NOR at www.revolutionise.com.au/sailsydney/
Last years event was outstanding. There were also two days foil training & coaching from AS prior to the event.
I wrote to WSC last week expressing dismay that the windfoil entry fee (irrespective of age) had increased from $210 to $300 and the Techno regatta fee is now $280.
The WSC response was
Thanks for your email. Last year was $210 for three days. ie $70 p/d.This year is $300 for four days. ie $75 p/d.7% increase. Please note for Sail Sydney we have very strict requirements for:
Quality of racing.
Number of safety vessels.
Compliance with COVID restrictions.
Compliance with Maritime requirements.
Media.
Prizes.Etc.
It is not a cheap or trivial endeavour. We aim to break even or make a small profit on Sail Sydney. Otherwise Woollahra Sailing Club members are subsidising the event for Sailors from across the continent. That would not be reasonable.
Kind regards
Ross
By comparison, European regattas pricing range from E190 to E250 ($300-$400) for 5 days of sailing with opening ceremony & prize giving entertainment included.
The RQYS Brisvegas Windfoil Pro & State of Origin was priced at $50/day for over 18s & $33/day for under 18s.
My concern is that WSC is pricing out junior sailors (both IQ Foil and Techno) from what was a very good regatta.
Maybe the entry fee correlates to house prices in Sydney's eastern suburbs also
Does seem excessively expensive, which is a shame as I'm sure more would attend if entry was more reasonable.
One of the issues here is Sail Sydney is not a tier one regatta and does not contribute to a ranking locally or world wide. Woollahra fails to mention this. World Sailing ranking is very Euro-centric. Sail Sydney regatta status was taken away years ago. Hence the dwindling international numbers. It is a joke to pay so much for a home regatta. I remember 5 years ago when we had over 300 competitors..