by Rick West » Thu Feb 21, 2008 3:53 pm
It is because of other similar things and I have reached a point of fielding emails and calls from every dumpster diving find, attic clearance and estate discovery. All see what looks like an EC12, or were told it was an EC12 and even specifics, later to be told by me it is not. Who is the bad guy – me and the class.
The far majority of these are from Florida. Florida has the largest population of EC12s in the country and has for a long time. It would not surprise me that half again as many EC12s that we know about are many that are owned by individuals that have never been in AMYA or care to be. They like others pass away and the boats end up on the market just like the ones that are on eBay.
This has been going on for years and worse when there were knock off molds in several places in the state. Until one sits in this chair with all the responsibility to maintain the heritage and scope of this class can it be appreciated the number of times it is attacked by these requests then to pass judgment that is rarely popular. I still get yelled at about the Dumas.
The attitudes have been in the quest for proliferation to allow a non-supporting group of people to use our playground with the hopes they will join the mainstream. Only rarely does this work and the majority grow over the years and because the boats out live the people it snowballs.
The negatives keep piling up so that some can get a cheap boat that is not competitive, gives it up for a new one and passes it on down the line. It is not worth it in the field and it is not worth it here. About half of what I do in class business is researching and typing in regards to lots of these requests. AMYA membership dues, numbers, registering new hulls and transferring registered boats are easy work and where the majority of the growth is at. These are all on the same page and in the interest of the class.
I am not saying an emphatic NO! If the class wants to go this way then there needs to be a following and a leadership to take it in another direction. I am moving more and more to partnerships in organized RC sailing and away from patronizing wannabes that do not care to share the load.
I have done the amnesty thing. I have been down the path of compassionate listener. I have taken many turns answering why $25 a year against the statement “What does it do for me.â€