Notice Board Info- Catamarans

[Mike Godwin]

I have volunteered to be the Catamaran Fleet Captain at Seaford Sailing Club for the 2011 season, we have a mix of 7 Dart 18's, 1 16, 2 15's, 1 14, one Stealth F16 and 3 Hobbie 16 (of course I want the biase towards Dart 15), unfortunately, we do not seem to get more than 5 of the Fleet out at the same time ! Seems sensible to ask if anyone can offer any advice what has worked at thier Club, what and how should I be displaying, we do have a notice board and there are other opportunities with display boards, open days etc. Any suggestions/docs/photo's appreciated. I have started with 1 night at the Club per month to discuss sailing techniques etc but just good to get together for a few beers, ( any excuse ) .

[Andrew Hannah]

Hi Mike,

Getting yourself onto your club committee is the right thing to do because newcomers will look to you for help and advice. You should look out for new members joining, who may not have decided what to buy.
You are also right to take control of the notice board. Here are my suggestions.

1) Notice board. Ensure Sprint 15 posters are at eye level. A familiar saying in the retail trade is, "Nothing sells from the bottom shelf"!
2) Approach non-members of your club and offer to take them sailing. They are much more likely to take your advice than anyone else's.
3) Encourage your other Sprint sailor to rig his jib and take a crew. Then encourage the crew to buy a Sprint for himself.
4) Turn up for every race. Keep in email contact with your other Sprinter.
5) Keep a mental note of people who have expressed an interest. E-mail them from time to time, especially if a Sprint becomes available within, say 50 miles.
6) If e-mailing several, always use Bcc, not Cc. This stops negative replies being seen by everyone.
7) When you have finished with your NewSprint magazine, place it in the club's magazine rack. Keep a lookout for it, and make sure it is always at the top of the pile.

Never lose heart. Keep telling your friends, especially those outside your club.

Andrew Hannah.

[Charles]

Mike

Turnout of 1/3 of the fleet isn't bad, so small steps to get it up to 6 & 7 regularly will be a real result.

Try targetting a specific day to try to get everyone out on the water & provide a small prize (e.g. box of chocs, sailing knife, bottle of wine, etc.).

I think you sail mixed with the monos, so try awarding a prize for the best cat positions in a series, if that's not already done.

Make sure that all of the cat sailors know you are planning these things & set up a distribution list of the cat sailors & let them know mid-week you are going sailing at the weekend so they know there's going to be competition. Just one additional sailor thinking "oh yes I'll go & do a race at the weekend" will make a difference.

The get together is a good idea, try to get the different class owners to mix as much as possible. It is surprising how different boats as simillar as the 15 & 18 are (e.g. the way mainsheet & travellers are used), let alone the others, so try to pick a subject which is quite general & try to get the best sailors to turn up & talk (you've got a very good 18 sailor I think), but to keep the discussion simple.
Topics might be:
Basic boat set up - stiff hull / beam / tramp set up / foils in good condition
Basic rig set up - shroud tension / mast rake / sail shape
Points of sailing & the impact of waves / tide (benefits of lee bowing)
Body weight position & the impact on boat speed (esp. in light winds)
Basic racing rules
Making a good start - everyone should be aiming to cross the line within 5 seconds of the start gun, once that is happening then you can discuss the best place to start.
Does everyone know roughly how to calculate PY (in their head) & therefore know over an hour's race how far infront / behind they should be relative to their main competitors (inc. monos)? Knowing this can make you try that little bit harder on the last lap if it's close.

Good luck.

[KarlPountney]

Mike,

It seems to me that you've got a good starting point. In general cat-fleet terms the important thing is to encourage boats turning out to organise themselves into turning out more often. If you don't have a series/trophy for Cat sailing at your club then get one established. If an existing series is not working, find out why from those who might take part. Is it too long, not interesting enough, etc?

At my club we have a separate club championship series over 3 weekends and being smaller it's easier to concentrate numbers. Wednesday night sailing is extremely popular and in general we've established a club with a club feel easily and without upsetting the monohulls.

The important thing is to make Cat sailing competitive, that's to say whip-up the fleet you have into competing amongst itself rather than the rest of the club. This competitiveness enhances what is already a very exciting form of sailing and should draw in more interest.

If promoting Sprint 15 fleet is important then follow Andrew's advice. As predominately a single hander, the Sprint is much easier to sell than other Cat classes to folk attracted to single-handed monohulls such as the Laser.

If you have an open day. Offer Cat rides to the public. Sprint 15's are ideal because for people with no sailing experience they just need to sit there and the boat is manageable on your own.

[Andrew Hannah]

Hi Mike,

According to the Sprint 15 Association website, there are two Sprints for sale in Portsmouth. I'd call that local.

Having taken control of your club notice board, I suggest you pin details of the two boats thereto. There is bound to be more interest if boats are local than on the other side of the country.

You could also take the opportunity of promoting yourself as captain, viz "Further details from Mike Godwin, phone number......" etc.

[Mike Godwin]

Thanks Guys for all the ideas, I will certainly be using them in the coming months and will give an update of what I have tried and what was successful. ( or not !)

Mike Godwin
1531