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The State of Club Sailing

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fab100 View Drop Down
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    Posted: 06 Aug 15 at 10:32pm
Originally posted by Lukepiewalker

Abersoch counts as North now... wow...

It's a long old drive that far into north Wales, you'd get much further north in the same driving time.

Oh, and the speed-camera obsession
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 15 at 10:37pm
That's true about inland events, but you could still hold several inland events, culminating in an Inland champioships, in addition to a coastal championship. If you muster 5 classes you should get 30 boats at any event, and 50+for the main ones. Forget about interclass rivalry, make out that you're all part of the same 'F1' class or whatever, and you just happen to have chosen different designs.
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JimC View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote JimC Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Aug 15 at 11:28pm
I don't know about the rest of you, but I do class events to race with the same class. If I want to race in a menagerie I can stay home. And I certainly wouldn't be interested in a championship where I'm spat out the back on every start because there are 5 other classes on the start line all of which are intrinsically quicker upwind than my boat. If I wanted to sail in a big fleet that badly I'd swap class. And small fleet racing has its own skills and delights, just look at the Olympics...

Central venues are a problem. Westwards in Wales is a long way from anywhere, no matter how good the water is when you get there, and IME East coast river venues are unpopular, and although I've enjoyed major events at Loch Lomond and Ullswater, I can't see the likes of Grafham cutting the mustard for people outside the midlands and south east.

Its a shame I'm going to be too old (or worse) to do major events seriously when the self driving car is available. Jump into the car at midnight, set the nav and go to sleep on the back seat sounds like the perfect way to get to Championships to me...

Edited by JimC - 06 Aug 15 at 11:32pm
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 15 at 8:24am
But that's only a problem if you think of the Byte as a different class to a streaker. If you change midset and think of them both as designs of F1, it's not really any different to racing a a Patterson vs Ellsway vs Eplett Cherub.
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davidyacht View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 15 at 8:33am
Key issue with championships IMO is to ensure that sailors have allocated the spare time in their lives to go to a championship.  So there needs to be a sufficiently strong vibe from the previous championship to make you want to do the next one.

With this in mind, classes have a habit of kicking themselves in the foot by clashing with other major events or choosing poor venues and the numbers ratchet down, and it is always hard to regain the momentum.

Another observation is that numbers at championships and opens have little to do with club fleets, put simply, if everything is good at home, why would you want to ply away?  Salcombe and Hayling have very strong Solo class racing with 20+ boats out every week, but few of them see the need to travel unless the venue is attractive, timing is right, and the distance is acceptable.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 15 at 9:25am
The point is that travelling must be enjoyable. At our club we now have our own little travelling fleet of Bytes. We are self contained fun. In fact after the Weston Nationals three of us, one 26 year old girl, myself and a 38 year old chap stayed on for two nights and visited Portsmouth Dockyard and Stonehenge. The young lady in our group is now facebook friends with another lady Byte sailor. Is this the beginning of a community? It must be hard to rock up somewhere with your boat on a trailer where you know no one.

Regarding shared Nationals. I do take your point Peaky but I think most classes, ourselves included, would wish to retain their identity. Even sharing with boats of a similar PY one would want your own start.

If there are Bytes at any of your clubs please encourage them to try open events. I am often there and do not sail so am on hand to welcome and introduce.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Simon Lovesey Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 15 at 9:35am
Originally posted by davidyacht

Key issue with championships IMO is to ensure that sailors have allocated the spare time in their lives to go to a championship.  So there needs to be a sufficiently strong vibe from the previous championship to make you want to do the next one.

With this in mind, classes have a habit of kicking themselves in the foot by clashing with other major events or choosing poor venues and the numbers ratchet down, and it is always hard to regain the momentum.


Calendar congestion is one of the key challenges facing any sport,  not only are we competing for people's scarce leisure time but sailing has a habit of competing with itself with numerous event clashes, which usually means diluted fleet sizes.

Other sports manage to have a centralised calendar,  where events have to apply and be selected to be listed.  This helps manage over laps and potentially improves the quality of events.  Sailing is crying out for this approach and management.  
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Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 15 at 9:44am
Originally posted by Simon Lovesey

Originally posted by davidyacht

Key issue with championships IMO is to ensure that sailors have allocated the spare time in their lives to go to a championship.  So there needs to be a sufficiently strong vibe from the previous championship to make you want to do the next one.

With this in mind, classes have a habit of kicking themselves in the foot by clashing with other major events or choosing poor venues and the numbers ratchet down, and it is always hard to regain the momentum.


Calendar congestion is one of the key challenges facing any sport,  not only are we competing for people's scarce leisure time but sailing has a habit of competing with itself with numerous event clashes, which usually means diluted fleet sizes.

Other sports manage to have a centralised calendar,  where events have to apply and be selected to be listed.  This helps manage over laps and potentially improves the quality of events.  Sailing is crying out for this approach and management.  


Very true Simon. Sometimes even the best ideas suffer.......
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Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 15 at 9:46am
What do the RYA do again.......?

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Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07 Aug 15 at 9:52am
went to the Ovington Inlands at Grafham a few years back (when Byte was Ovi). Very well supported, 40,ish MPS, 49er, ect. etc. But it was in October and bloody freezing!
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