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Originally posted by Steve Milby

What made the National Regatta important to the Association was not the distribution of ego boosting trophies. The trophies were merely the incentive that caused our members to drag their boats hundreds of miles to participate. The importance of the National Regatta was that it was the only event we had that gave our members an opportunity to play together each year. Without the National Regatta, the principal remaining function of the Association is to serve as an arms-length chatline.

Your theory is that the National Regatta died because times changed. You don't know that. It's just your theory. If that was true, I'd have no problem with it. If someone had made a genuine effort to promote it, and, if they fell flat on their face, then we would know that times have indeed changed, and I'd praise them for giving it their best effort. But that isn't what happened.

The National Regatta didn't happen automatically every year for thirty years. Somebody made it happen. How do you make it happen? You have to sell it. You have to get people talking about it and get them excited about it, and you have to persuade people that organizing it isn't a monumental task. Once you find a person to organize it, then you have to promote it, to induce people to load up their boats, hook up their trailers and go.

I sat here and watched as each year a bland, colorless announcement was posted on the forum that proposals were now being accepted for next years' National Regatta. If Whirlpool ran an ad in the paper announcing that their refrigerators would be for sale at msrp on Saturday, they wouldn't sell many refrigerators. You have to motivate people to act on the announcement.

Early in the string of failures, I saw one member volunteer to organize the event at his venue, and I saw John G. recite a litany of reasons why it was a dumb idea. So, we didn't have a National Regatta that year because nobody else volunteered to organize it. Instead of letting it fail by default, I'd have much rather encouraged the member to try it, even if it ultimately failed. I don't consider it shameful to fail. I consider it shameful to fail to try.

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Originally posted by Stinkpotter

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Originally posted by Steve Milby

[quote]Originally posted by Stinkpotter

Gosh Dave, you cherry picked the worst year in our history! In the next year (2011) there were 24 Capris and 5 C25s and C250s racing handicapped. Twenty-nine members had a good time racing in a national event.

The data for 2008-2010 doesn't seem to be accessible online and some data is only sketchily recorded, but in 2006 10 boats competed.

In 2005, only 9 boats actually competed, but this is a quote from the report: "We had over 30 sailors on the water, one boat from Indiana, (Bob Mienert), one from Texas, (Derek Crawford), and one boat from Oklahoma, (Steve Meyer), but sailors came from Florida, (Jerry Mulvihill), Connecticut, (Don Peet [New York]), Oklahoma, (JB Manley, Matt Meyer, Jack Moore, Hugh Baser, Ken West), Louisiana, (Mike Murphy, Buck Blum, Tim Voyt), Texas, (Judy Ayers and JD Dukes), and Oregon, (Gary Bruner, Terry Annis, Steve Elred). Several of the out of towners brought family; sailboat racing is a wonderful family experience."

In 2004 there were 26 boats participating...

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OK Steve, so I cherry-picked what appeared to me to be our last year. Five local boats (3 & 2) in 2010. I can't find any evidence from 2011 except that WYC in Minnesota had their annual Capri Championships then, as always. Several years after that, they invited C-25s and C-250s to join the regatta, and none did--not even local boats. At some point back then, absent any news, I looked at the WYC regatta results to see if there was any evidence to the contrary, and found none. (Were there National Champions nobody has heard about?) Meanwhile, your Cal 25 class is gathered from all over the country in......... Detroit. Is this our association's fault? Or is it the natural evolution of things?

You took your best shot, offering one of the most attractive venues in the nation and best set-ups in years, and what happened? How many years does that make? What Catalina owners have stepped up to organize a National Regatta or howled for a one they can travel to? The silence is deafening. The vitriol surrounding this apparently natural transition is disappointing and not helpful to the association. This is still one of the best sailing communities in support of owners of a few models anywhere on the Web. I think with a little creativity, some things could be promoted to enhance the community--for example, recognition programs, off-season regional get-togethers (with reports),... The trophy is not the point--the community is.

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What he said.

Find out who IS racing and is an Assoc enthusiast.
Yes, a complete survey would help. Data tells all.

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Originally posted by bigelowp

or . . . the idea of a National Regatta is enticing -- but -- the reality may be that too many owners are getting as long in the tooth as their boats, preferring cruising from competition, and hauling a three ton vessel 500 - 2000 miles is becoming less desirable AND far too time consuming. I would bet that, as has been proposed in the past, a regional fleet raft up or race might be better received. But then again if Annapolis could not draw, then I fear the relative ages of boat and crew may be the challenge! Despite great intentions and efforts, times/situations do change.

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