How not to grow the sport

Dear Curmudgeon: When I applied for my PHRF certificate, I was told that Scuttlebutt Sailing Club was not a recognized club of the Southern California Yachting Association (SCYA). To get my certificate, I was instructed to join a recognized SCYA club. I have very little use for Yacht Clubs and don’t really want to belong to one. We are down to the point where we only race the summer sailing events. Has SSC been disallowed as a recognized club? – Aging Gracefully

Dear Gracefully: While Scuttlebutt Sailing Club pays annual dues to be recognized by US Sailing, we do not have recognition with SCYA. We tried years ago to join, but their application required several member clubs as sponsors, and the “ole boy” network was not interested. While we were willing to pay the member fee, SCYA was more interested in protecting their own than growing the sport. – The Curmudgeon

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