Temp Founders. Roll Call

OK! It seems that the best way to get things done a bit faster would be to form a temporary committee of founders to hash over various aspects of NAMSA.

At this point, I have heard from the following volunteers:

Rick Smith

Kirt Simmons

Tami Shelton

Tim Johnson

Thom Merrill

Jake

Caleb Tarleton

Keith, Annapolis

magsteve

Rick White

It would seem that this smaller group could get something accomplished.

Some of the things we want NAMSA to accomplish are listed below:

So where does NAMSA come into the picture?

For the big picture let's call it togetherness, which catamaran sailors are notoriously bad at because they are very independent and are widely scattered in a myriad of different classes of boats.

NAMSA (unlike the Multihull Council, which is basically an advisory body within US Sailing) would be able to actually DO things. What things?

Well, here are just a few ideas:

*NAMSA could charter multi-class fleets that are not presently affiliated with any class association and put them under the umbrella of NAMSA so they can give each other mutual help with problems and also have a lobbying voice with our governing body, US Sailing, through our Multihull Council.

*NAMSA could pull together all the multiclass associations already in existence — like CRAM (Catamaran Racing Association of Michigan) and CRAW (Catamaran Racing Association of Wisconsin) and CRAC (Catamaran Racing Association of the Chesapeake) and OCRA (Ohio Catamaran Racing Association) and ORCA (Ontario Racing Catamaran Association) and TBCS (Tampa Bay Catamaran Sailors) and CABB (Catamaran Association of Biscayne Bay), SHBCC (Sandy Hook Bay Catamaran Club), and at least two MSA's (Multihull Sailing Associations) in Texas, to name just a few that I am aware of.

*The established class associations themselves, including the North American Hobie Class Association, Prindle Class Association, Nacra Class Association, Inter Class Association, Shark Class Association, Tornado Class Association, and Isotope Class Association, need an umbrella organization that can bring them together to discuss mutual problems and issues facing the associations these days. Right now they are just names in the US Sailing Directory.

*Are there class associations in North America for the Darts, the Sea Sprays, the Unicorns, the Sol Cats? Is the Pacific Class Association still alive? (Last I heard, they were still having Nationals.) If such associations exist, they need a wider forum to publicize their existence, and they would gain that by joining NAMSA. The same thing would be true for the Formula 18 class and the Formula 20 Class, if they gain a foothold in North America.

*For individual sailors with boats that do not currently have any class association at all, NAMSA could be a sort of "multiple-class" association to help them with their needs and problems and questions.

*There are new types of multihulls that need to be assimilated into the existing regatta structures — like the Hobie Waves and WindRider tris at the slow end of the scale and the Hobie TriFoiler and the Windrider Rave at the potentially super-high end of the speed scale. And what if Proas become a popular item — they might want to race, too, and would have special needs. Fleets and yacht clubs are going to need guidance on how to best handle these situations.

*NAMSA could sponsor a multi-class Open National Championship Regatta every year, with separate scoring and trophies for fleets of five or more and separate starts as and where necessary, whether divided by relative Portsmouth numbers or number of boats in a specific fleet or by special course needs of certain fleets.

*NAMSA could line up expert volunteer consultants to answer questions about sails and sail materials, boat designs, rigging components, construction materials, and even how to build a boat yourself.

*NAMSA, in conjunction with the Multihull Council (I would hope), could help if you are having a problem with getting multihulls accepted into certain events that are being put on under the auspices of US Sailing. Or what if you are losing beach access because of some local or federal government decision and need some support in waging your battle? Or what if you belong to a sailing club that doesn't want catamarans at their regattas because they are "dangerous"?

*NAMSA could be a forum for bringing together the various multihull manufacturers and dealers and suppliers, so they, too, can discuss mutual issues and can have dialogue with the sailors on how those on the industry side of it can help the sport and also increase sales so they can survive — sailors need them just as they need the sailors.

At any rate, If there is anyone else out there that is interested in joining the founders committee, by all means jump in with information, additions or criticisms.

If you feel more comfortable emailing directly, we could do that, but I really like the "Sunshine Effect" of discussion being on this Forum.

Thanks

Rick