2012 pre-registration list for NA is online.
rpotcova:
That's another topic that few have touched. Where is our partial refund for last years na s that didn't happen? Mother natures fault 100%. Rained out baseball games offer rain checks. Does this sort of thing happen elsewhere?
DN 805:
I too paid for the 2011 GC and NA. Was pleased to at least receive an NA T shirt.
I assume the regatta chairman still had expenses to cover, even though there was no racing. He had the race committee on site, he had prizes to award. The phone bills pile up. Expenses don't stop just because racing is cancelled.
A preferred solution should be to allow the regatta to be postponed a couple of weeks. That is what happened in 2005 when the GC went from Oshkosh to Madison. The NAs were postponed a couple of weeks and we enjoyed a top notch regatta at Elk Lake.
..sneaky scribe
Bob Gray:
The iceboat club I belong to has hosted the Fun Regatta for at least 15 years and we have had up to 60 boats attending. We were also very involved in the 2009 Gold Cup on Torch Lake and have helped out on several Centrals. I feel I have a pretty good understanding of how regattas are run. There seems to a lot of different feelings about fees and if I were King, this is what I would do. First I would do away with the prizes. They are nice but I come to race and would rather have lower fees. The hosting region could have a nice one size fits all hat and sell them to the participants, they'd go like hot cakes. One of the reasons for the preregistration is to get sizes and to get a feel for the size of the fleet. Let's face it, the Gold Cup is going to get about 120 entrants and the NA's about 80-100. The fixed cost for travel, race committee etc. really doesn't change much whether you have 50 sailors or 100 sailors.
My next change would be to have those preregistering pay half the entry fee early with the balance due at sign in. That way if the regatta isn't held, the money spent would be covered but the participants would get a bit of a break. For those not prepaying, hit them with a $20 penalty (easy to make change). Most people would still prepay but this way if someone's plans changed and they could make it, or if the race just showed up in your back yard, you wouldn't have to pay $120 or more to partake in about 5 races.
I like a scheduled week for the races. The Gold Cup has to have a definite time frame since folks come in from Europe. It also makes sense for the NA's. However if we get a scenario like last year, I would let the NA's, never the Gold Cup, float to the first weekend that it could be held and run it like a regional regattas. Sign in would be Friday night and Saturday morning, you'd have a quick skippers meeting, and then go racing. If you are worried about stickers, don't sweat sail numbers, just put a serial on each set and assign them to individual skippers.
This is what I'd do if I were King.
eric_anderson:
The changing dates thing for the NA's does not work for me at all. I like the fixed week format much better.
Cheers,
Eric US 5193
bmintz:
If I were King:
I'd make a 400 acre refrigerated surface with a fleet of Zambonis and never have to worry about the dates or location.
Of course I would also change the rules about adultery, but that is a bit off topic.
If I were King.....
And yes, $120 bucks is a bit steep. Before I read the rules carefully and realized that as a newbie I could race for another years' dues I had decided not to do the NA's because of a combination of cost and time. Now that I realize that I can just show up and race, I am much more likely to make a long drive for the regatta. Again, as a newbie I really don't need yo go to the NA's, I have no illusions about my placement, but I like the vibe of a big regatta and I learn more, faster at one.
I really do not know about what it costs to stage a race like the NA's. I know there are expenses and I am very willing to help foot the bill. I am not sure why it would cost so much more if I do not commit early.
I'm just learning about all this, but I am more likely to show up if it is less expensive. Just one man's thoughts, and worth what you paid for them.
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