Boycott US Sailing's sponsors for this bull

[Skull & Bones]

From: Jim Capron, President, US SAILING

There has been a lot of discussion in recent days about a possible new requirement for active racing sailors to join US SAILING. The requirement would be a new US SAILING Prescription to the 2009-2012 Racing Rules of Sailing. In essence, the rule would require skippers and anyone steering the boat to be members of US SAILING, but only in races above a certain level. It is NOT our intention to require beginning sailors to be members, nor is it our intention to have this rule apply to racing at local clubs or sailing centers open primarily to their sailors.

As the national governing body for the sport, US SAILING creates, organizes and administers the many programs that provide a level playing field to racing sailors throughout the country. We train and certify judges and race officers, administer the racing rules, decide appeals and resolve disputes. For offshore racers, US SAILING provides rating certificates and administers the rating systems that open up racing to various types and sizes of boats. We rely on our members to help us maintain and administer these programs.

Most of the competitive sailors I ask agree that racing sailors ‘should’ be members of US SAILING to support the sport, but balk at any notion that racing sailors ‘must’ join US SAILING. Many of those who admit they ‘should’ support US SAILING do not join. The reality is that we spend a lot of time and energy into trying to convince nonmembers to join, or convince existing members to rejoin the following year.

Mandatory membership in the national authority is common practice for other sports in the United States, and it is certainly the norm with other sailing governing bodies abroad. For other countries, universal membership or support is mandated either directly by the NGB or its government sports agency, or through club or association dues. Either way, a significant majority of racing sailors worldwide contribute to their national authority. US SAILING is one of the few sports which make membership in the NGB voluntary and as a result, a minority ends up supporting the majority.

The idea that all racing sailors are part of their national governing body is all about fairness and sharing the responsibility. We already require those sailors who take our judging and race management courses and become certified race officials to be members. Is it really fair for the volunteers who run the races or hear the protests to be US SAILING members but not the racing sailors who benefit from those services? Universal membership is also about bringing more skills and ideas to the governance of the sport to make it better.

Some sailors have asked what US SAILING would do with the increased revenue? Some potential revenue will be used to offset the cost to join. We are currently considering special programs for high school and college sailors, lower cost membership for sailors starting careers and families, and group rates for clubs, classes and associations. We want to make it easy to comply with the new rule. We would also be looking to reinvest in our race administration programs, expanding race officials training, and creating products to help organizers run better racing.

The leadership at US SAILING is fully aware that this new rule will not be popular among some racing sailors, but we believe that requiring membership is the fair thing to do for everyone, those already serving and supporting the sport, and the active racing sailors receiving those programs and services.

Over the next few months, we will be working on the proposed membership rule and the programs needed to make it easy to comply. The Board of Directors will decide on all 2009 US SAILING Prescriptions in June 2008, including the one that will require most racing sailors, at least those driving and those in charge, to join US SAILING in growing the sport.




US Sailing is irrelevant at this point. All they are trying to do is to legislate their job security. It will be a cold, cold day in hell when I give them any time or money.

[Stuart Streuli]

You may well be right. US Sailing may be grasping at straws to keep itself alive. But whose fault is that? Is it US Sailing's? Or do the thousands of sailors who utilize the infrastructre US Sailing sets up by sailing in regattas and don't bother to pay a dime toward its maintenence bear a good portion of the blame?
Every participatory sport that I can think of (from softball to skiing to cycling to skeet shooting) has a governing body that works to organize the sport, improve it, and promote it. And I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of these organizing bodies require participants to join if they want to compete at any advanced level. I know that's the case for skiing and cycling. If you want to race, you've got to join. No exceptions.
Why should sailing be any different? I think for years the sport has put too much responsibility on the skipper, as if he's the only one enjoying his time on the water. But the fact is we all enjoy the sport, even if we simply sit on the rail one night a week, and I don't think it's wrong to ask everyone to chip in. Sure there has to be a way to introduce new sailors and I'm sure they will make sure that exists. But the furor over US Sailing's new regulation for the most part frustrates me. The sport needs organization to survive. Who administers and develops the rules? Who trains race officers? Who organizes handicap rules? Who provides the liability insurance needed to run regattas? These are all essential things and none come free.
Other sports require their participants to join before they can compete, why not sailing?
Sailing in the U.S. needs a governing body, I can't imagine anyone arguing with that. US Sailing may be able to do things better. But the answer isn't withholding the $60 annual fee. It's paying your dues, then getting involved and working to change the organization.

[MFLO]

Every time I hear somebody whine about paying their US Sailing dues I think to myself, "Is this the same guy who refuses to throw down on the pizza I order and then, when the pie arrives, treats himself to a few slices and wipes his greasy hands on my couch?"

Could be.

Pay up, you freeloaders!

[Stuart Streuli]

Hmmm! Pizza. I do like pizza.
I'm not sure what Hubbell meant exactly, but since US Sailing provides the insurance for many of the regattas in the country, I've never had a problem with the higher fees for non members. Without the insurance there is no regatta.
As for its total income, that's a lot of money no doubt. But does anyone have any idea how much it costs to govern the sport of sailing? I sure don't. Maybe $7 mil is enough, maybe it's not.
What I do know is this. The final product, the sailing that I do on weeknights in Newport, at various regattas around the country, etc. is great fun. I can't imagine my life without it. Sixty bucks a year is chump change when I break down per day or per race. And really, it's the only thing you have to pay. Once you become a skipper, there's a lot of other expenses, sure, but for a crew, it's the cheapest experience going.

[Skull & Bones]

"Other sports require their participants to join before they can compete, why not sailing?
Sailing in the U.S. needs a governing body, I can't imagine anyone arguing with that. US Sailing may be able to do things better. But the answer isn't withholding the $60 annual fee. It's paying your dues, then getting involved and working to change the organization."

Sure can argue with that, They are legislating their job security. boycott the sponsors. That may get their attention. US Sailing is just another organization "for just your annual fee, you can do the organizations work for them."

Sure sounds like a scam to me.

For $60 we shouldn't have to do anything....At least they could give you a T-shirt and a hat after they bend you over.



Who to boycott:
Alphagraphics
Rolex
LaserPerformance aka Vanguard
Chubb
Active network
West Marine
Harken
McLube