Dear Sir,

Thank you for taking the time to read this important correspondence.

I have been tasked, by the Sailing KZN Exco, to investigate the feasibility of a Sailing Kzn Showcase Regatta, for Easter 2003, in Durban.

The motivation for such an event comes from a desire by the Exco to be pro-active in the marketing and advancement of our sport, and a will to change the perception of the Regional Sailing Office in the eyes of the yachtsmen and women in our Province.

This correspondence then, is to ask each yacht club in our region for their enthusiastic support for a project which cuts across inter-club rivalries, inter-class rivalries and personal agendas. We believe emphatically in the future of our sport, the goodwill of our clubs and sailors, from our Juniors to most Senior members. We ask that you place in us, your trust and support for an event which is perhaps one step along a very long road, but a step worth taking.

The plan is to have every club in our region involved in this Regatta. Not just on the water, but in an organisational capacity too. The basic idea is to have a designated HOST Club (which will change annually), supported by CO-HOST clubs who will share in the reponsibility of running the regatta, from the hosting of Regatta Parties, through to the provision of Camping Facilities for participants. Clubs in the Midlands and up the Coast, will be asked to provide intellectual assistance - the sourcing of Sponsorships and Prizes, Entertainment and even extra Bridge or Rescue craft along with the required personnel.

In terms of participants, the event shall be open to every sailing craft that exists. Fleets shall be divided accordingly, with courses sailed offshore as well as in the Bay itself. Should Classes wish to run Provincials or Nationals at the event, they will be encouraged to do so. The underlying aim is to get the "F" word back into sailing.. FUN! We hope to get families out onto the water, to saturate the waters of Durban with colour and spectacle, and to create a buzz not witnessed in sailing circles for some years.

It is only with the support of every Club and Class, every social sailor and every official, that such an undertaking can work. It is massive, it could be the start of the regrowth of our Sport. Only you can make it happen.

Accordingly, I ask any interested party to email or fax to me his or her ideas on such an event, and very importantly I formally request that every Club Executive Committee contact me with their thoughts on the event. Good or bad lets hear it.

Many Thanks for taking the time to read this,

Dave Claxton
Sailing KZN
function@iafrica.com
Fax: (031) 7622164