29er, why just the kids

Was it Whitney who sang "I beleive the children are our future"? And is she still in rehab?

The reason that the assymetric boats have been so great for our sport is they have made high performance sailing far more accessible to all. I'm probably going to start a bun fight here but hear me out.

When I was a kid in Cadets the spinnaker scared me witless. Extra ropes, sticking the tiller between your knees. judgeing the angle of the pole. Not easy. So I grew up and sailed Scorps and got better at it. But when I moved into cats I chose a two sail class because I didn't fancy launching from the bag. Too many things to go wrong.

With modern assym boats. The crew can launch pole and kite with a single line. I now have a chute on the cat and life's a doddle. Flying the kite is like a big jib. I am not saying that any of these boats are easy to sail but I am suggesting that the learning curve is different and it is more accessible.

So now, in the 29er, you have an all out racer that can be controlled by two teenagers. Brilliant! That's two more sailors. And they'll grow up and move to 49ers or 800s. And then take their wives out sailing (probably only the once though). And then have kids (when the wives have calmed down a bit) and repeat the cycle.

But the 29er is not cheap. You can't build one in your garage out of sheet plywood. And they're not indestructible like a Topper. So you are looking for parents to stump up the cash. And, sadly, in today's world, most boat clubs will have a child protection policy. Changing rooms with open showers for adults and children alike must be a paedophile heaven. And so parents are inevitably going to be more involved to keep an eye on both the boat and the child.

And youngsters are a pain in the backside to us old fogies (I'm 37). They have no cynicism about life, and without other burdens such as career and mortgages, can be single minded about their pursuit. Then again, I think I would be highly strung if I couldn't drink or have sex!

And if you feel uncomfortable as an adult when the majority of the fleet is under 18, remember that it is far more intimidating to sail and mix as a junior in an adult class. Push parents with their blank cheques are a pain but I'm not sure whether I'm just looking in envy, wanting to know why someone won't bankroll my hobby.

Let's look at the positive side, sailing with a bunch of kids always means you can get to the bar.

Goooooogle puts Ballyholme YC right at the sea end of Belfast Lough on the southern shore, so I would imagine that a good north easterly would produce waves of a magnitude rarely seen in the Solent Ocean!

   Ooh for sure, you’ll be finding out soon enough, there be precious little call for one of those little blighters around here!