Don
The So Cal NOOD scene sounds like the Chesapeake area.
Severn Sailing Association and West River Sailing host small boat regattas on the same weekend as the Annapolis NOODS which race in circles further out in the bay.
From the YC point of view ... it's the same amount of effort by your volunteers and so why give up your regatta to Sailing World.
From the sailor point of view... the event would increase in price and the drive to the party from West River would be a real PIA.
I am curious if you picked up any converts with your show of force in the NOODs last year. Every Dinghy or Cat class that I know has this fond dream that they would gain converts if only the monohull sailors would see us.
I wonder if it works?
I would add a couple points to Don's comments:
1. We have added two teams this year that were ex-cat sailors who owned or were racing on top tier big boat programs – these are wins for the fleet. Both these teams will bring new possible new multihull sailors to the F18s, if nothing else for thrill rides, and this is critical for word of mouth and viral marketing. We took both skiffies and mothies sailing last year.
2. We went from 4 Tigers to 17 and a total of 23 F18s within a 2 hour drive. A great push by Gerry, Mike and Mark set the foundation years ago but showing that you were the most active fleet on the water and off draws sailors.
3. We twice had heavy exposure at the NOODs and WAVEs with visibility to well over 100 youth sailors and nearly 300+ dinghy sailors.
4. Because we sailed the highest profile events in the PNW (NOODs, WAVEs and CYC Dinghy Champs), F18 images were in both of the PNW sailing publications as well as in YC race reports. We have contacts for both these PNW publications to report our races next year.
5. The PNW F18s were written up in every Sailing Word report and images of the F18s were in the June issue of SW last year.
6. We are now a recognized fleet with a fleet captain at Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle (the top dinghy and OD club in the PNW).
7. We now have representation at Seattle Yacht Club (PNW oldest and largest YC) on their sailing board and visibility to their top flight youth program.
8. Finally, I always hear the argument that the cost is more and and mono-hull converts are a pipe dream. Many sailors felt the NOODs was a great event to participate in for the course management(Peter Luigi Reggio of AC and MED CUP fame was our PRO)and the after sailing mingling with other fleets. Our fleet had no work to do it was all managed by CYC and SYC; out fleet went racing and then to the parties...
9. Finally, IMHO after 30+ years of sailing and fleet building, you have a much better chance of creating a long term fleet asset from an existing sailor tired of slugging it out upwind on a laser or taser than creating a new sailor from scratch.
One more point, growing up a Cat sailor in the Mid West and then sailmaker for 14 years in the PNW, I did not even know there were Tigers or F18s racing in Washington until I did a search after reading a 2007 Daily Sail article. Over ten years of racing and working in sailing in the PNW and I had never seen a fleet of cats racing (A cats one year at SOCKs but I never could find anyone in the boat park to talk to me).
If we can pull down 20 F18s and 20 A-cats for next years Seattle NOODs, I am sure it will do nothing but drive fleet growth on the west coast as a whole.
