multihull event in 2012.

It amazes me that they are able to project that far ahead. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> And it must be insulting and demoralizing to our young sailors to know that their National Governing Body has predicted their failure. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

C'mon everybody, Art's leading, let's follow!

We're in. Barb and Chip Short, Take Chances At The Helm, Inc. dba Founders Park Sailing Programs is going to support this program.

I've already emailed Art personally, dialogue is going, and our company is sending in it's founding membership check this week.

If you're in Florida start thinking about coming down to the fabulous Florida Keys to participate and see the SL16 program in action when we get dates and details pulished. Bring all the kids you can round up!

Nobody else has any opinions about this major initiative on behalf of youth multihull sailing?

Where are the thousand multihull sailors who sent in complaints about US Sailing excluding the multihull from their event list for the 2012 Olympics?

I am sort of picturing a series of miniature Junior Olympic Festivals, except on multihulls only.

So, I am wondering, now that boats will be available -- and transportation for them -- whether we would have a chance of getting US Sailing to include multihulls in some of their Junior Olympic Festivals. I think that would be preferable to having a whole separate set of events for multihulls only.

Thank you Art for taking this huge initiative!

I have forwarded your posting to the CRAC sailors on the Chesapeake.

I plan to get the Chesapeake Bay catamaran clubs together ( WRCRA, CRAC, Fleet 54 and 32, PRSA and SMCA along with West River Sailing Club) and explore how we can get on board with this initiative.

West River Sailing Club has become the center of cat racing on the Chesapeake as they have become home to a 20 boat A Cat fleet, and a 5 boat Nacra 20 fleet. West River Sailing is hosting the A class North Americans next month. There is great potential for supporting junior cat racing in this area. In addition to the boats, we must develop the program within our region as well.

In the past we have been content with running our own sailing program, plus our local/regional club and racing activities. Now we must add to this mission the development of a real junior training program!

Art,

If you folks would like a video player for your new site please shoot me an email and Ill design a custom one for you. We can work on getting some video up of the kids.

Brian

Hi Mary

Junior Olympics are an organizational nightmare. 200 kids = chaos. The PRO ages about a year every time he does this.

The concern of the PRO will always be... saftey! ... small beach, fast boats = one potential disaster. The race course is already a challenge with opti's lasers, radials and 420's.

One of the issues to resolve is Is it safe to put the kids on the same race course with the 420's and lasers. (This issue is why I started the other thread).

The solution will be... We catamaran clubs need to step up and run another race course at the JO's ... then the kids all mix it up. My Chesapeake JO's are July 14 and 15, They conflict with an adult regatta and it may be a push to make it happen with boats etc. but... where there is a will... there is a way.

Mark

Brian: That sounds super. Darline Hobock is our web master. She is on overload at the moment just getting back from Long Beach and then us making this announcement. Can you e-mail her at HobockD@aol.com

We are wanting to use video as a training tool. I have seen some mini cams attached to boats and GPS is used in Europe as a wonderful tool for coaching. Each event we do includes a clinic so we are asking for help in this area. The Olympic Multihull Coach Jim Young is on board. Another great coach is Richard Feeney who was at the youth nationals and did a great job for us this year. I would include Mike Ingham as well because he did last years event in Miami, another very good coach, but I haven't asked Mike or Richard yet to be on our staff. Another thing I need to get accomplished. Its really great to have coaching on this level available to us. I know more people will want to become involved in the future.

Sure. We provide the boats, we provide a clinic for the multihull kids, we provide the course -- what objections can they possibly come up with?

I know, not enough land space at the host venue. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Arthur:

Sounds great. If you ever get to Houston area, count me in to help. I have one of the 2002 US Sailing youth boat. Mystere 4.3. You are welcome to use it. I started my grand daughter at 6, now 13. Has two years of trapzee and learning helm now.

Doug Snell

It would be great if they could show up for the Wild Cat Regatta at the Lake Eustis Sailing Club (north of Orlando). Lots of kids in Optis there and at that regatta, you will have lots of other adult cat sailors to help the kids sort out the new boats too. Two other places that need cats for kids are the Sarasota Sailing Squadron and the Martin County Sailing Center. Both have beaches to launch from and great club support.

Well done to everyone for taking the initiative - hopefully this will work. The RYA (UK) did this about 8 years ago with 6 Dart 16s provided by Laser. Then ISAF declared the Hobie 16 Spi the Youth Cat. The kids did not think that this 30 + year old design was cool enough and, apart from the dedicated few, the whole thing never really took off.

Then ISAF decided that the SL 16 should be the Youth Cat. So the manufacturers and the class put a lot of work into promoting the class.
In 2007 the Hobie 16 Spi will still be the boat for the Worlds. But then in 2008 the new SL 16 class should have built up numbers and will be the boat sailed. This all seems great, and maybe parents and Clubs will be encouraged to invest in youth sailing and buy some of these cats.

BUT, why should they - when they find that in 2009 everything goes back to the old ways and the old design HOBIE 16 Spi is once the designated cat for the Youth Worlds <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

Pretty simple really, ISAF books their regattas many years in advance. Equipment is chosen as in the case of Brazil because the Hobie is made in that country and Sl16's are not yet manufactured there. The following year the equipment chosen will SL16's in Turkey. Let's not forget it was just a couple of years ago Multihulls weren't even invited to the ISAF Youth World Regatta. Great strides have been made and to start a new class just for kids isn't something done overnight. The USA is just starting to participate with the rest of the world in youth Multihull sailing and we need to get our house in order first. This translates to getting kids sailing in Multihulls, all kinds of Multihulls and becoming the sailors we know they can be. That in a nutshell is our job.

Congratulations once again, it is a great project. I would suggest acquiring the services of Brian Phipps. Not just to coach your juniors, but to advise on how to run your sessions. He has vast experience and great enthusiasm in this field.

Art, thanks for getting the ball rolling on this. I realize all the boats are on the west coast right now. About what time (years, months) do you think they might make it out to the east coast? The reason I ask, most of the clubs in Florida shut down in the hotter, windless summer months. In the Winter, they are going strong, while the north east clubs are under snow. Next winter, if the trailer full of SL16's are anywhere near Florida, I could talk to some of the clubs in my area about doing a Cat Day or weekend, for their youth Laser and 420 sailors.

We expect to be in Florida this coming winter doing at least one program with Barb and Chip Short down in the Keys.. So go ahead and contact your club or other sailing organizations. We have JC from France helping us as regatta manager this spring/summer. He is in charge of scheduling so contact him at jcam.sirena@orange.fr He lives in Los Angeles and was our beach master at the Youth Nationals this year.

I for one sincerly apreciate Arts endevor in this as it has sparked an enthusiasam in my daughter that I HOPE will last in her life.
Entering into the Youth Multihull event vey green, they recieved support that was unimaginable. Two thirteen year old girls entering into sailing.
Thanks Art, and your fine suport group.
Mike Hensel

Mike: Your team is exactly who we see as the future of our sport. They came to a major event which in itself was an accomplishment with all the practice time, travel and then facing 17 other youth teams. It can be intimidating. But no your girls held fast, went out in fairly strong winds and did SSP proud. My guess is we will be seeing them again soon if front of the fleet.

OK all you folks that support Youth Multihull sailing, it is time to take out you checkbook, and write a check to North America Youth Multihull Association. See details at www.nayma.org. Mailing my check today.

BTW, grandson Dan is taking the Hobie 16 class at Sail Sand Point in Seattle, this summer. See www.sailsandpoint.org. Son Tom crewed on our H-16 at Dan's age, then became skipper as I moved to crew, when he was 16.

Let's all pitch in and help get Art's program going.

Caleb Tarleton, Hobie 16 #14859, a long time ago.