New plan for CSA Conference

The Caribbean Sailing Association (CSA) will host the 2023 CSA Annual Conference and Annual General Meeting in Antigua on May 26-28. The event includes the Regatta Organizers Conference, Sailing Development Meetings, and Measurers Meeting. The CSA Measurers will have separate sessions throughout the event and report to the conference attendees on the final morning.

The Conference consists of three days; the Annual General Meeting on day one, followed by two days of discussion, presentations, and strategizing about regatta organization, marketing, race management, measurement, and sailing development.

In previous years, the event was scheduled for the beginning of the season (October). However, the CSA Board has decided to switch it to the end of the season instead. This change allows the CSA Board, Committees, and Conference attendees to implement decisions made at the AGM and execute plans and ideas resulting from the Conference in the critical out-of-season planning months.

Having the event earlier also allows the CSA and Regatta organizers to take advantage of marketing opportunities in the summer and fall months.

In 2019 and 2022, the CSA AGM and Conference were combined with the Caribbean Dinghy Championships (CDC) to create Caribbean Sailing Week. Even though these were very successful events, the CSA Board recognized that hosting such a large and diverse event limited the available host venues.

“The additional workload it creates for a sailing school to host a multi-day racing event, clinics, and the AGM and Conference is significant,” noted Michele Korteweg, CSA President. “We understand that some smaller locations could ideally host a Caribbean Dinghy Championship. Still, adding the 3-day Conference would be too much of a burden and would take away from race management.

“In St. Maarten we were lucky to have a dedicated team who managed the CDC through the sailing school and another dedicated team to the Conference, the Regatta Office. We understand this isn’t the setup in most islands and therefore feel it’s only fair to separate the events to allow more islands to bid for the CDC.”

Organizers recommend that those interested in joining the event book early for the cheapest flight and hotel rates. The primary location will be the Antigua Yacht Club, making the Antigua Yacht Club Marina & Resort and other nearby small hotels an excellent place to stay. These properties will offer special rates to those attending the event. More information is available at www.caribbean-sailing.com.

The CSA will send information about hosting the CDC and the bidding process to interested parties for their review and consideration in early April. Applications should be returned by May 1 for the October 2023 Caribbean Dinghy Championship.