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Let me be quite clear, the consensus was that this new body, CSA or CRA should work within the current establishment of YA, ISAF. There was no discussion or no intension to split. On the contrary, the general feeling was that we develop this association to strengthen our position within the existing framework.
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We did that years ago Berny, when things were becoming “lopsided” against the multihulls within the YA in the late 70’s, early 80’s. At the request of the YA, all the catamaran associations formed an overall combined association to work for multihulls – by multihull sailors -, and to report back monthly to the YA any decisions that we had come to in a democratic way. We were led to believe by the YA that we were an independent, decision making, full committee of the YA and as such our recommendations and decisions would not have to go to “the floor” of the general YA, but instead would go straight to the executive for consideration, In so doing we would bypass all the “hassle” of having to put up each and every point individually as a motion to the “floor” consisting of representatives from every yacht club and class association, which outnumbered the multihull reps at a ratio of about 10 to 1. This ratio obviously made it very difficult to have any motion of ours, not only voted on in our favour, but it also made it very difficult at times to even bring a motion to the vote. After this multihull committee had reported back to the YA for over a year with not one of it’s recommendations or decisions having been acted upon, the question was raised at the annual general meeting of the YA, why had the multihull committee not had any response from the YA concerning the work that it had carried out for a whole year. The answer that was given and minuted, was that we were not (as we were told) a “committee” of the YA BUT we were merely a sub committee of the keel boat association and that all our reports had been forwarded to them for consideration and had been acted on as they saw fit – in other words, they were thrown in the rubbish and not even minuted or kept–
This is the way of the empowered to the disenfranchised in all walks of life, tax them, then ignore them if possible, and if they make a nuisance of themselves, side track them until they “get the message” and just take what they are given without questions.