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The State of Club Sailing
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kneewrecker View Drop Down
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    Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 2:53pm
Originally posted by JohnJack

 Equipment is 99% of the time personally owned unlike in most 'team' sports. 

i don't own my rescue boat, my start boat, nor the computer that uploads the results.  I don't own petrol for the outboard motor, nor any for the strimmer which cuts the weeds from around my trolley. I certainly don't own any staff to administer the club and ensure I'm H&S compliant. 

Last time I checked my own personal asset register, the racing marks weren't on there, nor the air horn to finish me and signal the end of a good club race.  

I don't have a boat that's suitable to encourage a newbie or beginner to come out- well actually I do, but I'll be damned if they're going to trash it, so it's a good job there's four lined up owned by someone else- I think they're called club boats and might just get used to help grow the fleet.  I suppose I benefit somewhere in that arrangement, if only to avoid the awkwardness of telling a newbie they're not welcome aboard my fine vessel.  

 I don't 'own' the changing rooms, in fact that kinda sounds weird... best not look is my policy, eyes up, scrub and never towel floss.  I don't own the Galley either (wish I did, I'd add some artisan scotch eggs to the menu... I guess I could request them if so inclined).
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 3:33pm

Originally posted by davidyacht

Can anyone name the person responsible for promoting Dinghy Racing in this country?

You are not allowed to question the wisdom of the RYA on this forum.
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transient View Drop Down
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Posts: 715 		Post Options Post Options   Quote transient Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 3:45pm
Originally posted by davidyacht

Can anyone name the person responsible for promoting Dinghy Racing in this country?



Well, the Queen is the patron. Perhaps she could do a bit more. She needs to hike a bit harder IMO. It's remarkable what she has done for Corgi ownership. I almost can't stop myself buying one.

Edited by transient - 29 Jun 15 at 3:46pm
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Posts: 240 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 7:41pm
I am sure that when I was a child in the 50's there was publicity in sailing. I borrowed books from the library by Uffa Fox and I remember Prince Philip sailing a Dragon. I screwed a length of wood on to my bed foot as a tiller and my bed was a boat. I used to draw charts and sail coastlines in my bed. The only time I saw actual dinghies was in Littlehampton on holiday. This was a child living in London so there must have been some sort of publicity, or how did I know? As it happens I took up model boat racing and toured the known World (it being England back then). Dinghies came much, much later.

By the way a lady friend of the 'former boy' who writes the books your teenage daughter reads has set up an Instagram account for me. Byte Sailing UK. We are doing our bit! 
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Posts: 353 		Post Options Post Options   Quote Riv Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 9:31pm
"So where is club sailing's future in this environment? How do we compete (and win) people's spare time, spare cash, ultimately their long time commitment to this sport that I've partaken of and loved for 50-odd years. It might be that we have to accept that we are, frankly, just maybe, a dinosaur sport, and pass away gracefully.

In the face of today's pressures, where should sailing clubs best be directing their efforts? And, our National Authority...the RYA...where could they be refocussing priorties."

Club Sailing..........

There is no one "Club sailing"... If I think back to the clubs I have been a member of:

River Thames racing club. 1970s. Ents, OKs, Solos, Merlins, the odd laser. Racing Wednesday evenings and Sundays

Two big concrete bowl reservoir clubs. 1980s. Racing just about everything other than Cats and boards.

A Boating Association, (Present) one race a year, but on a wonderful river in the South West.

The Thames club and the Concrete bowl clubs rent their land. The Boating association owns everything it's on.

The Concrete bowl clubs can only do training, fishing and racing.

The Thames club now does cruising and racing. (went back first time in 25 years a few weeks ago)

The boating Association gets people on the water in anything they want to use, we have a load of Picos, Topper and Bugs, a couple of cruising dinghies, SOTs, double kayaks and a Laser II and two launches for member's use. Our members don't race much but if they want to there are three racing clubs around us within 6 miles.

With this sort of diversity in Club sailing land any "formula" for success is sure to fail.

The concrete bowl clubs have very few options, racing and training being the only ones. They will therefore have to go with the RYA system. This is the only game in their town.

The Thames club can diversify, when I was there the sea scouts were active and also people were using it as a canoe/kayak and rowing base, there are Pubs you can go to.....days out on the river. Adventure enough for many. If they play it right they will have a future.

The Boating Association is the gateway onto the river and in an hour you can be on the sea bouncing around on tha SW swells and going around to a secluded beach or upriver to the local market town. All we do is provide facilities, boats and a nice club house with a beautiful view.

So context is everything. If the club owns it's land, such as Rupert's or mine does  it can diversify or at least influence it's destiny.

If it is a tied club owing thousands to a landlord with a limited water space then it has few options other than the RYA route to the future. It really is for them the only game in their town.

I think the OP was really thinking about the limitted clubs rather than the many like mine and Rupert's who have flexibility and so more options.

Heraclitus said   “The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change -” (http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/336994-the-only-thing-that-is-constant-is-change-- accessed 29.6.15)

The limitted clubs may well die. This does not actually matter as sailing in all it's diversity will continue thoughout the UK because there are loads of people who relish the challenge of moving on the water with the wind.

Training for high level particaipation in national and international sport may well be concentrated in a few location in the UK. This would be good for everybody who is interested in this activity and allow the RYA greater control.

Change will happen and it will all be ok.



I
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davidyacht View Drop Down
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Posts: 1345 		Post Options Post Options   Quote davidyacht Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 10:33pm
My point was that most other sports seem to have officers responsible for developing the sport be it the LTA or the RFU, but I am unaware that any one person does this for dinghy sailing, or if they do exist this is poorly communicated.

Back in the day there was a far greater separation between Dinghy Racing Clubs and Sail Training Organisations, now there is more overlap, personally I am more interested in the health of the former.  As the previous poster indicated, the latter will take care of itself.

I also get the impression that the salt water clubs and the pond type clubs are in better shape than the big reservoir clubs, for the reasons that have arisen at Bewl ... If Bewl were a shop, if you could not afford the rent you would move to smaller premises, not try and trade your way out in a market that is limited in size, personally I could never understand the appeal of Bewl when there is so much good sailing to have close by, and if you want inland sailing clubs like Chipstead and Bough Beech offered a better club vibe.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 29 Jun 15 at 10:48pm
I have absolutely no idea who within the RYA is responsible for coordinating and promoting club level (or just non Olympic) dinghy racing (as seperate from training). I think it is left to individual clubs and classes to compete and clash with each other.
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Posts: 240 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 12:13am
I do think that we have come up with something here. "Who is responsible for the promotion of sailing via the club system?"

Another thing.....Derby University use their Buxton Campus to train students in outdoor pursuits that they may introduce others to the pleasures of the wild. They use our club for canoe training. In five or six years not one of those undergraduates has ever expressed any interest in sailing. Are Bear Gryls lookalikes (the type who attend parties in walking gear) the wrong type? What is the right type? Is there a type? Who should we be marketing ourselves at? If you look at your own club members I am sure you will find them to be a diverse lot bought together by one interest.

Irrespective of personality type or occupation some people like sailing so the news needs universal broadcast.
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kneewrecker View Drop Down
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Posts: 1586 		Post Options Post Options   Quote kneewrecker Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 12:14am
That's what you get tick when you advertise for undergraduates at East Midlands Airport...
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Posts: 240 		Post Options Post Options   Quote iiiiitick Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jun 15 at 7:34am
Originally posted by kneewrecker

That's what you get tick when you advertise for undergraduates at East Midlands Airport...

Absolutely! I have seen that and forgotten it. They certainly never asked our permission. Fly East Midlands to Pisa warmed by a Greggs pasty.
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