Wow!... Great support from yourself... I assume the local dealer. Congratulations and thanks for your efforts.
Why would you think it would not go over well?
Its a positive thing for the sport and if your personal cup of tea is a Hobie 16 or you support this particular charity its a great thing! (actually first I heard of the raffle)
The Hobie 16 bashing (F16 Bashing, F18HT bashing, Tornado bashing, A cat bashing, Nacra F17 etc etc bashing) all start when somebody goes a little over board and makes a comparison between boats, my boat is xxx and your boat is not xxx and so not as good. OR... hypes their favorite flavor a bit too much for someone who then just has to fire back. When it gets personal and falls to stupid ad hominum attacks its time to turn off the thread....
In my view... better to be talking publically about the plus's and minus of your boat, your class, and the sport ... then quietly going stale in peaceful obscurity as organization on your own private pond.
Some classes, Sharks, and Isotopes, Tornados don't make it a point to have a visible public foot print on this or any other forum. Indeed... the Tornado class would have no footprint were it not for the Olympics and the international class. Is this good? or bad? or are you indifferent?
Notice that Bob Hodges, current A class pres, always makes and effort to communicate about the class, recent events, and let people know about the big events and the prominent sailors in the class on this forum.
Personally, I think this is a good thing and important for the health of the sport in general!... A class sailors raced other boats in different classes in the past and may hop on another class for a championship event. Heck... would you have thought that Alex Schafer, Mike Krantz and Nigel Pitt were A class sailors??? check here for photo proof
http://www.sailregattas.com/crac/uploads...0highpoint2.htm Similarly, the Hobie 16 class has some very succesful racers who occasionaly hop on a new class and go compete in the world. I personally think that some PR is good for the class and so good for the sport.
(Hey... I am still waiting for the Syracuse Mad Catter regatta report... I can only assume that it was SO over the top that nobody has yet recovered to write up a story!)
Have a good holiday and thanks for your support of cat racing.
Mark