Proposal for NAMSA Sanctioning of Events!

Well, so far the only comments I have are from Mary. Here is what she thinks the Sanctioning Package should look like:

Draft Event Sanction (For Chapters or other Event Organizers)
NAMSA Event Endorsement Guidelines

Objectives:
RACING: To sanction events that promote and provide one-design class racing for all multihull classes that have enough boats for a fleet, as well as open, Portsmouth class racing, and Formula racing, to make enjoyable, competitive racing accessible to as many sailors as possible on as many different types of boats as possible. This is not a mandate; it is a goal.

FUN EVENTS: To sanction fun, recreational, and cruising events.

INSTRUCTION: To sanction clinics and seminars.

Benefits:
* Event Organizers will get the benefit of low cost Liability Insurance for each event.
* Regattas which meet the sanctioning criteria established below shall be permitted to use the "NAMSA" logo when advertising the event.
* Events will be listed as "NAMSA Sanctioned Events" in the Schedule of Events in Catamaran Sailor Magazine
* NOR Flyers may be posted in Catamaran Sailor Magazine at discounted rates.
* Pre-race advertising in Catamaran Sailor Magazine at discounted rates.
* Post-race coverage in NAMSA News and/or Catamaran Sailor Magazine
* Participants get points entered into a National NAMSA database.
* Increased participation in your events due to points.
* Tips and suggestions on how to run a quality regatta, i.e., Suggested NORs, Sis, Race Course, Scoring Software, RC Equipment, etc.

Criteria:
* The event organizer must be a Chapter Member of NAMSA.
* Must have liability insurance through NAMSA, plus any additional insurance that may be required locally for the specific event site.
* Must abide by any applicable sailing rules, racing rules, navigation rules, and/or government regulations that may apply to the specific event.

Insurance:
* NAMSA insurance will cover personal injury or property damage related lawsuits brought against NAMSA, club members, employees, volunteers, event organizers, directors and the club/chapter. The cost is $50 per year.
If Additional Insured is required, there is an additional fee of $100 per year.
If the Event Organizer owns or leases the property of the event, the Event Organizer may need to acquire additional insurance.
* Each sailor must sign a release of liability in order to participate in any NAMSA event before the event starts. In that release each sailor must agree to be responsible for any and all damage caused to any person, boat or personal property as a result of racing activities both on shore and on the water.

Buoy Racing or Distance Racing Events: (These are suggestions only – to make a better event)
* For NOR, it is suggested that the 2001-2004 Racing Rules of Sailing, Appendix J, Notice of Race be used.
* For Sailing Instructions, it is suggested that the 2001-2004 Racing Rules of Sailing, Appendix K, Sailing Instructions be used.
* Scoring: Event Organizer may use any scoring system they desire. It is suggested that Sailwave (Freeware) be the scoring software of NAMSA sanctioned events.

Hi Rick
RE: Insurance

The devil is in the details here. This kind of coverage will not be useful to most clubs. The insurance companies do not insure regional sailing authorities (NAMSA or HCA) and all of the clubs underneath their umbrella. Just as the Hobie cat policy is virtually useless, (read the limitations in their press release) I am afraid NAMSA’s program will have limited utility.

Basically, if your fleet or club is incorporated, you are a unique and independent organization. You must purchase your own insurance coverage to cover the officers and race official volunteers. If your checks are written to Fleet XXX and not NAMSA then it's pretty clear that you are operating as a separate financial organization.

The NAMSA or (HCA) policy would cover 5 individuals who decide to host a regatta and belong to NAMSA. However, without the legal benefit of these members belonging to a non-profit incorporated club, those five individuals would be personally responsible for any financial losses etc from the event. (They would even have to pay tax on profits)
So, the NAMSA or HCA policy has some utility but individuals should be aware of the limitations and responsibilities involved. (Once they form a non-profit corporation they must purchase their own liability insurance.)

I suggest that language similar to the HCA press release be included so that clubs and individuals are informed.

Take Care
Mark

Sanctioning :

What do you mean by the term sanction?

NAHCA decided to enforce their trademark and ensure that the sanction “Hobie Class Regatta” meant exactly that… a strict Hobie only one design class regatta. They believe that they will be able to successfully market this vision and allow them to focus on their goal of supporting Hobies. What is the NAMSA sanction supposed to mean? “All multihull’s welcome? Why bother? Most sailors would assume that if you host a regatta, that all boats are welcome since you list the classes that you expect to host. It seems silly to define NAMSA as an organization, which exists to be “not NAHCA”.

On the Chesapeake, CBYRA which is the umbrella organization similar to NAMSA or HCA sanctions regattas and keeps track of the season series. The president of CBYRA uses the designation of “SANCTIONED” to note events which are included into the high point season series. Clubs may choose to conflict with one another for dates however the CBYRA president decides who will be sanctioned in a region. Each one design or handicap class then designates the subset of sanctioned events that they choose to include in their high point series. Is this your intention by the statement.
“Participants get points entered into a National NAMSA database.”

I agree with Mary that the goal of NAMSA with respect to racing must be spelled out in more detail.

Mary would have NAMSA be an organization which emphasizes one design racing sanctions events, records points for one design classes and also runs the left over boats in a Portsmouth class and records those points as well. The model for this type of event would be the Tradewinds.

An alternative philosophy is that NAMSA sanctions regional open championship regattas with 4 or 5 divisions. (Spin, 700 and below Non Spi, 665 to 700 non spin, single handed) The model regatta is the Michigan Catfight.

In contrast to Mary, I don’t see the need for NAMSA to sanction one design events or make them particularly noteworthy. I would leave this up to each one design class to find host regattas for their one design racing and score their own series. Mary and I have debated the role of one design racing in the past. As a club member, I support one design split outs ONLY when the left over boats of similar performance are able to have a viable race as well. For me, this threshold is reached when you have 10 one design boats and 10 other boats similar of performance to the one design class. Fewer then 10 boats in a class makes it difficult to sustain competition and interest over time (years). I believe that it is better to run a single race overall and score out the one design classes

For example, this year’s Performance Mid winters, raced everyone together and then scored out individual classes. The lone Mystere 4.5 was able to compete and actually scored well in some races. Based on the accounts on catsailor, the racing was very competitive and fun! In contrast, the Hobie midwinters have less then a handful of boats in their respective one design classes (pre registered). It looks like most of the hobie sailors are saying why bother participating for such a small turnout.

Mark,
I am not involved with NAMSA except in the same capacity as you are -- as an outsider critic. But I wish you would become an insider, because you always have good input.

As you correctly said, I am a big proponent of one-design racing and giving one-design classes a chance to build and giving them incentive to come to regattas so they can race against their own kind. This is something that has not been possible for non-Hobies at most Hobie regattas. And the lack of venues available to one-design classes has made it difficult for classes to grow -- so they die.

I don't understand where you differ from me. The big open regattas start groups of classes together and then break out the results for the one-design classes, where numbers warrant. This is logistically necessary to reduce the numbers of starts and make it possible to have more races.

That basically accomplishes what you want to happen -- that a lot more boats get to race against each other off the starting line, even if they are of different varieties. And it also accomplishes what I want to happen -- that people trying to grow one-design classes will have venues where they can race one-design if they wish.

What the NAMSA Chapters will do, I hope, is provide many more events that are open to and provide trophies for one-design classes that have X number of boats. This will make it possible for the people with the Nacra 6.0's or the A-Cats or Formula 14's or Hobie 17's or Hobie 21's or whatever, to decide which regattas they are going to attend as a group so they can race one-design.

For instance, in our efforts to build the Wave Class, we specifically target regattas that we know are open to one-design classes, and we rally as many Wave sailors as possible to go to those regattas.

Regattas can help to build one-design classes, and one-design classes can also help to build regattas.

The insurance stuff is all pretty much over my head.

If I'm understanding Mark Schneider correctly and following along with his line of thought, why not award a National Champion from all the regionals (CRAM, CRAW, CBYRA, TBCS ET AL) at NAMSA Midwinters? Just invite the top three or five sailors from each group and host an open class for every one else. That gives a goal for sailors to shoot for.

That basically accomplishes what you want to happen -- that a lot more boats get to race against each other off the starting line, even if they are of different varieties. And it also accomplishes what I want to happen -- that people trying to grow one-design classes will have venues where they can race one-design if they wish.

Hi Mary
A race is only a race if you keep score!
Contrast the Tradewinds with the Performance mid winters. Both regattas started multiple classes together. However at the midwinters, everyone was racing for the overall trophies. At the Tradewinds, you were racing in a very small class.

In our area, the Hobie 16 class used to get their shorts in a knot over the starting of 16 C and B fleet with the A fleet because they don't like to wait for the beginners and for saftey reasons. Not a problem now after the B and C fleet dissolved.

Are either of the events we are discussing "one design" NO... the Olympic Tornado fleet (not me) would NOT consider a start with any other boats on the line... In fact, they were delighted to have the 49ner's taken off the race course at the OCR's because of saftey issues.

Well, that does not have anything to do with NAMSA. It is up to individual regatta organizers how they want to run and score their regattas. All I am saying is that it will be nice to have more opportunities for one-design classes to race. And you say yourself that the only difference is that you want all the boats in every combined start to be scored on Portsmouth and get trophies for that, as well as breaking out the one-design classes and providing trophies for them.

So what is the conflict? As I said, it is up to the individual regatta organizers whether they want to do the additional work of taking times on all the boats and also whether they can afford additional trophies. Some may elect to do all the scoring on Portsmouth, some may do all the scoring based on one-design classes, and some may do both. Often a decision cannot be made until you have all the eggs in the basket and know the composition of the group attending the regatta.

It certainly is good for organizers to have those three options available to them.

There doesn't seem to be a panacea here. Probably for NAMSA to grow will require a variety of approaches. One obvious approach is to build on the success you already have, namely NAMSA Midwinters. Why not try to upgrade participation and the status of the event by inviting regional champions to compete for a National title?

Who knows maybe you can make it Performance Nationals or A Class Nationals? Perhaps even the two combined.

Hi Mary

There need not be a conflict.

NAMSA appears to be trying to set a goal for it's racing portfolio that contributes something that is missing from the current racing scene.

What is NAMSA's goal?

You can't build an organizational mission around "I'ts not hobie cat" we welcome everyone! (NAHCA rightly or wrongly says... our sanction will apply ONLY to Hobie ONLY regattas.)

NAMSA can say “our sanction will apply ONLY to regattas that are open to all catamarans”. I feel that this is a trivial distinction that is raised in reaction to the Hobie policy. It sounds like a good housekeeping seal of approval… or a statement that cert. that X club plays well with others and you are invited to play.

The only role that I can see NAMSA playing is to develop, encourage and sanction regattas that follow the catfight format. (racing between similar performance boats on handicap and scoring for embedded one design fleets). The Catfight is by design open to all catamarans. This would be a unique mission. NAMSA and hosting clubs would agree on one set of guidelines or rules and then run sanctioned regattas where the results are tabulated etc etc.

I propose this Objective:

NAMSA certification assures the multihull racing community that a specific event welcomes all racing catamarans. All NAMSA events will be scored using similar performance divisions with handicap scoring as well as one-design or formula classes within a performance division. (Catfight format) NAMSA will tabulate a National High points champion for the following divisions:
Spinaker,
Sloop (PN 700 and below)
Classic Sloop (PN 700 and above)
Single handed