Is inflation impacting Nationals Attendance?

Originally posted by davidyacht We have all banged on for years about there being too many classes

All??

Originally posted by KazRob Originally posted by KazRob the D-Zero Nationals ....was right down in numbers with 27 entries at Brixham compared to last year's 56 at Largs.  Just to remind everyone the question was not whether Nationals north of Watford are worth going to (of course they are), but rather compared to last year are we in for a sharp drop in numbers generally this year?

What I have noticed last month or so is lower speeds on the motorway, will be interesting to see if there is a similar drop in accidents, due to lower speeds.    

You'd have to dig quite deep to understand the finances of a nationals. Clubs charge a fair bit, CA's have expenses like trophies, secretarial effort etc. Some costs like buying in extra safety boats or hiring race committee members, on the water judges might be paid either by the class or the club. It may look like a club is making a mint, but you have to value the volunteers' time. That's the way clubs work, people volunteer a) because they enjoy it and b) because it funds their club, keeps fees lower, subsidises youth training etc etc. Most week-long nationals seem to be in the £225 to £275 area. When it comes to 'Value for Money', look at the Value as well as the Money. In my limited experience, a lot of the real value comes from the other competitors. To me, the VFM of paying top-end money to enter a small event somewhere North of Northampton looks poor due to the low turnout, as well as the geopraphy. Classes need critical mass to put a good sized fleet in less favoured locations. Seems to me it's not just those of us living South of the M4 who prefer South Coast events, but also a lot of people who have to travel roughly similar distances whichever venue it is?

TBH I don't think cost of living is really  a big deal to all that many Nationals entrants. It's once a year and it's one of your 5 weeks holiday. A lot of people are spending similar amounts in other ways. But it still has to offer value for money. So the traditional 'family week in Devon with some sailing thrown in' package still has a lot of appeal. It helps if you can be sure of having a decent day if the sailing's binned for no wind. We might even see some people do a Nationals because it's cheaper than a week in France or Italy. 115 Merlins in Salcombe this week.