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The State of Club Sailing
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kneewrecker View Drop Down
Really should get out more
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Joined: 09 Apr 14
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Posts: 1586 		Post Options Post Options   Quote kneewrecker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: The State of Club Sailing
    Posted: 02 Jul 15 at 3:41pm
nothing wrong with our club at the moment- obviously more members would be nice... more the merrier as they say.  

16 lasers launched last night, quite a few Flying Fifteens (enough for good racing anyway) and a sprinkling of a few others over the various handicap delineations.... not a bad effort considering the wind was not on forecast and looked like there was nothing in the lee of the clubhouse.






Edited by kneewrecker - 02 Jul 15 at 3:42pm
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fleaberto View Drop Down
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Posts: 302 		Post Options Post Options   Quote fleaberto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 Jul 15 at 1:54pm
Tick, you're right, I started sailing as an adult about 6 years ago I think.

The thing is, over the last couple of years, we've grown our adult membership and, more importantly, adult participation via our junior squad.

The youngsters are out on the water, the parents are sitting around soaking up the rays....so we get them out in boats, offer training....next thing you know, the club is perceived now as a whole family resource rather than something the nippers do before football/rugby/golf.
One feeds the other really.

There's a lot of talk about 'racing' - but that's not our niche, people are actual put off by the word 'racing' so we don't tell them about it at first.
Once they're out and bobbling around on their own we'll mention racing as more a way to rapidly improve your skills.
Mostly, though, we've built a decent sized membership of regular sailors who involve the whole family - and friends - who now see the club as an extension to their social lives rather than a youth club.

All started with those 8 year old Oppie kids :-)
Lightning368 'All the Gear' (409), Lightning368 'Sprite' (101), Laser (big number) 'Yellow Jack', RS Vareo (432)'The Golden Rays'
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iiiiitick View Drop Down
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Posts: 240 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 11:10pm
I was talking to a friend this evening (no wind for sailing) who used to be director of leisure and sport for Derbyshire, or some such. Anyway he is an expert on all this funding stuff and a good man to have in our club! He maintains that government funding for sport is based on getting medals. You get the medals and it 'inspires' participation.....only figures show that the Olympic effect is only short lived and personally I doubt if it happened in sailing at all.
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Chris 249 View Drop Down
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Posts: 2041 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Chris 249 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 10:38pm
Originally posted by JimC

Originally posted by davidyacht

Do you think so?

Without even the slightest shadow of doubt. I have a database of old PY data. There's something like 400 classes that used to have numbers published and aren't on the list any more. Find an old guide to classes book from the 60s or something and see how many basically similar two handed round about 14 feet boats there were, even if you ignore all the older local one designs.

No, what's changed is that people don't prioritise class racing any more. Seen it time and time again at different clubs. Someone works their ass off building a nucleus of a fleet, maybe they have a good number of boats racing together, but if that person loses enthusiasm within a season or three they'll all have drifted off and be sailing different boats or at different clubs. Back in the 60s in an area clubs would tend to specialise in classes, so you'd have a fleet of one class here, a fleet of a different class there, and very small handicap fleets. Just as many different classes if you went, say, the length of the tidal Thames, but in groups. Nowadays probably fewer classes, but no fleets.

Just for the sake of giving perspective, here in Oz the emphasis on class racing remains as strong as ever, at least in some states.  In some other areas where the small population can make it difficult to have a single-fleet start they sometimes group similar boats on the water and perhaps on yardstick, but still extract class results.

I mention this not to imply that the UK is doing the wrong thing but because it may be an indication that it's not 21st century life or technology per se that is eroding class racing.



Edited by Chris 249 - 01 Jul 15 at 10:39pm
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 5:24pm
We can't do both?
Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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iiiiitick View Drop Down
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Posts: 240 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 4:37pm
We have been talking about the future of sailing really? Are these hordes of happy youngsters the future of club sailing or are they simply a themed youth club? Absolutely nothing wrong with it, good for personal development, life skills etc. but are these kids 'the future of club sailing'? I may be wrong fleaberto but I believe you started sailing as an adult and you have made a considerable contribution to the class you support. You would have been a better investment than youth.
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fleaberto View Drop Down
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Posts: 302 		Post Options Post Options   Quote fleaberto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 4:21pm
Yep.....and Wednesday evenings.

'Shell-Shocked' by the end of the season (April to end of September?)
Come up sometime - they'd be glad of the help!
Lightning368 'All the Gear' (409), Lightning368 'Sprite' (101), Laser (big number) 'Yellow Jack', RS Vareo (432)'The Golden Rays'
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Rupert View Drop Down
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Posts: 8956 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Rupert Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 4:05pm
Do you really have a group running EVERY Saturday? Not sure I could cope with that.
Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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fleaberto View Drop Down
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Posts: 302 		Post Options Post Options   Quote fleaberto Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 4:00pm
Originally posted by Rupert

We have an amazing, close knit junior group who simply appear to enjoy each others company, and whatever sailing we throw at them. Today we had a lack of instructors, so we had the older,more experienced ones teaching the small ones how to race. We must have had 25 of them out there, plus a group of nine beginners in oppies. Seems our middle class kids have found a hobby that will see them through into adult life.


Ditto with us Rupert.
Junior Sail on a Saturday now sees 30-40 youngsters at all ends of the ability scale. We developed some of our keener youngsters to AI level - encouraging a sense of responsibility and pride in helping, as well as putting at least 5 youngsters through their DI.
It's a hugely sociable learning environment with most of the kids making friends in much the same way as we do as adult/traveler sailors...It's fantastic to watch and they come back season after season. They're genuinely sad when their season ends.
Some return to do Sunday racing but, for us, 'Racing' isn't what keeps the club alive, far from it, it's the Juniors - and all power to them as well. If only we could engender that kind of free-spirited attitude in our adults :-)

They're a great bunch of kids that are developing so many life-skills to help them in the future.
Our young teen bunch who camped over at our recent social event were an absolute joy to both be around and have around.
That's our future and I'm happy that my chosen sport/hobby is in their hands
Lightning368 'All the Gear' (409), Lightning368 'Sprite' (101), Laser (big number) 'Yellow Jack', RS Vareo (432)'The Golden Rays'
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PeterG View Drop Down
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Joined: 12 Jan 08
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Posts: 823 		Post Options Post Options   Quote PeterG Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Jul 15 at 2:12pm
We have 'acquired' a couple of railway engine wheels that weigh quite literally a ton, but the problem then comes of how you float them out to the GPS point where we need to drop them

Surely the solution is to collect as many of your favourite wooden boats as possible (Mirrors, Miracles, Bonezzi Contenders, wooden Solos, etc)  scour the hedgerows and dunes near your club and float the wheels out attached to a raft of them - then have a nice floating bonfire. You could probably do it with 5 Mirrors on a quiet day.
Peter
Ex Cont 707
Ex Laser 189635
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