Open Meeting Entry Fees

You should have introduced yourself ...

Here is a link for photos

http://www.mustoskiff.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=645

Contact Sergei as he took loads more than are shown on this sample gallery.

Hosting an open meeting is a huge risk for the club. If you get lots of entries you can make a profit but if no-one turns up on the day then you are broke. Costs for running a regatta are pretty much constant regardless of the number of entries. And you have to pay the money up front. So you have to make your best guess. We are running three open dinghy even dinghy events this year at Ballyholme. Two are well sponsored and that helps keep entry fees down. We always offer a discount for entries up to a week or so before the event because it helps to bring in the money early enough and give an idea of how many entrants there will be while there's still time to change plans accordingly.

£35/£40 is entirely reasonable for a two day event. If you've trailed your boat 100 miles to get to the event then your fuel costs are going to be more than the entry fee in any case. When the Hurricane Euros come back to Ballyholme this August the English competitors will have to pay many hundreds of pounds to cross the Irish Sea. A good Notice of Race will always give you enough info to help you make your mind up as to whether the event will give enough value to enter.

My top-tip for most open meetings is to give event t-shirts to each competitor. When you buy in bulk they only cost 3 or 4 quid to print up but competitors feel (rightly so) that they are getting something tangible for their money. Plus when everybody wears them there's that sense of camaraderie that gives an event character.

... and so, to sum up. Any sailing club that is offering free wigs as part of it's regatta entry fee can charge whatever it likes and still be beyond reproach. Those sailors likly to be attracted by such an offer include:

1. Donald Trump (GP14)
2. Paul Daniels (Laser Funboat)
3. Bruce Forsythe (18' skiff crewed by Dolly Dealers)
4. Terry Wogan (Foiling Moth)
5. Marie Antionette (Contender)