Getting more people racing: Targeting the most obvious solution
by Rupert Holmes 25 Feb 2015 10:40 GMT
25 February 2015
All-female team during the 2014 Etchells Invitational Cup © Rupert Holmes
How to get more boats on the water remains a common worry across clubs and one-design keelboat and yacht classes. In the first of our series on getting more people racing, in association with Haven Knox-Johnston, Rupert Holmes argues we're in danger of missing some of the most obvious – yet easiest – ways to boost participation.
Much of the chatter around the level of participation in the sport seems to focus on changing the format of events, or promoting them with magical digital engagement strategies. However, in doing it's all too easy to overlook easily solved barriers to getting owners afloat that can have an immediate payback in terms of numbers of boats on the starting line.
Right across the country every club or class has a host of boats that rarely leave the boat park or their moorings. And in most cases race organisers have written their owners off as being too busy, or not interested enough, to be worth pursuing. Yet these owners have already expressed an immense amount of interest in racing in your fleet and have invested thousands, if not tens of thousands, of pounds to do so. Even better, they have also, at least to some extent, bought into your current format of racing.
Not only does it make sense to target these owners first – you owe it to them to help get them back on the water. The big question, of course, is how? While good race management is critical – the more people enjoy their sailing, the more they will be motivated to return for the next event – that's not what gets them to turn out in the first instance.
After the Cowes Etchells fleet saw numbers actively racing decline markedly some six years ago, Class Captain David Franks asked other owners about the biggest barriers that prevented them going afloat more frequently. Many of the responses he got highlighted the biggest problems were with the basic logistics of getting out on the water with a good crew and with the boat in top condition. "The main factors we identified were attracting and organising capable crew members and keeping up to date with maintenance during the season," says Franks. "In addition, we already knew the racing had to be competitive to keep owners motivated."
These were therefore people who were already happy with the format of the racing on offer and who could carve out the time needed for racing. But they weren't going to do that unless they knew they could be competitive. That meant they needed help with organising maintenance issues that needed attention between weekends (when they were often not around) and access to a pool of crew with experience of the boats. These were specific logistical problems that the class could help solve.
Another area in which clubs and classes can help improve the appeal for owners and crews is by sharing knowledge among the fleet. This is particularly important in helping those who are less successful build their skills and has an important knock-on effect in terms of motivation – as humans were primed to feel good when we improve our abilities.
This pattern sharing of knowledge, usually on an informal basis, is well established across a wide swathe of single-handed fleets, whether it's Lasers, Illusions, or larger yachts such as those that compete in the Solo Offshore Racing Club's events. However, the same is by no means universally true of crewed racing, particular in bigger boats.
Sharing knowledge also helps to promote stronger social bonds across the fleet, which in turns gives owners another strong incentive to spend more of their valuable spare time sailing instead of engaging in competing activities. At the same time it gives race organisers and more regular competitors a better chance to learn first hand about the more of the problems that keep others in your fleet off the water.
About Haven Knox-Johnston
Run by boating enthusiasts for boating enthusiasts, Haven Knox-Johnston has grown to become one of the UK's leading providers in boat insurance. All policies are backed by the financial strength and security of Amlin Syndicate 2001 one of the largest Syndicates in Lloyd's.
Haven Knox-Johnston has over 28 years of experience in providing boat insurance for most types of craft including sailing boats and yachts.
Haven Knox-Johnston is a trading name of Amlin Underwriting Services Limited, St Helen's, One Undershaft, London EC3A 8ND which is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority.
www.boatinsure.co.uk