Advertising via sail numbers? 55

GMYW, I agree with much of what you say having briefly crewed an ISO myself in the early days, considered a 4000 and then eventually did the circuit on a Spice with my wife for two years. I learnt the same lessons and now race a Phantom, which will be interspersed some Albacore racing with my wife. I'll let GRF defend his own style (which I consider entertaining myself), but amongst it are some very valuable points.

 

We all know that sailing isn't what it used to be, the modern lifestyle will probably never allow what used to work to get people on the water. We also know that we have a big gap with the 18-35 year olds conspicuously absent from many clubs. I wouldn't claim to know the answers, but one option that I'm hearing from GRF is that we really need to innovate with equipment to make sailing accessible, appealing (read adrenaline) and affordable. To really make that happen needs total re-think innovation rather than incremental innovation. His knocking of old classes is really just a way of suggesting that as a sport we're not spending enough effort thinking out the box because we hang on to the old classes. Personally I think the older classes offer the best racing, which is why I'm sticking to them. Unlike GRF I don't have the energy to try and do the out-of-box re-thinking (that's what triplets does to you), so I do think, good on him for at least trying.

 

I tend to agree with this sentiment entirely, but then I can as I'm on the 'inside' and have had the pleasure (and it is one) of meeting, sailing and sharing some beers with Graeme (the mild version of the internet persona known as 'Grumpf').  I would imagine that first impressions would be less entertaining, indeed my first posting to him was to recommend the Marchioness or the Herald of Free Enterprise as his 'ideal boat' 

I guess some our negative comments towards classes can be expected to provoke some reaction, but then I've probably just mellowed now I'm lipsticked-up with a Solo and honestly, really enjoying sailing it.

Ideal for that Kentish shore dump.