In all seriousness, I think that making a personal commitment of going to your Class nationals is good sense. For me, it is the one learning opportunity that exceeds all others - you get out of your pond to see what people are doing (rigging, crew techniques, etc.) elsewhere, you get practical experience (even if you're behind someone, they're telegraphing good tips) sailing, starting, rounding and finishing, and you maximize the "investment" you made in your boat purchase. Let's face it; even though cats are still the best deal by far in performance sailing, if you ponied up the cash to buy a boat, you've gone beyond "hobbyist" status. I reckon it takes six or seven nationals'-worth of expenses before you exceed the purchase price of a new boat.. maybe even ten when you start chasing new sails every two years. The point is that you've already made the biggest part of the commitment - now it is about milking it.

Oh, and there's beer.