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    Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 10:13pm
Take the Fireball as an example.  Once upon a time there were regularly over 100 boats at the nationals. Since 2000 the numbers have continued to decline, from 80, to 70, 60, 50, 40 and now about 30. That means every year several more boats decide they won’t bother again next year.  Why is that?  Not enough time? Not enough money?  Not enough fun?  Not enough prestige?   
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 9:59pm
Originally posted by Mozzy

Originally posted by ClubRacer

£50 for a 2 day event?! Sounds like a bargain. RS want £120 for a 2 day event down in Weymouth

Yeah... for the most part I don't believe entry fees are the big put off. Certainly if I believe it will goes to well deserving club.


You say this as a front of fleet sailor with something to get out of the event. Would a mid-fleet/back marker feel the same?  

We can’t get 2/3rds of our home fleet to pay £15 for our home open meeting - why would they when they know they won’t win and can race for free every other weekend?
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 9:55pm
Originally posted by davidyacht

Against the cost of a competitive racing dinghy £5k to £30k, accommodation, food and travel the entry fee is a bagatelle.  I am not sure that the overall costs are going to deter the serial open meeting attendee, increasingly their dinghies rarely grace their “home” club boat park, and the leading class associations are pursuing a model of a “major” open each month pitched at the sailors who are interested in this style of racing 
I disagree with this.  I can kind of justify a new boat periodically as it comes out of savings.  However, telling the family I’m off for the weekend and I’m pissing £200 up the wall doing it is not compatible with peace and harmony. 
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Posts: 6661 		Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 8:20pm
I used to do the winter open circuit regularly. The Sailjuice thing did exactly nothing to make me want to turn out more, but I'd stopped doing them then anyway as I was then sailing a singlehander regularly at a club rather than campaigning a two hander from home, so I don't think that proves much. But would I have been likely to do an event I didn't otherwise fancy because there was a series? I doubt it.
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Posts: 3011 		Post Options Post Options   Quote RS400atC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 7:33pm
There's a finite number of committed open-meeting junkies. If you want to get more people turning up, you need to encourage the people who are wavering. Sometimes there's people at a club a short drive away who might be persuaded. I've known youngsters borrow parents' boats to do events, the entry fee is the only cost apart from beer and a little petrol to go 20 miles down the coast. A £40 entry fee is a lot to someone on minimum wage or between college and work. Five years time you might be regretting that these people are not sailing in your class. I've seen cases of boats from the host club not racing because the entry fee and class membership tips people into not bothering. Even the busy classes like the Solo are not immune, 4 boats at Bala, how much was the entry fee and was it VFM?
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Posts: 2538 		Post Options Post Options   Quote turnturtle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 6:36pm
That sounds like a good model - but it probably benefits from the critical mass of an established class, rather than some new kid on the block
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 6:32pm
Against the cost of a competitive racing dinghy £5k to £30k, accommodation, food and travel the entry fee is a bagatelle.  I am not sure that the overall costs are going to deter the serial open meeting attendee, increasingly their dinghies rarely grace their “home” club boat park, and the leading class associations are pursuing a model of a “major” open each month pitched at the sailors who are interested in this style of racing 
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Posts: 2538 		Post Options Post Options   Quote turnturtle Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 6:24pm
Originally posted by H2

Did you go to the "Great Lake" events TT before they were taken over by sailjuice or is it just an observation from someone who never showed up anyway?


Some yes, before and after, … as I said, I don’t think it added anything

My favourite memory was the Grafham Grand Prix - that was a slick event
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Posts: 209 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Mozzy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 5:29pm
Originally posted by ClubRacer

£50 for a 2 day event?! Sounds like a bargain. RS want £120 for a 2 day event down in Weymouth

Yeah... for the most part I don't believe entry fees are the big put off. Certainly if I believe it will goes to well deserving club.

But at £120 is questionable and it shows in the entries they have got. 

For the last few years entry for the 800s for 2-day opens seems to have hovered around £40-50. Which I think is pretty good value, split between two people. With 6 races that's about £5 pp/ph of entertainment. It's cheaper than a movie, or bowling, or most other form of entertainment. 

I reckon I would happily pay £30 a day, maybe up to £40 per day for a well run open event. 

For nationals I would have paid £65 per day this year (same event which is asking for £120 for 2 days of 200/400 racing). I am willing to pay a bit more for a nationals, but I am expecting a top notch race team and socials each night, plus a bit a food each day etc (Not seen any details about socials or after sailing snacks yet for the nationals and entry closes in two days... so I might be about to be disappointed). 
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Posts: 750 		Post Options Post Options   Quote H2 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 22 at 3:47pm
Did you go to the "Great Lake" events TT before they were taken over by sailjuice or is it just an observation from someone who never showed up anyway?
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