Hi Folks -

The Alter Cup Committee last weekend considered a motion to conduct two Eliminations in Area D, and combine the Eliminations in Areas A and B for 2003. After discussion, the motion passed. The Area A and B Eliminations will be sailed at Squantum Yacht Club July 12 and 13, 2003.

Area D has been divided to accommodate two Eliminations -

Area D South includes Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Arkansas. The Eliminations for Area D South will be sailed at Ocean Springs Yacht Club on November 1 and 2, 2003.

Area D North includes Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee. The date and venue for the Area D North Eliminations have not been set - please contact me by e-mail if you have a suggestion or question. A multihull sailor in Area D North is currently considering taking the responsibility for ensuring the regatta is sailed in accordance with Alter Cup Committee guidelines.

No change to the Multihull Council Executive Committee has been enacted, although a sub-committee has been appointed to consider if changes are needed. The sub-committee is expected to provide recommendations to the Council for consideration during the October US Sailing meeting in St. Louis.

John Williams
Area D Multihull Representative
Alter Cup Committee Vice Chair

John, this is kind of cryptic. What do you mean by "changes to the executive committee"? Cosmetic changes? Changes of personnel? Changes in policy?

Hey Mary -

It looks like I was unclear that we're talking about two separate issues: 1) Alter Cup Qualifiers, and 2) Area Representation to the Multihull Council. The Alter Cup Committee (a subset of the Council) agreed that the Area A and B Eliminations could be combined, and that Area D could have two events and send two teams to the Alter Cup next year. The Multihull Council decided it might be a good idea to look at the Areas and do a status check - are we operating as we should? Are the multihull sailors well represented? Are there any changes that would make it better or easier? That grew out of my assertion that the Area D fleets in the southeast US needed better support. Now the Council wants to look at it on a national level. The Exec Committee of the Council is made up of the 10 Area Multihull Reps and the Board.

Recommendations on a national-level realignment will be made to the Council in the next few weeks, and will be considered and discussed, and maybe voted on, at the meeting in October in St. Louis. Until then, the changes in the Alter Cup do not affect the Council's Exec Committee - in other words, there is still one Area A, one Area B, and one Area D Rep on the Exec Committee.

I'll post further on this as it crystallizes into something more defined. Let this be a lesson to those who think US Sailing is an intractible, deaf and lumbering impediment - everyone told me I was pissing up a rope with this idea, while at the same time telling me they agreed with it.

COUNT DOWN TO ALTER CUP!!!!