PROPOSALS SOUGHT FOR HOSTING CSA-ENDORSED CARIBBEAN DINGHY CHAMPIONSHIPS
The CSA-endorsed Caribbean Dinghy Championships (CDC) have been held in Antigua for the past three years as was agreed by the CSA Board of Directors in 2011. Hosting the event in one country over a three-year period provided continuity and ease of planning. Antigua held the event successfully during that three-year period for which the CSA is very grateful.
At the CSA’s Annual General Meeting last October, a CSA Sailing Development Committee was created to help promote and advance all aspects of Caribbean sailing and in particular youth and dinghy sailing. In terms of the CDC, the Committee has agreed that moving forward it will offer all member yacht clubs and sailing associations an opportunity to bid to host the CDC on an annual basis. To that end, the Committee developed a CSA CDC Form Guide [link] which outlines requirements for hosting the CDC and guidance on how to submit a bid.
Traditionally the most successful dates for the CDC have been in October or November and the Board therefore recommends a date for the event during that time period. Once a date has been set, ideally the event would remain on the same weekend in each year moving forward. The CDC was held in Antigua from November 15 to 17 last year and those dates were very successful. In 2012, the CDC was held in August but was not well attended largely because the dates fell in the middle of vacation time for many potential participants.
Because it is already fairly late for planning the CDC this year, the CSA requests that all bids be submitted by no later than July 30 for this year’s CDC. In future years, bids will be solicited very soon after completion of the current year’s event and must be submitted by no later than January 31 in each following year. The CSA will endeavour to award the CDC to a host country as soon as possible after the bid deadline but in any event will do so no later than 30 days after the deadline.
The CSA’s Sailing Development Committee requests bids to host the 2014 CDC from any and all clubs and associations that feel they have sufficient means to host the event. Key considerations will be the size and range of the potential host’s dinghy fleet, keeping costs to participants low, sponsorship, availability of qualified race officials, and ease of travel to the host country among other considerations. Please note that limited financial and technical assistance may be available to the host country and to participating teams upon application to the CSA.
If your organisation has an interest in hosting the 2014 CDC, please study the CDC Form Guide [link] and submit bids accordingly to secretariat@caribbean-sailing.com at your earliest convenience but by no later than July 30, 2014. In the meantime, if you have any questions or comments or require clarification on any hosting requirements, please do not hesitate to get in touch at secretariat@caribbean-sailing.com.
The CSA thanks all interested organisations for taking the time to consider bidding to host the 2014 CDC and for their continued support of the Caribbean Sailing Association.
