Hi Mary

(I started a new thread here)

I used the US Sailing membership web engine. I was stunned by the results. Catamaran clubs simply don't belong! It is no wonder that we don't have much impact...

In fact the list is patheticaly short!

Each Hobie Class joins individually and pays their dues and belongs.
Nacra pays for the 5.2 and 5.8 classes
Thats IT for builders and classes.

ONLY 8 Catarman CLUBS seem to Join!
CRAC
CRAM
Multihull Racing Association (MRA)
COAST Catamaran
Hobie Fleet 54
Hobie Fleet 124
Hobie Fleet 204
Hobie Fleet 295

I may have missed a few but still!

Comments?, Excuses?, Complaints?

Mark Schneider

Hey Mark,

You would have missed these as they are larger, more traditional clubs that simply have catamaran fleets as part of them. Which is really what we have in Ohio...

Caesar Creek Sailing Association - OCRA's Mayday regatta host

North Cape Yacht Club - OCRA's Around the Bay

Pymatuning Sailing Club - OCRA's Stray Cat Regatta

Port Clinton Yacht Club - OCRA Catamaran & Green Island multi-fleet race

Alum Creek Sailing Association (my club) - OCRA's Season finale

All of these clubs are full fledged yacht or sailing clubs. And all of these clubs have catamaran fleets and members.

I have personally been the representative of Alum Creek to our RSA, the I-LYA, many times. Alum Creek's interest in, understanding of, and support of multihulls and their issues is actually much better than our percentage of membership would warrant. We currenlty have about 6 catamarans and 75 keel boats in a club that was founded by a few catamaran sailors about 20 years ago.

Alum Creek Sailing Association just built a 100 slip marina in Alum Creek State Park. We are working on the plans to put in a catamaran beach right now. It's a great demonstration of what can be accomplished when we sailors all work together.

Go to the Multihull Council's web page and click on the multihull organizations on the side bar.

G.I.

Mark,
There are many sailing clubs and yacht clubs that have multihull members, and probably most of those clubs do not appear in the list of multihull sailing organizations.

It occurs to me that if ALL the catamaran fleets and individual multihull sailors take your suggestion and become assimilated into yacht clubs and and/or RSA's and become an accepted part of the mainstream sailing community, there will no longer be any need for the Multihull Council or for NAHCA or NAMSA. We will no longer need our own infrastructures for racing because our racing will be done within the RSA's of US Sailing. We will no longer need special treatment and we will no longer need to make an "impact," because we will be just another bunch of dinghy classes, like Lightnings and Thistles and Sunfish and Scows and 49ers.

Not saying whether that is good or bad, but if we want to be assimilated into the established US Sailing framework and play by the same rules as everybody else, we can't at the same time say we deserve the special privilege of having our own Council in US Sailing.

This looks like a good place to put in a plug about joining US Sailing.

Individuals and multihull organizations that join US Sailing should try to do so, if possible, through the Multihull Council's Golden Anchor program. That makes it possible for the Multihull Council to have a good list of the individuals and also makes sure your organization gets listed as a multihull organization.

If an individual joins US Sailing but not through the Golden Anchor program, there is supposed to be a place to check if you are a multihull sailor. If there isn't, print it out and write on the application form, in big print, "Multihull" and mail it in. If you join individually through a yacht club's Golden Anchor program, do the same thing.

Some multihull organizations have their own Golden Anchor program. Again, you have to figure out a way to make sure the information gets to the Multihull Council that your organization is multihull, so you can be on the list.

Here is the link for the Multihull Council Golden Anchor program: http://www.ussailing.org/multihull/ga.htm

If I am wrong about any of this, I hope somebody from the Multihull Council will correct this information or add to it.

The US SAILING Annual General Meeting will be in Portland, Oregon Oct.20-24. See http://www.ussailing.org/events/meet04fall/index.htm All Multihull Meetings have been moved to Saturday morning. Also, if you want to have a say in our sport become a US SAILING Athlete, see http://www.ussailing.org/sac/athletes/register.asp

Caleb Tarleton, US SAILING Multihull Council

Good point, Caleb, because the Sailor Athlete Council comprises 20 percent of the voting delegates to US Sailing, so the more multihull sailors we get on there, the better.

I thought that clubs who purchased insurance through US Sailing automatically had to join and are therefore members. Our fleet gets our insurance through US Sailing and I do recall seeing us listed as members not too long ago.

I am either mistaken or something has changed. I could not find anything on US Sailing's website about it.

Tracie

Re: Sailor Athlete Council. We just got John Lovell elected. With Bob Merrick that gives us 2 members out of 12. Not too bad for multihulls.

G.I.

I'm still unsure of what the advantages are of signing up as an "athlete" sailor with US sailing - why should we? .... and don't mis-interpret my question as an opinion - I just really am unsure as to the benefits.

You get special discounts

The following is the published message on why you should be a Sailor Athlete. No charge, no discount. Discount is through the Golden Anchor Program noted on the Multihull page.

Caleb Tarleton


The Sailor Athlete Council

How We Can Help You and Why You Should Register as a Sailor Athlete

The Sailor Athlete Council (SAC) is the most direct representation active racers have at US SAILING. If you want to make a change or discuss a concern about your level of racing, the SAC is your hotline with US SAILING. Here’s why…

THE SAC REPRESENTS ATHLETES, NOT ORGANIZATIONS
Much of the representation at US SAILING is organized around a class, a YRA, or a racing discipline (such as team racing). The SAC is the only vehicle for an individual or group of individuals to be heard as individuals, not as members of an organization. This is significant because issues like ISAF competitor classification, and the manner in which those classifications are administered, affect us as individual athletes, not just as members of individual classes. For example, the J-105, Etchells, Mumm 30 or Farr 40 Class all use the ISAF competitor classification system and their rulings affect individual sailors. This is only one of many examples of how the SAC can represent your views.

Our sport is changing all the time, and in some cases, it may be changing in ways that many active sailors do not agree with. US SAILING is the National Governing Body for the sport of sailing and strongly supports the SAC’S mission to include the views of active racing sailors and wants the involvement of new, younger, active sailboat racers in managing our sport.

US SAILING President Janet Baxter has said the following on the topic: “We need to get better and younger as an organization. I support wholeheartedly what the Sailor Athlete Council is trying to do. We want more people involved, we want to hear what you like and don’t like, and we want your help improving the sport. I am a registered athlete, and if you race actively, you should be also.”

HOW CAN THE SAC MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD?
The elected members of the SAC are your representatives at US SAILING. The SAC has been given a permanent seat on the US SAILING’S Executive Committee, a place where top level decisions are made within the organization.

US SAILING now requires that Committees include a minimum number of Sailor Athletes. In short, US SAILING is listening to you and now has guaranteed it!

DID YOU KNOW…

If you are an active racer on the national or international level, you are probably eligible to register as a Sailor Athlete.
All registered Sailor Athletes are entitled to vote for their SAC representatives. The Council consists of a maximum of 14 members. The next elections will be held this fall and 7 Council positions will be up for nomination and election.
All registered Sailor Athletes are also eligible to be nominated and elected to the Council.
The Council elects its own Chairperson, who also sits on US SAILING’S Executive Committee.



Register Today and Begin to Make a Difference

Registration can be completed on-line and you can be prepared to vote in the upcoming fall elections. Join us in our effort to make the voices of Sailor Athletes heard within US SAILING. You can learn more about the process, how to register and the various athlete definitions at www.ussailing.org/sac.



Sincerely,

Dean Brenner
Chairman, Sailor Athlete Council

Yes my club is a Gold member of US Sailing. My club is Carlyle Sailing Association. Just like many others the local sailing club is a member.

Mike Hill
Tiger #1520

Mark:

You missed Hobie Fleet 119 - also called Western New York Hobie Cat Association Inc. We've been a member for years. At one time, it was the only way to get a cheaper Fleet insurance. Now, we don't get our insurance through them because it's not available to Fleets that are incorporated.
However, we still pay the yearly fee because we feel it's the right thing to do.

Wyatt

Aren't most fleets incorporated, nonprofit?