You guys really need to put the hard-on you have for US Sailing back in your pants. Get over it already.

There is a widely held perception by the broader sailboat racing establishment that multihull sailors - especially beach cat sailors - are a bunch of hacks, and this little clusterf##k doesn't help. You have no idea how difficult it was for me to overcome this perception in the process of becoming a certified National Race Officer - the only NRO who's primary racing discipline is beach cats.

It would be one thing if Steeplechase remained a little-known fun race, but through the magic of the Internet - it's perceived as a big deal, promoted with front page coverage on a web site with international viewership and shared around to thousands of people on Facebook. Perception is reality, therefore Steeplechase is a big deal.

Whether you like it or not, US Sailing is the gatekeeper to the Olympics, the Olympic development program, the ISAF Worlds, the ISAF Youth Worlds, and yeah - the US Multihull Championship (Alter Cup) and Youth Multihull Championship (Stevens Trophy). They're in control, and if you don't play nice (according to them), you get benched, which Ding found out the hard way.

Despite your protestations to the contrary, Ding - Steplechase and Tradewinds do have a strong connection in Cat Sailor and Rick White. That's the perception at least. Again, perception is reality.

Kudos to Jamie L., Sarah N. and everybody else for getting Tradewinds hooked up with the Olympic Development, ISAF Youth Worlds and the US Youth Multihull Championships. But there's a lot a lot riding on Tradewinds. It's our chance to show the racing establishment that we really do know our stuff and that we can conduct the game at the highest level. We're not going to change the perception that we're hacks by screaming "WE DESERVE TO BE RESPECTED! RESPECT US!" Respect is earned, not given.

The confidence level at US Sailing of Tradewinds going off without a hitch is kind of low right now. Three certified judges is a start, but judges tend to be reactive - patching things up after the fact - not good. High-quality, certified race management teams keep bad stuff from happening in the first place. There are no shortage of them in Florida in January, and I hope Rick has really good certified people lined up. Having certified people spreads the blame if things go sideways.

And if you think I have any ulterior motive in this, you're wrong. I don't have the time in January to even consider attending Tradewinds as a race official (as if Rick would have me) or a competitor. The Hobie Class doesn't have a dog in this fight, either.