The following information about, and justification for, the new race fee system has been gleaned from the December Leadline and from the introduction to the Race Book. Racers should realize that the maintenance on much of the equipment for racing has been deferred over the years, and as a result of the post-race discussions last Summer, it appeared that the racers and the Club Officers felt that it was time to catch up on this. It is the understanding of your Web Scribe that the general consensus was "don't cut the racing, we want to keep up the race schedule and are willing to pay the actual costs."
From the December Leadline, referring to Treasure Leslie Keller's presentation at the Annual Meeting:
As for the new race fees, Keller said, "We have a lot of maintenance and improvements planned for the boats and our other racing assets." The use of volunteer labor might offset the predicted costs of the work, which could result in a decrease in 2001 race fees, Keller said.
The new fee structure, based on CYC's costs, is expected to incorporate "package plans" under which members will be asked to pay a predetermined amount for groupings of races identified by representatives of their one-design or PHRF fleet.
J/24 fleet members, for example, are expected to be asked for $245 for a package that includes all Tuesday night racing, two two-day regattas and the August Moonlight Race. Last year's all-season fee was $215.
Season fees will be eliminated, and race fees for S-3 members will be 75 percent of normal. Skippers will be able to pay extra to sail races not included in their package.
Under the proposed fee structure, events would be canceled unless 10 boats were signed up by the previous Wednesday, either through their package plans or individual race fees.
"The pricing will be consistent with a cost of so-much per day, and that amount is what's still under discussion," Keller said. "Everyone will be paying their fair share for races they participate in, and they will get a break for paying up front."
And from the introduction to the Race Book:
The yearly race fee structure has changed to a format that groups races into packages. This was designed to group certain boats into the same regattas to increase attendance for each class and boat type and to save the club resources from regattas that are not widely attended. You should consult with your local fleet to determine which package your fleet will want to register for. In addition, if less then 10 boats have registered for a race by the deadline the race will be cancelled and the entry fees refunded. When a race is cancelled due to a lack of registered boats, those who registered will be notified by the club manager and, if possible, it will be posted on the web site. Racers who purchase a package will receive a refund at the end of the season of $9 for each race that is cancelled due to lack of registered boats.