Coming up on that time of year for the annual meeting. This year, it's in Captiva, FL.
 
The meeting is scheduled for Saturday, October 19, and there will be a teleconference for those who cannot attend in person.
 
We would like to have as many people participate as possible. I'll be flying through on my way out to TX for the Hobie NAs the following week, so there are no excuses!!!
 
At this point, I need your input on agenda items, as well as potential names for committee members for the coming year. We will publish the final agenda later this week.
 
For meeting registration and other info: http://about.ussailing.org/US_SAILING_Meetings.htm 
Hope to see you all there.
 
Mike

Last call for agenda items...

Mike

Not sure if this is the right place to ask, but with all the interest generated in sailing due to the AC, particularly with multihulls being front and center - is there a plan to try and capitalize on this buzz?

Not even sure if thats something that you guys do - figured it would be worth asking though.

Help establishing access! As you drive across the Sanibel causeway, note the spoil islands had been off limits for years, are now only marginally accessible and ask yourself if there is a nicer spot on Earth to sail from?

The local county gestapo doesn't give a damn about its residents but will bend over backward catering to tourists.

https://www.google.com/search?q=san...=Mkg8UsnKCYKc9QSxoYHoDA&ved=0CDYQsAQ

I have been launching my Hobie 16 there for the last couple of years. The causway is a great spot to launch from, as you can pick either side of the islands depending on wave/wind conditions. I've never had a real problem. After Memorial day they were cracking down on boaters launching jet skis, etc by driving their trucks and trailers in the water (claiming they caused erosion). The last time I was launching my H16, two separate park rangers came up to me and asked how I was intending to launch by boat. When I showed them the fat beach wheels, and explained that we walk it in the water by hand, they said "have a good time, looks like a lot of fun".

If we can't launch fromt the causeway it will be a bummer, as there is nowhere else in SW Florida to launch from.

Well hmm. Sort of a bad day for the multihull community to make an appearance; the first race of F18 Nationals starts that following Tuesday, and I know a lot of who's who's will be rigged up well before that and racing in Sarasota that weekend. Still Sarasota is a lot closer to the meeting than other locations. What's the current agenda?

I agree. One thing I found most people liked about the AC format, was actually the AC45 World Series Format where there was BOTH match racing and fleet racing with a combined points winner.

Why not change things up with the US Multihull championships format and go to a combined Match Race and Fleet Race regatta? You could easily do a day or two of match race round robins, then two days of Fleet racing, and in the end name three champions (Match Race champ, Fleet race champ, and overall Regatta champ).

Would this "mix" things up and generate interest? What if there were higher stakes involved? What if sponsors and manufactures would sponser the grand prize of a new set of sails for the champ?

Why isn't match racing more popular on mulithulls? After watching the cup, it would be great to do some match racing against other multihulls.

I wish I could attend the meeting, but I'm driving to the H16 nationals that day.

I certainly have a lot more interest in match racing now after the AC.

You can launch in NFMY at Edison Sailing Center. That is not their property, legally they are just squatters pending the outcome of their property dispute in Ft. Myers.

I'm glad to hear someone else is using the causeway, I had several meetings with the county trying to get them to understand how catamarans are launched but if no one uses the facility they forget about you.

USS should have some sort of community outreach to promote small boat sailing.

IIRC, there was an organization called Sail Florida that had a huge regatta in Sanford, it got so big Sanford refused to permit it. Jus' sayin'...

Good ideas, keep them coming.

The meeting schedule is made a year or more in advance. I'm sure it's not ideal for anyone, and not just cat sailors.

I'm going to FL on my way from New England to TX for the Hobie NAs, so I don't think it's too much to ask for people to call in.

If we want things from US Sailing, we need to show that we have numbers, are organized, and show up in force!

Mike

That is a really interesting idea. It might be worthy of having a test event to try it out. Something similar - fleet races early in the event setup the match racing brackets and you rapid fire the match races one after the other. That would be pretty cool to try.

Pete,

The meeting is at South Seas on Captiva. You could raid it.

My suspicion is that most politikin is done before the meeting is called to order, the meeting is to formalize the decision.

Mike, I understand, just letting you know why the turnout from the ever-grateful of U.S Sailing F18 contingent may be low.

Pete, nah everything gets decided in Committee. Showing up at the bar the night before is optional, as is buying drinks for the key decision makers.

Coralreefer, that is a great idea! I know we'd show up to give it a go. I would throw team racing in the mix (the most fun racing you can have on any boat at any time), but that might get complicated. Just another fleet race isn't really worth it for us.

Will try to call in, but will likely be either building our boat or racing that day. As far as agenda items, the biggest one I can think of is lowering entry barriers to get more younger sailors into our fleets. In the F18 we thought about trying to get a boat grant program going, bit the economics are extremely difficult. Where US Sailing may be able to help is by extending the pathway below even the F16 to get younger sailors hooked sooner.

While other committees no doubt operate that way, we tend to be too busy as cat sailors actually racing and/or organizing regattas.

We need an adrenaline boost, and need some volunteers to get some new things done. There are literally no rules or limits on what we can do, it it's up to us to volunteer and make it happen.

While US Sailing does have money available for the right programs, there are a million ways to raise money without having to go through US Sailing, and any delays/limitations that would come along.

Personally, I see the lack of volunteers as the harder problem to solve.

Mike

No volunteers? You might want to ask yourself why.

It would be so much more fun to ask you...

US Sailing stepped up big time for us this year with the Alter Cup. It would be great to continue that momentum.

Mike

That's interesting to me, Mike. I was at the event. Please elaborate on how US Sailing stepped up big time. I'm not being snarky here - I want to know. Liz Walker was at the event for the first time ever (as far as I recall, going back to 1998 which was before her tenure). I suppose she might have been in P'cola last year, but I wasn't there. I thought it was good of her to come - she was the timekeeper aboard the committee boat and the only person paid to be at the event.

I heard plenty of scuttlebutt regarding the financing of the event both before and during. It did not sound like US Sailing stepped up financially.

There were a couple of people there supporting the three daily video updates - these have been done for other events in the past and I was glad to see one for a multihull event. They're used to not only reach out to the US Sailing membership, but also in reaching out to sponsors - I understand that Rolex is no longer a sponsor, so I imagine the hunt is on to replace what had been a significant revenue stream, if not for the event then certainly for the organization.

US Sailing certainly supported the event, but to a far lesser degree than the other organizations involved. The rock was rolled uphill by volunteers (as usual). There were several former US Sailing volunteers participating at various levels, and several future former volunteers (if history is any guide).

So I'm interested - what do you consider "big time" and how do you see that in relation to the work done by others?