Our club (CYC Seattle) provides excellent weekly racing April-Sept with a professional PRO, 2 whaler drivers and a scorekeeper. We get up to 4 great races in some of the best (albeit coldest and deepest) waters for Laser sailing. We get together at a floating YC clubhouse for beer and not so good food and a view of the sun setting behind the Olympics.
What's not to like? Well, the cost.
As the fleet captain I've been trying to build participation and have run headlong into the costs. For four series (each 6 nights) the cost for racing is approx $250. That's OK. The problem is the club requires membership, which is $650 plus an initiation fee of $275. When people start adding up the costs, Laser racing is a non-starter for most. We can't get the club to budge on this.
I've found several other "cheap" informal programs in the area (and broadcast their existence) but none have taken off. Our fleet is down to about 10 regulars. There are signs it could grow if things were less expensive.
As a fleet we're exploring other possibilities for running races, from staying with what we have to running our own.
We'd love to hear how other fleets do it. What works?
Who runs your races, how much does it cost, what's the schedule, how many boats do you get, how many races do you run, do you ever rotate venues. All that stuff.
Thanks!
What's not to like? Well, the cost.
As the fleet captain I've been trying to build participation and have run headlong into the costs. For four series (each 6 nights) the cost for racing is approx $250. That's OK. The problem is the club requires membership, which is $650 plus an initiation fee of $275. When people start adding up the costs, Laser racing is a non-starter for most. We can't get the club to budge on this.
I've found several other "cheap" informal programs in the area (and broadcast their existence) but none have taken off. Our fleet is down to about 10 regulars. There are signs it could grow if things were less expensive.
As a fleet we're exploring other possibilities for running races, from staying with what we have to running our own.
We'd love to hear how other fleets do it. What works?
Who runs your races, how much does it cost, what's the schedule, how many boats do you get, how many races do you run, do you ever rotate venues. All that stuff.
Thanks!