Why is it so hard to join US Sailing online

I have been trying to join US Sailing online through the Golden Anchor program with great difficulty. I wanted to save money and wanted to be counted as a multihull sailor. The program has changed names and non of the links worked. I did a search on here and found some links and after trying several finally found one that worked. For someone that wants new members it sure is hard to sign up online. It would be nice if a hot button could be put on this site for all the multihull sailors.

Hi Dave -

I feel you and it was a topic at the meeting last weekend. Here's the deal - Darline was our web liaison and worked on our website. I tried to muddle through, but really, Lee Parks in RI is the only one who's kept the MHC site going.

Is there anyone willing to pitch in as the new web person? Not much maintenance, but we're due for a new look and the Golden Anchor button is crucial.

Sounds like a good job for Tad.

Thats a no-brainer. We might need term limits though....

Ahhh ****.

Jdub: ping me on email and tell me what you need. I might be able to accommodate but if its gotta happen in the next 2 weeks - then I aint your dude.

Great !!

All those in favor of Tad running the new Golden Anchor website (3 year term limit unless we can't find anyone else) please vote now before Tad finds out.

Robyn and I vote in favor!

Following the meeting in Phoenix, I was under the presumption that "Golden Anchor" had been changed to the Member Partner Program. Is there a special GA button for just multihulls? Has the MHC joined the MPP?

Try http://membership.ussailing.org/sailors.htm.

Yes the program did change to "Partner Program" but the button or link on the US sailing site does not work. We had the area D north this weekend and sailors trying to sign up could not find the multihull link. Here is the link that I used after spending about 30min to find it. Just select multihull in the pull down screen. http://www1.ussailing.org/membership/MPP/

Good to know. My membership is coming up for renewal at the end of the month. Every year I renew I look for an option to do it under the Golden Anchor, but it never works. Thanks for the link.

+1 more for Tad

I would try every year and it never worked. Even e-mailed "important" people associated with US Sailing and never received assistance. Gave up and did a 3-year membership. Cheaper but does not associate me with multihulls.

Glad that it is getting sorted out finally.

I did pretty much the same thing and never could get associated with GA either. As a result, I am just a plainole member.

I had the same frustration. I just emailed JW, and he always took care of it. I "have" to be a member for PRO certification, but it was always important to me to be counted as a cat dude.

Sounded like there were bigger hurdles to overcome, looks like we're getting there now!

Mike

Hi,

It's not so hard .... just old technology .... a TELEPHONE!!!

Please call:

Ms. Kate Daley/Membership Manager
Ph#(401) 683-0800 ex685
Fax (401) 683-0840
E-Mail katedaley@ussailing.org

Ms. Kate is really nice and helpful people ... just contact her if you have a problem. She loves multihullers, if fact her parents have a ol' H16 sitting in the backyard .... When I had to renew lately, she sent me the required "link".

She is also a "graphic artist/photographer" ... quite talented .... she designed the artwork needed for the Junior Olympics events in recent years ....

Tad: You will enjoy working w/ her .... very pleasant and easy going ... and follows through ...

Kris: I believe she can transfer you from "Monomaran-dom" to "Multihuller" status ... where you belong ... you (fellow) miscreant from the "Dark Side" (of sailing)....

Sail Flat, Sail Fast, Sail Safe ...
Harry
H18Mag/P19MX
RHYC/Fleet 54/Div11

Note that I haven't gotten any information yet so the clock isn't ticking by any means.

I'm working on it, Tad.

I just renewed my membership and found another benefit to joining under the Golden Anchor program, it's $10 less than sending it in by mail. That covers the cost of the Sailing World subscription. Thanks again for the link.

Just renewed as Golden Anchor.
http://www1.ussailing.org/membership/MPP/
Then scroll down to find the golden anchor / multihull .
Thanks for helping me out.

4 months later and I have yet to receive a single copy of Sailing World. This marks my 3rd year of paying for a subscription without getting anything.

The Golden Anchor program is still a good deal for membership.

Please contact Jack Gierhart (Membership Director), he has been exceptionally helpful in working with us regarding the U.S. Multihull Championship and has been exceptionally open to our issues. He is one of the good guys.

jackgierhart <at> ussailing <dot> org

On a side note Gary Job Jobson along with John Williams have made a very positive impact at U.S. Sailing. Granted we have a long way to go but we are moving in a much better direction.

Membership has not included a mag subscription for many a year now.

I know, that's why I paid extra.

Thanks, I sent him an email.

Wow they are really making it tough to renew. Can't renew because my membership is current. Can't register for a race because my membership expires before the race. Wow US Sailing is really pissing me off.

And who did you contact for help before posting this online rant? Did they refuse to help?

No system is perfect, but there are far, far better ways to move the ball forward.

Mike

Mike I posted after contacting the member support , and the MPP contact. After 5 days I got a reply back today. maybe the new link will work i'll find out later.

No sir. The discontent here is about control. USS controls sailing and ignores its members. That signals a desire for autocratic as opposed to democratic control.

USS is making enemies it need not have.

I will get with Joy Mitchell and re discover the link for the MHC Member Partner channel - stand by.

Again, let's not blow this out of proportion...

US Sailing does not hate you (not even you, Pete) personally, and are not designing the system to fail.

Rich, it was a 3-day weekend, did you count those in your 5 days?

Jack is very sensitive to this stuff. He does not want bureaucracy to get in the way, especially of membership. I will follow up with him to make sure this gets fixed.

Mike

http://www1.ussailing.org/membership/MPP/Default.aspx?ycid=100729I

When people start trotting out "hate" it usually means I've hit a nerve.

No I don't think USS is setting itself up for failure, it is merely pursuing an autocratic course of administration and has no intention of being answerable to the membership.

Bert, the issue isn't about the MPP link this time, it is about ability to pay in advance so he can register for a future regatta.

If I understand this correctly, let me summarize the problem as the software sees it...

Sally is a member today, but expires in April. Sally wants to register today for a regatta in May, but the system won't let her because it recognizes that her membership will be expired by then. However, it also won't let her pay next year's membership now, because she is a current member today. If Sally waits until April, she will be required to pay a late fee for the regatta.

EDIT: This is entirely a software problem. If made aware of it, I have every confidence that US Sailing would either fix it, or deal with it as best as possible (waiving late fees, etc.). They are not the "Evil Empire."

Mike

Maybe if you stop posting inflammatory things like this, that wouldn't happen as often. Call me crazy...

Why don't you just pick up the phone and talk to Jack yourself? You'd quickly find that you couldn't be further from the truth.

Mike

I don't see anything I've said as being inflammatory.

USS's policies have led to great deal of discontent. That's their fault! If USS was a business it would have failed long ago due to customer dissatisfaction. The only thing keeping it afloat is it's monopoly status, which I think can and should be challenge.

from Joy...

I just got your message, sorry I missed you! The link for the Multihull MPP is http://www1.ussailing.org/membership/MPP/Default.aspx?ycid=100729I

REALLY??? These are your responses to someone's report of a software (and slow customer service over a long weekend) problem:





I must be totally misunderstanding where you’re going with this...

Mike

If I have it right, USS has again put a group of well meaning, enthusiastic volunteers in the position of running Alter Cup. That would be you and the group putting this current iteration together. I have said I will participate in whatever regatta you come up with to judge it from personal experience.

Things that have NOT happened if I'm correct are:

*There has been no statement from the board of directors and the President thanking the last group for their efforts.

*There has been no formal introduction of you and your group. I don't even know who you are, we have not met so far as I know and I've been unable to find any mention of the change on the USS website. Perhaps there is an announcement, I often am unable to navigate the USS site.

*This survey that was put out is a good thing. But there should have been some advance notice. I suspect the lack of response is due in part because people did not know.

*Elections are not nearly so open as they might be.

These matters are a failure of leadership! Of the board and the president! There is no excuse for it!

This haughty, condescending attitude by leadrship toward the members would not be tolerated if USS was an open democratic organization. It would certainly not be tolerated if USS had any competition. Monopolies are a bad idea. Sailors and sailing would be far better off if we had some choice in the organization that represents us.

Where am I going with this? I would like to see a legal challenge to USS's monopoloy on sailing.

Maybe this should be pinned at the top of the forum since it appears to be so hard to find.

Ok
I got a nice e-mail from us sailing today. They gave me the new link and it worked. Yes it was a 3 day weekend.

Mike yes I may have over reacted there a bit I was having a few other issues at the time.

To renew through the Multihull Program, please follow this link : http://www1.ussailing.org/membership/MPP/Default.aspx?ycid=100729I

Now I can go play at the Yacht club that is so far above my status in life.

Rich

Pete, thanks for the list of things we need to communicate better. Most of your statements are not actually correct, but that just screams that we certainly can do a better job with PR. We're all volunteers here; so are you willing to help, or do you just prefer to spend your otherwise productive time bringing down any and all posts that promote US Sailing?



That's great news, Rich.

OK, are you all sitting down now?

It has never been easier than RIGHT NOW to join the MPP. There's now a permanent direct link from our homepage: http://racing.ussailing.org/Multihull.htm

You might want to add that page to your "Favorites" as that is the official channel of information (i.e. that's where the survey results will be published, etc.).

Hope this helps.

Mike

Mike

Thanks for volunteering and for helping.

I'd be glad to work on a table of organization but not by myself.

OK Pete, let's go with baby steps. You obviously know what you don't like, and presumably have seen some websites that you feel are handling this better than we have been.

Can you start by taking a little time to put together a list of links that show how you would like this to look, and send it to me directly via email? You don't have to "construct" anything, just tell me what you want.

One of the objectives of the MHC is to improve the website, and have a new Web Liaison. We'd be more than happy to entertain constructive ideas.

I open this invitation to anyone that wants to help.

Mike

After that post I went through some of the minutes and it seems the Bod have started their own review of the organizational structure. It was a very brief mention and I doubt anything will have happened so soon.

I'll try to retrace my steps and get you an exact cite.

But if the BoD is already doing it I don't see the point...

http://www.google.com/search?q=tabl...mp;ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=653

This was all I had in mind to begin with. It would function as a road map of sorts. Anyone with military experience will be familiar with a TO&E.

Later it can be very useful to improve efficiency by suggesting combinations of departments and staff.

Frankly, I'm surprised I couldn't find one already in existence; surely there is one.

http://about.ussailing.org/Assets/BOD/2011-2012+BOD+Year/BOD+Minutes+2011+12+20.pdf

Our staff is working with the America’s Cup in some very positive ways. Our relationship
is strengthening with Sailing World. The IFDS Worlds are in Florida in January and an
internal team is formally developing our needs and recommendations in support of online
learning and selecting the best platform for our association.


http://about.ussailing.org/Assets/BOD/2011-2012+BOD+Year/BOD+Minutes+2011+11+21.pdf

President Jobson announced that he is naming a Study Group to look at our organizational structure:
David Elwell, Chair
Mason Christman
Bruce Monroe
Bizzy Monte-Santo
Tom Shaddon