[Vernon Green]

I just found out I am fleet captain next year and will admit I am excited about it, I think there are a few things the club could do to up attendance to our Wednesday night races.

This year we had our best average attendance ever because I was calling alot of the guys who show up half the time and encouraging them to come out, turns out that is all they needed to convince them that they should come out. So I will keep doing that once I am fleet captain but I was hoping for some other ideas.

Here are a few ideas I have
-There are some 14-15 year olds that want to race, haul them out with me or another club member and let them sail a club laser
-Give out nightly line honors awards, I am having a close friend make some cool coasters that are engraved with the race number and club name, I figure after winning a few races someone could have a cool coaster set
-We do not have a marina at the club so all the members store their boats down the lake at a local marina so do the social after the race on the docks there rather than back at the club house.
-We already do pursuit style starts so we all finish around the same time, but we do the starts in a few groups, slow, fast, and faster. Everyone likes this because the excitement is at the finish as the slow boats get to try and hold off the faster ones. I think I will keep doing this.


Those are a few ideas, anyone have other ideas that are useful?

[Gouvernail]

Keep calling...very important. I use work phones in the evening and home phones during work hours..Much faster when I don't stop to chat.

second... Assign RC duty to individuals and make a list of those they can call who will sub. Use the some of the times to make the original list and the regulars to be the subs. Do teh first RC yourself to make it fun and show how its done right.

have a "rigging your boat" party at the usual sailing time on teh usual day a couple weeks before the season starts. gets everybody out to socialize and gives time to actually get the toys to follow the directions.

have a few mid winter events on the summer sailing night..... keeps the time slot open and the habit of meeting with the friends on that day of the week. ( some northern US fleets have a bowling team in the winter)

Big important thing: DO NOT spend your own money on this. I could list a million reasons and I am certain if you really think about it you will have many of your own. Do NOT use your own funds!!!

Give the newbies and kids titles. it doesn't matter what titles. make them officers of the bilgewater for all I care. People with titles feel more obligated to show up and more involved.


names on scoresheets!!! a big deal. have the RC guys write the names on the scoresheets and be firm that they MUST ask everybody for their names ...That way they know each other's names....a big deal!!!


if you can...call over earlies by name....same reason


Give a toot on something for each finisher....They care.

Communal beer box on the RC boat with occasional (ante up" by the beer fund mommee...make CERTAIN there are ALWAYS soft drinks in that box!!!!!

Do some silly races.

..... Pick a struggling newbie and have "Nobody crosses ahead of Charlie on the first weather leg" night. Charlie will learn how to lead...maybe.

.....Have the leader re round the mark or do a 360...whoever is in front at every bouy.

Have fun. Thank those who show up for helping you have fun. remind everybody how much fun it is when they invite more out to play.

Have dinner together after the races

OCCASIONALLY..organize a fleet trip to some nearby regatta. Our fleet only does a couple a year. to much travel burdens the home front both at the club and at the house....but some travel makes the fleet go together to have a fun time and make friendships blossom.

Swap RC duty for local regattas wirth some other local fleet. You do theirs they do yours. Both fleets get to make friends and see how the other guys play.
and most of all...if they earn the right to sail in the regatta by helping host another regatta thay will want to come collect their pay.


yes I could write all night.

Maybe someday I will write a book about this.

If I just had some advance dollars........

[Bump-n-Grind]

hookers and blow

[DrewR]

A few years ago we boosted participation by offering a deal to existing racers that if they brought on a new boat the cost of the season racing was split in 1/2 so the new boat paid 1/2 the season racing cost and the sponsoring boat also only paid 1/2 the normal rate. Sure it was only $75 rather than $150 (I think) but it worked pretty well. Appeal to the pocketbooks!

[SailRacer]

Chicks, bring chicks.

Not the cluck , cluck kind ; )




Keep, it safe !

[Polaris]

Make it time and cost efficient. Make rating rule PHRF.

[Uncle h]

Gouvernail, on Sep 20 2009, 10:37 PM, said:

Keep calling...very important. I use work phones in the evening and home phones during work hours..Much faster when I don't stop to chat.

second... Assign RC duty to individuals and make a list of those they can call who will sub. Use the some of the times to make the original list and the regulars to be the subs. Do teh first RC yourself to make it fun and show how its done right.

have a "rigging your boat" party at the usual sailing time on teh usual day a couple weeks before the season starts. gets everybody out to socialize and gives time to actually get the toys to follow the directions.

have a few mid winter events on the summer sailing night..... keeps the time slot open and the habit of meeting with the friends on that day of the week. ( some northern US fleets have a bowling team in the winter)

Big important thing: DO NOT spend your own money on this. I could list a million reasons and I am certain if you really think about it you will have many of your own. Do NOT use your own funds!!!

Give the newbies and kids titles. it doesn't matter what titles. make them officers of the bilgewater for all I care. People with titles feel more obligated to show up and more involved.


names on scoresheets!!! a big deal. have the RC guys write the names on the scoresheets and be firm that they MUST ask everybody for their names ...That way they know each other's names....a big deal!!!


if you can...call over earlies by name....same reason


Give a toot on something for each finisher....They care.

Communal beer box on the RC boat with occasional (ante up" by the beer fund mommee...make CERTAIN there are ALWAYS soft drinks in that box!!!!!

Do some silly races.

..... Pick a struggling newbie and have "Nobody crosses ahead of Charlie on the first weather leg" night. Charlie will learn how to lead...maybe.

.....Have the leader re round the mark or do a 360...whoever is in front at every bouy.

Have fun. Thank those who show up for helping you have fun. remind everybody how much fun it is when they invite more out to play.

Have dinner together after the races

OCCASIONALLY..organize a fleet trip to some nearby regatta. Our fleet only does a couple a year. to much travel burdens the home front both at the club and at the house....but some travel makes the fleet go together to have a fun time and make friendships blossom.

Swap RC duty for local regattas wirth some other local fleet. You do theirs they do yours. Both fleets get to make friends and see how the other guys play.
and most of all...if they earn the right to sail in the regatta by helping host another regatta thay will want to come collect their pay.


yes I could write all night.

Maybe someday I will write a book about this.

If I just had some advance dollars........

At large events, hire some local talent to go topless at the leeward mark.
Cover the cost w/ a small inc. to the registratin fee.
A 50 boat Laser master event would work out great .

[usa1136]

Convince your YC BOG to charge racers more for launch service since they put such a drain on YC launches carting crew to boats that support the spot of sailing. That should do it.

[InNeedOfSomeRestraint]

usa1136, on Sep 21 2009, 11:30 AM, said:

Convince your YC BOG to charge racers more for launch service since they put such a drain on YC launches carting crew to boats that support the spot of sailing. That should do it.

I know you probably spotted the sarcasm here but if you haven't then whatever you do DO NOT DO THIS!

That said here are my suggestions:

Costume day, awards for the team with the best costume. Have them show it off as they check in. Last year our team was themed Star Wars. One boat owned by a guy named Ron got dressed up in hawaiian garb and blonde wigs and had his female crew stand on the rail and sing. The banner below read "The Ron-Ettes". Cute things.

Do a survey at the beginning and end of the season. Ask the owners what they want to see or give them some guideline questions. At the end of the season do a kind of debrief. Attached is an example sent around by the CPYC fleet captain last week. This will help them feel like you're listening and allow them to give input on how they would like things done or not done.

Everything else is mucho good, I like the way you and the guys above me think.

Attached File(s)

•  2009_Sailing_Program_Survey.doc (35K)
  Number of downloads: 5

[Delta Blues]

Establish a Cruising Division that only allows Dacron and Nylon sails. Face it, there are tons more boats out there in harbors who don't race than there are that do race. To give them a "taste" of racing, they need an entry level that doesn't leave them feeling awkward when they show up and everyone else is sporting technology cloths. They'll also feel more at home and feel that the field is even when everyone else they sail against are sporting Dacron and Nylon as well.

[181Li]

Where / what size boats? Is shortage of trained crew an issue?

Recruit kids from the local college and find them rides/training skippers can help add to the talent pool. Use an early weekend for spring training. Bribe the skippers with a handicap adjustment for participating.

Have a no-winners night, top 3 boats from the last series are not allowed to race that night. Skippers and senior crew from these boats are encouraged sail on other boats in the fleet as coaches.