Dinghy Sailing Project

Hi, i am doing a uni project and need info on Dinghy Sailing.  What you want from your sport? Is it growing?  how accessable is it?  anything really. 

I would disagree. In the last 3 years I can see very little growth in skiff sailing in the UK. Without re-opening the can of worms regarding the skiff definition just look at a few;

RS800- similar turnouts for a couple of years

Cherubs- similar level of interest for years- but 2 new professional designs granted

29/49er- 29er is popular at the moment- but thats just the fluctuation due to it being picked as the ISAF boat- as it was in '02. 49er- lots of Olympic squad sailors- precious few else- s/h market appears flooded.

musto- numbers on a steady rise- but I wouldn't call the growth rate astronomic... its been around for 7 years now.

Chichester harbour 14s *International*- make the headlines every now and thnen for some new breakthrough/ make good magazine reading. Virtually no UK circuit.

Junior sailing has become huge with the RYAs strong involvement, but, questionably, to the detriment of having juniors in clubs.

I agree, most of the radical changes are coming from britian at the moment like the brand new GT60 etc. You could re-phase prince busters coments; the production and development is quickly growing not turnouts and amounts.

mark

Here's what i want to get from dinghy racing as a sport:  tactics; physical challenge; intellectual challenge (max boatspeed VMG).  I equate it to

Rugby - power and stamina for about a 90 minute race

Sprinting - managing the pressure of the start

Gymnastics/Dance - balanced, controlled movements around the boat...although I am no gymnast..!

Chess - tactics...thinking future....except that you are playing multi-opponents instead of 1 (so, less intense....more volume)

Basic engineering - accuracy and comprehension around repeatable settings is essential.

Clearly the skills are less than required for each other discipline on its own....it is in the blend of those skills that sailing (esp dinghy sailing) becomes unique.

I remember discussing with a championship winning handglider (about 8yrs ago), the technical advances of our relative sports.  He believed, that sailing could not be as advanced as his sport, they used carbon after all.

When I asked if the wing section they used was adjustable in flight, his answer was....why?  So I showed him the inside of our 505....he'd gone pretty quiet by the time we'd done the strut, and the jib cars..!!

So, is the sport growing?.....not sure, and not actually sure that it matters, unless you happen to be selling boats for a living..(he, he,he)!

Chas