Ready by next season? Really? You obviously have never tried to get a Coast Guard Permit before.
Sorry to pick a fight on your thread, Matt. See everyone at Point Pleasant. You know, that race, in the ocean.

I was still on the unlimited .

And yes id bet halk wouldn't make it.

I would venture to say Resorts world got their moneys worth last year, the hotel was sold out completely, The world resorts bimini/OPA shirts all sold out. A few of us that took our boats over stayed 1 even 2 days past our normal planned 4 day trip, due to water conditions not being favorable for our ride back.

It's not that they "didn't make their money back". That resort has a pretty good crowd all the time, especially during winter and spring. The money from the "extra" crowd for the race didn't justify the expense. It was started as a PART of a week-long event that didn't materialize with the other aspects.

Maybe it would be good to set up as a two-location event. Race to Bimini on Sat and race back to Miami on Sunday? Just a thought

AGAIN, this is the problem, quit making it more complicated than it needs to be, simply man up and race there and back, first one back wins. WHY stay over night and have 2 starts and all the overnight crap?
When the green flag drops, the bullsh!t stops, and the second guy back is the first loser!
PERIOD!

You want dollars and fans to come back to the sport? Stay overnight where the resort gets some income and exposure. Let fans stay in a vacation spot and still be able to talk and mingle with the teams. Let there be a chance for two different types of water conditions.
I, for one, would charter a chopper or plane and fly over and back watching both races.

The "old" way is what got the sport in this spot in the first place. No money, no fans and limited opportunity to get either back without thinking about outside-the-box marketing and promotions.

WRONG. The old way was working fine (70's and into the early 80's). Where you (and they) went wrong is, you say "BRING FANS BACK", and there's the issue is...THE FANS never left.
When "they" tried to take us forward to "make money" they blew it up by not understanding the "base" of offshore racing... too many are overlooking the obvious, and thats the bigger issue. Basically, you can't monetize everything, and this sport is not (and never will be) main stream. So quit trying to get people interested who have NO interest.

I'm confused. Who is going to pay for this? The racers? Someone needs to put up the money to operate the race and that person needs to have a return on there investment (ROI) Most racers that are left don't have deep pockets they just want to race and put on a show for anyone that will watch.

I'm not interested in delivering a full education on this subject, but if structured properly, It is designed to have "sponsors" and entry fee's and etc....a racer DOES NOT make money in this sport.....this isn't NASCAR, and never will be. The sponsors and racers don't/shouldnt look for an overnight return, they do it for the sport, for Branding and long term. Think Geico, Home Depot, Stihl, Etc... It's ONLY difficult if you make it that way.

Done right, racers pay entry fee, they win money and prize, and its all over TV, and etc....

Just curious what your experience is? I know the other two guys are actively involved, honest question I'm assuming you are or have been part of a racing team?