So we want to want to know from you what you think. Answer our easy poll question of the month. Will you be thinking of National Security this summer while on the water or will you be enjoying the experience like you always have?

From a regatta organizer point of view and from someone that tries to market the sport of sailing to the general public all I have to say is shame on you guys (the rich guys controlling the BS). Each side points fingers at each other but is unwilling to do the hard work to make our sport better. Or does it even matter? Is the cup irrelevant to the true participants in our sport? Unfortunately, that answer is no and the Cup did a lot of good for our sport last go around. More t.v. coverage, more professionals getting paid big dollars, more sailing, more development and more sponsors willing to commit their advertising dollars to sailing. It worked both for the sponsors and the sport.

However, we don’t agree with the way US Sailing has approached this situation.  There has to be a better, more fluent way of encouraging membership other than just mandating it.  We need the leadership to implement prodceedures and policies that will encourage regatta organizers and racers alike to promote membership.  Ideas such as US Sailing supporting regattas with money based on the percentage of participants that are US Sailing members.  This would definitely motivate sailors to join the membership revolution.  There are probably many other ideas and if we think of them we will certainly write about them here.

Have a good idea about how to get US Sailing to the next level along with the rest of our sport?  Just post a comment, we would love to hear it.

Below is Mr. Capron’s comments.Newport, RI (March 16) – US SAILING wrapped up its Spring Meeting in Newport, R.I., this morning and the more than 120 committee members in attendance are returning home with new ideas and fresh energy. As President of the national governing body, Jim Capron (a lifelong sailor from Annapolis, MD) presided over the three-day meeting. One of the more prominent issues discussed over the weekend was a possible new requirement for racing sailors to be US SAILING members. To bring more light to the ongoing discussion, we asked Jim Capron to answer a few questions on the issue.

Why do you feel it’s important for US SAILING to get more sailors to join the organization?
Active competitive sailors expect a level playing field through standardized rules, offshore rating certification, trained and certified race officers, judges, and sailing instructors, and much more. All these services are provided by the national governing body, US SAILING. There is also a consensus among the Board of Directors that, in fairness to everyone, those who participate in the competitive aspect of our sport and benefit from these services, should be members of US SAILING.

How would US SAILING get more competitive sailors to join?
For several years, the leadership at US SAILING (the Board of Directors and numerous committees) has discussed the necessity and fairness of getting sailors to be members of the organization. The most likely method of obtaining membership would be through a new US SAILING Prescription for the 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing that would require US SAILING membership of racing sailboat owners and skippers. This possible requirement is currently being reviewed.

Why is US SAILING doing this now?
Frankly, we are one of the few national authorities for sailing in the world for which membership of all competitive sailors is not required. We are also one of the few U.S. sports’ national governing bodies for which membership is not required, either directly or through clubs or regional associations. The majority of national governing bodies of U.S. sports require membership, such as figure skating, skiing, and tennis.

So, what is the next step?
A lot of details still have to be refined. The Board will make a decision in June on US SAILING Prescriptions for the new rule book. We are also looking at new membership structures to make it easy for members to follow any new requirements.

Thousands of people came through the Maine Boatbuilders Show this past weekend from all over the U.S.  The best sailboat on display was the spitfire a boat that was a rehab project by French and Web up in Belfast, Maine.  I received many comments that the boat looked brand new (which it did) and many wanted to see the boat racing asap!  Other sailboats of note were the Alerion by Rumery’s Boatyard and a couple of pretty looking boats by Artisan Boatworks.

The traditional, for MBBS, boats were all there as well.  Hinkley, Back Cove Yachts, Sabre, Lyman Morse, and others all had great examples of pure Maine craftsmanship.  We hope to see you at the show next year.

My “go to” instrument is True Wind Angle. For tactical reasons this is the most important piece of data that I rely on to make quick informed decisions that will make a huge difference in the race. True Wind Angle data makes every tactical decision on the race course quick and accurate, it tells you when there has been a wind shift of the course. The data can help at mark roundings, crossings, whether to change direction and at the start, all places where big gains can be made. However, most boats under 35 feet don’t have a sophisticated system that is able to output this data. Therefore the compass and pencil often have to suffice for keeping track of the wind and when all else fails “use the force Luke”.

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