Chris is out of town so i'll take a minute to respond. The N20 fleet was really born (or atleast re-organized) out of the Tuesday night racing at West River that was started by Keith and Roger. They were able to get a site for mast up storage where access to the water was relatively inexpensive and relatively easy to get to. Couple that with the fact that most of us have very busy schedules and you have a recipe for success. This is really where it started and the OD part followed as people enjoyed racing boat for boat. The Tues. night racing scene is still a run what you brung open class but the OD stuff has grown and gotten established at one of the local yacht clubs which adds more weekend events. I think the real key to growth here has been the mast up storage. The less effort it requires to go sailing, the more sailing people do.
The only downside is that it makes it harder to motivate folks to travel to events away.
Competition.... (The top North American teams are racing Spring Fever)
Reciprocity... (If WRSA fleet goes south... they will come up for Oxford)
Boredom, Sailing the same body of water week after week against the same guys can get old. New restaraunts and bars to try, After a local regatta, many sailors schedule something after sailing and blast off. On the road, you hang around the campsite or build the fleet at the bar. Variety is the spice of life. (See the Albacore, Hampton OD and 505 local fleets who travel the bay even though they are not visiting a local fleet)
RC Duties. Your club service requirments goes down when you travel to race. Somebody has to run a race.. Supporting clubs that run races for you gets more of your sailors on the water AND makes the host club and RC happy that they are contributing to the sailing enviorment.
Visibility... Do you think the boat speed and class turnout at the Oxford big boat regatta has anything to do with the recent growth of the N20 fleet?
Go to You Tube and search for "Triple Threat" we took video of the I-20s passing us in the Nass Race !!! And we were not going slow !!! Triple Threat is a 43'Tri w/ a rotating mast like a beach cat, highest GPS speed that day was 20.3 knots under chute !!! And the I-20s' were running us down from behind after starting 5 mins later !!!
Wait until you try and run down the PRF A0 boats. Donnybrook and Zaraffa are awesome machines !!!!
Harry Murphey H18mag/#9458,Fleet54/Div11 P-19mx/ #86, CRAC Beach Cat Class Co-Founder for the NASS Race (note:Mark Schneider was the true Founder/Organizer)
I agree with all the points you make, but you also need to consider the time factor involved and how that compares to the available time for sailing. It's been beaten to death that people have less and less time. The reason the West river formula is successful is that it caters to this fact and allows people to get some racing in with a limited time.
I'm not saying it's good or bad, just pointing out why I think it works. We try to pick some events to travel to as a group, but the reality is that only a handful of people can make those commitments.
So, pretty much, all you Yankees there at WRSC are way to scared to drive down here and get beat... Is that what we're all hearing from you guys? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />
Nice! I like it, keep it up. Along the lines of pokin' fun, as I recall Team Gertie is up one race? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> And Oh yeah don't forget. . . stay single.
The rest of you,
Thank you for the kind and supportive emails and PMs regarding our fleet growth. It is really cool just to be a part of it. It is effort by each one of our fleet members to do their part and more so we continue to exists and grow.
Spring Fever: I don't see myself making Spring Fever in the next 15 years. It is on Easter weekend. That is the main rub, but not the only one. It might as well be on Christmas. Even if it were on a different weekend it would be difficult. AND I am very glad that works well for so many, 84 or so boats registered. That is great! Can’t wait to read about it and see the pictures.
Todd has a done a good job summing up the situation. It comes down to time, mostly. Hell, yesterday I just un-stepped my mast with Todd’s help for winter. Where the hell did December, January and February go? Also note that any money spent on the boat or sailing in general in my house is met with a "but, your kids need jeans" philosophy. I could go on and on and on, but I wont here. I generally think “let them wear shorts and run faster to stay warm.”
Hopefully, you will make it up here sometime and help raise our local game up a few notches. I have attached our Fleet schedule. You are welcome to join in on any of them, but because of the travel involved you may want to consider the two day events like Spring Regatta, Oxford / Hammond, and Pumpkin Patch, aka Pimpin' Patch. If your traveling thru and want to race on a Sunday with us we do some incredible short-course racing that provides a lot of boat-on-boat decision making, mark roundings and starting opportunities; good fun as long as you not the forward crew. We regularly complete a three lap race in 22 minutes. You probably don’t want to sell it to the forward crew with that little tidbit.
Have any of you notice Mr. Mark Schneider is signed up for Spring Fever? I hope you are planning an appropriate welcome for him. There must be some southern version of a outhouse swirly you can set up for him. Have a good regatta Mark!
Trey, Nice! I like it, keep it up. Along the lines of pokin' fun, as I recall Team Gertie is up one race? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> And Oh yeah don't forget. . . stay single.
AND you did a might fine job last year at the Statue in which I was a no show, first Nacra 20 as I recall. Come to some of our races and help raise the bar.
