D-Zero

Originally posted by blaze720 As an affiliated class .... and you will very soon get  ... an 'EN' for the fee So what's not great value about that ?

Classes get a much cheaper spot at the dinghy show, which is an RYA production, than a commercial exhibitor. That's a good benefit. 

Originally posted by kneewrecker now that is one statement I think Jim is very well placed to either corroborate or dismiss completely....

The topic of whether a class is affiliated or not had never come up in a PYAG meeting I've been involved with. I have, for instance, no idea whether there's an affiliated Icon CA or not. But my dim memory is that for any class which is organised enough to have a presence at Sailboat then its very easy to make a good case to be affiliated.

Yes, setting up a Class association is a good thing, but I thought the press release was way OTT, reading as if affiliation demonstrates some kind of enhanced status or approval by the RYA in the way being a National or International Class is intended to.

Its a long time since I've had to think about these things (I even had to look up what affiliation is, and I got no useful results for a search of the string affiliated class), but AIUI, if GRF set up the West Kent Boat Burning Society, with a view to buying up old wooden boats, racing them at a regatta and then burning them in a big barbecue on the beach afterwards then they'd be at liberty to affiliate to the RYA once they had thirty or so members.

Well Jim, the release as mentioned before was in no way commercial.  We had been holding off announcing the formation until we were ratified by the RYA.  Something that was felt to be important, perhaps you can think of it as a stamp of approval or making things official.  Which it now is.  We have a set of class rules, a constitution all of which are needed to become an official class in the RYA's eyes, much like making a sailing club ratified.

I'm a member of a CA not affiliated to the RYA, simply because we have no money (no fees) and only a few members. If we grew large enough to think about such things, affiliation would be high on the list of things to get, as there are other benefits, including legal help if needed. With no new boats, the Dinghy Show wouldn't seem like a good use of funds.