Rick, I too was disappointed to open my Catsailor issue and see pages wasted on healthcare debate-yes wasted is my opinion because there are precious few places to read about my sport and all kinds of places to hear people complain about healthcare, etc. You responded by defending your choice to publish it as relevant to all.
Let me offer two reasons to not publish that non sailing related stuff here:
1. We all know the sport is sorely short of younger sailors and you often write about how to entice more youngsters into the fold. This is one of the very few Cat Sailing specific websites and periodicals. Read it from a young person's viewpoint. It sometimes sounds like pages from an AARP (American Association for Retired Persons for you non American or under age 55 readers)magazine! IE, "remember the good old days when the flag only 48 stars and ..." Young people want to sail I hope , not read about who is going to pay for their hip replacement! By the way I am no kid at 61.
2. Reading the letters shows that your site has a WORLDWIDE following, and again I doubt sailors outside this country care to hear about our nation's non sailing related issues.
Please stick to sailing and remember your desired audience!!

Bogie, I understand your criticism and your feelings about this.

I'm one of your mentioned outside-US sailors reading/following this forum for some years.

First it's not so bad as you describe it: in summertime there are definitly more catsailor-related subjects then in wintertime. That has ofcourse a logical relation to the focus of the members.

Second, as a foreigner, I don't care to read about typical US nonsailing issues. They give me an insight in how catsailors as humans at the other side of the ocean think and live. And I must say that's sometimes quite refreshing and astonishing.

Last but not least, the atmosphere on this forum is ofcourse a bit "old-boys gang", but that's okay with me.
Nothing wrong with that; it's a bit the way we Dutch catsailors do at the beach too.

Don't be irritated. Please.

good attitude Roland.
be happy
also if a topic gains all those pages on a catsailing forum, then that in it's self becomes a news story in a sense.
not that i would click on that topic in the catsailing forum.

this is such a great and refreshing forum, not manipulated by the moderator, and pretty much everyone is courteous compared to other forums.
I follow the Boston Whaler forum and the moderator would have deleted this post, chastised and banned the author, hes so strict he corrects grammar....redonkulous

Thanks Rick for a great place to hang out while Im supoosed to be working!

YEP, 100% agree !!

Like any bunch in a bar-room conversation, ya get a
lot of different points of view here ; hope it "Stays"
that way !!!!

Bille

Bogie52 is talking about the Catsailor magazine we pay for in hard copy that is posted to us, it has a bit of extra gear in it, well worth the subscription