Did you realise the next Worlds in Japan are only 15 months away? Sounds like a fair amount of time but there hasn't been a lot of discussion amongst Australian Tasar sailors as to who is going and how we might get there. The time has come to start putting out some feelers and most importantly, determine what it is going to cost to participate. This will be the most important factor for many crews hoping to go to Japan. In order to start getting an idea of numbers intending to go, I've placed a forum topic on the bulletin board so people can register their interest .

On of the most important roles is that of shipping coordinator and Shane Guanaria has kindly offered to take on the role. This involves determining the most cost effective way of shipping boats to the venue, coordinating the paperwork for customs, shipping and the ATA Carnet as well as consolidating the boats from the various states into containers in the most cost effective manner. Thank you Shane for taking on this role. 

Last but not least, it was decided during the May ATC teleconference meeting to support those Tasar sailors intending to go to Japan with some form of transport subsidy. This money will come from the surplus generated by the ATC as a result of the Phuket Worlds. The continued growth and health of Tasar sailing around the world needs healthy participation at a Worlds level so maximising Australian participation is a very worthwhile aim. The amount of subsidy can only be determined once we have some indicative costs and numbers participating so its important that this information starts to filter in.