"Roy Dunster Letter - Future of Sailing in South Africa"

Thanks for the copy, you have hit the nail on the head in many instances, I have been very much aware of the possible results of our actions, personally I am pro a blend of the pro and amature, however by the very nature of the people and culture that we are dealing with in sailing we must be careful as to the path we choose. Look at soccer - a bankrupt FIFA? and I seriously think that the bubble is bursting in TV sponsored sports, I have no doubt as to the power of the medium - I cant even get a response from my own kids when I arrive home - but they are not watching sailing! Yes we must look long and hard at our sport, ourselves and the way forward, I still believe in the power of the clubs, our base, and interestingly enough, this new constitution should lend itself to boosting regions from the perspective of fostering a stronger regional club vibe. The National body as it is presently constituted is centralised in nature, it is not working and we are moving back what I feel is the best from the former CASA and SAYRA models, with a difference we are now starting to talk about the same things at a national level. Our present national government require one national body and we will comply, and we are forced to speak with one voice. I personally believe sailing in South Africa has turned the corner, and we have braved the ravages of managing change, our destiny I believe lies with how we now clean up our act locally and provide from a management point of view - "service delivery". Our delivery should be a blend of good old sailing ethics, and up to date comms and fun things, I don't think we are going to get that big sponsorship, we need to get back to basics lets set the rules of our game, build our house in accordance with our budget, our sailors will soon recognise delivery and to this end we must build up our client (sailors) relationships, if we do our jobs correctly we can justifiably charge more for service delivery. Maybe the secret lies with indirect charging for service rather than one up front payment. I am convinced that if we can get the right persons to work to a common goal we will succeed - sailing has a great future - we are the masters of our own destiny we just have to believe in ourselves! When we have our house in order and we are marketing and selling a good product - the rest will follow and we will attract the youth (we have some exciting ideas) and ensure that our sport moves to its rightful place in the big picture.

Just a comment on going professional in the management of sailing - I think this could happen, maybe sooner than later, if we are successful in the above we must put in place professionals to run the sport, however we must be careful to choose the right persons - at whatever level these persons must be properly trained to do their job, and most importantly we must maintain control and responsibility via the council. We cannot afford the "What's in it for me" attitude which is rife in our society today.

Thanks for keeping me in the loop, I am honoured to be part of this debate as so few people have the time to sit down and think about our sport, it is this debate which is going to produce the key to unlock our future. Keep this debate alive!

Regards
Frank Silberbauer