With gas prices already so high and predicted to rise even more this summer, is this going to affect your plans to attend regattas? Will you go to fewer of them? Only regattas close to home?

Should regatta organizers be worried about lower attendance this year?

Maybe not this year, but definitely next year. I'm planning on constructing a lighter-weight trailer and putting a hitch on the Volkswagen Jetta...Bonnie's going to freak out that her car could potentially become the regatta-mobile but with an A-cat and a light trailer behind a 4 cylinder jetta, it should get good fuel mileage.

i am thinking about getting a cat sled harness and rounding up all the local strays!.... gYDiUp!!!

I know that i had plans to drive way down into Texas a few time this year but now am thinking otherwise.

Im glad I unloaded the RV when I did, it was nice but not cost effective. I do have a nice new tent and a double stack trailer to share some gas with my friend, guess thats my way of cutting back.
I had a comversation yesterday with the organizers of the biggest regatta on our lake about combining events to anticipate the loss of boats related to gas prices and overall decreasing participation in all regattas. Our local Race officers are stretched thin too, and there are no paying gigs for them on our lake, just beer, food and maybe a Tee shirt. We are definitely planning for decreasing participation hoping that wont be the case, but you need to be ready.

We have built a double stacker...put a hitch on my Nissan Sentra...take the truck or and take the RV as little as possible. That way we had haven't limited our regattas so far.

I put a hitch on my Mazda Protege5, also a 4 cyl. It works fine, tows well, and I can get highway mileage in the mid-high 20's....As to towing capacity, take a look at the European tow rating of cars, it will amaze you to see what they allow over there. My US Mazda owners manual said not to tow anything, while the European guidelines for the same car were something like 2500lbs with trailer brakes and 1200 without, so I am not worried about my trailer and H16 with a combined trailer weight of about 750 lbs. A Jetta (2.5 L? 4 cylinder) over in Europe tows braked travel trailers in the the 1300kg range!

I just drove down to Kansas from Minnesota. It was almost 500 miles each way. Had to fill the truck when I got there, and fill it again when I got home. It costs about $125 fill my pickup right now. OUCH!!!

There is some local club cat racing about an hour from my house that I have been seriously considering keeping/racing my boat there and just riding my motorcycle to the lake every weekend. My new bike isn't in yet, (sometime in May), but it should get over 60mpg being only 250cc. I hope.....

Your buying an A-Cat and are worried about gas prices? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

We've been down this road in 04 after the first big jump. The regulars show up regardless. We can't blame the price of gas for the drop in attendance. The best thing we have going for us right now is the H16 fleet. These folks do an outstanding job with getting youth on the water. Want to save the sport buy a H16 and grab the neighbor kid.

In my experiance, the folks who blame fuel cost for not going to distant regattas have other reasons for not showing up to nearby regattas.

I'd have to report you to PETA.
If you could figure out a way to hookup your trailer to this, it might help.

Is it better if i use Reindeer? Onward Blitzen!!!

Just imagine doing that in the UK. Diesel is now around the $10 per usg (3.8lt)mark. Sailors do think twice about long distance traveling for events.

Cheshirecatman

Yes.

Case in point. My parents no longer RV any further than an hours drive. They cannot afford the gas. So all the trips to the mountains and beach they much enjoyed are out. If you are living and racing on a tight budget, the cost of travel definitely affects your decision process.

I like it. Although I use my cycle as much as I can these days I can't see me hooking up my 900lb cat/trailer rig on the back. First I would have to change to a tandem (to accommodate a crew), then if I was able to do it I might loose enough weight to be able to sail a smaller/lighter cat.

Cheshirecatman

I didn't say it was a NEW a-cat. Now I don't have to buy beer for crew anymore either.

Crap!

Hear me now, believe me later .... the extra beer you save by not providing it to your crew will impact your performance (and your waistline). <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />