Gary,

I really wish I could deny your criticisms of NAMSA last year. We too were gleefully looking down a wishing well and dreaming of all the things we could do. We dug our well but found the rope too short for the bucket to reach the bottom. Analogy aside, we did have a very enthusiastic response to NAMSA but we did not receive as many memberships as we had anticipated. We had overestimated ourselves and for that I owe you and the other past and existing NAMSA members an apology. We did accomplish some things, most of which are the organizational items that are transparent like tax status, and membership database / structure. We went off deeply exploring some tangents, like aiding a professional race series in the U.S., that in hindsight was putting the cart before the horse and never panned out. We’ve also been weeding through the various insurance options - but we simply did not reach closure on the many goals we had set for last year.

This does not change the fact that we need an organization like NAMSA – even if NAHCA decides to reverse their x-boat policy. This doesn’t change the fact that we can greatly improve catsailor’s organizational appearance to the likes of US Sailing and the world – to change the stigma such that catsailing and catsailors are responsible, fun, skillful, serious, and organized sailors who not only demand but deserve respect. It doesn’t change the fact that we need to get together to help each other look out for our own interests. If we can only start these things, our sport can only get better and grow larger.

So what’s different this time? Where was the misfire last year? For me especially, I’m learning a lot at this and I learned a lot last year. One of the things we learned is that we depended on a very enthusiastic and extremely talented, but too small, core group of people. Thanks to the suggestions from you folks, I believe that the one thing that will make the biggest difference for us this year is to set up regional officers. This will place representation closer to everybody and get more people involved. I expect that we will begin nominating these people very soon. The board should make sure everyone is communicating and that we are all moving in the same direction. I would also like to see us have a simple points series this year – it would not take much to set it up and we already have a great Nationals location within the already existing Tradewinds Regatta in Key Largo, FL. Do you have an idea how you would like to see this first point series run? Let us know, and if you have the talent and you would like to, you might just find yourself in charge of it. We as sailors can do anything we want within this organization but as an organization we have to empower those who have good ideas and want to work at making things better. This year will be different because we will have more people involved. This can work, this can be done, and it is certainly needed.