We are in mid-summer now in North America and sailing season has been underway for a couple of months. We had the usual flurry of early events in May/June and now things are more spread out for the remainder of the season.
Recently we have been spending a lot of time at our sailing club. My club is based on volunteers doing most of the work and everyone needs to be put in a required number of hours per year. This not only reduces cost but adds to community involvement. We have been doing race committee for some of the other classes as part of our volunteer hours. I am good at “putting out fires” so driving a mark boat is a good fit for me. We did a high school regatta on a breezy day which was quite enjoyable.
I have become a big fan of clinics and am reminded of how much fun these are. Easy to execute, fun for all ability levels and everyone goes home having learned something new. We need to do more of this. Email me if you need ideas but it’s really easy to execute with an iPhone and TV. I have also heard of people using iPad to do live drawings on the TV overlayed with maps of the venue. Another great use of technology.
If you follow the Hobie Class, I am sure you have seen all the great video coverage coming out of Australia. Paddy Butler has been leading an effort (with a lot of helpers) to create and edit all these videos. I have to say well done! Paddy and I, have been talking by email and in a recent message Paddy shared this “What I’ve trialled here over the last 18 months-or-so and come to learn are this; the more publicity we (ANHCA) provide as an association to the class (Hobie 14s being the prime example), particularly leading into events, the number of individuals sailing locally, travelling to regattas, and consequently becoming members of a State Association, has grown rapidly.” The take home is ‘more publicity = more participation’. This is such as simple concept yet something our class struggles with. The IHCA is well-positioned to help you promote your event, but we can’t do it alone, we need you to send us information. Don’t be afraid to reach out, communication makes this work.
What’s next for me? Plenty of more regattas to come. In August, we will be travelling to the 16 North American championships in Alameda, CA, a really nice venue just across the bay from the San Francisco skyline.