MBounds wrote:
As much as I would like to be the cheerleader for the Hobie 17, THE BEST BOAT HOBIE'S EVER BUILT, I just have too much on my plate right now to do a decent job with it.
Item # 1. The Hobie 18 is the Finest most versatile Catamaran ever concieved, designed, engineered, and built. BY ANYONE ! ! !
Now that Matt and I have jumped up and down off of one of our respective soapboxes
The whole idea behind Fleet Captains, or whatever we eventually end up calling them is not to add responsibility to current people already involved at National level. more to bring another layer to the onion of National Leadership, and give individual fleets a single point of contact to faculitate the flow of information within the fleet as well as up and down the leadership "chain of command"
Give Each Fleet a single voice that can speak to the HCA Chair as well as the entire board, with a fair degree of authority with regards fleet issues.
Someone that is the go to guy if you as a individual sailor have an issue that you think should be adressed at the national level, someone to be rumor control, rumor central, or the rumor spreader.
Someone to be a clearing house for fleet specific information, boats for sale, parts needed, new ideas, tuning tips for new sailors, or who to ask for tuning tips/whatever in a particular area.
The only real requirements are enthusiasm for the particular boat you sail or one of the boats you sail, the ability to use the internet in order to strengthen the class across the entire nation without having to leave the comfort of your own bubble.
Lastly, someone to beat the drum, build enthusiasm, get more boats on the starting line.
National and Divisional Leadership can only do so much, and some fleet specific leadership will have a significant positive impact that should be VERY Apparent over the course of time.
LOOK at what Chris accomplished with the 14 fleet in Iowa.
I'd like to add Harry Murphy's name and second the nomination of Paul Evendon for the 18 Fleet Representative, and suggest Danny Ward or Paul Garlick for the 17 Fleet Rep.