So Class Racing is clearly in serious decline, but

Is handicap racing filling the gap?

From the the Regional Events thread and the post concerning the massive fall off in attendance according to the Y&Y tables.

This comes from a spreadsheet totalling all attendances, averaging them since 2000 and comparing this year with the mean and the peak which showes a 25% drop from the peak in 2011 and a 17% drop from the average attendance at these events which are largely class nationals.

Clearly something has happened since 2011 when the numbers peaked at 7496, the average for the period was 6800+ and this year was 5653 the lowest since 2000.

Why is it, what happened after 2011? Is it a general decline, no way we can know that since there doesn't appear to be any figures published for say handicap events or returns, is handicap racing taking over or is it also in decline, serious decline 25% in 5 yrs something a governing body should be concerned about particularly one that is meddling in that period.

What do we think is going on, obviously National Attendances are down, but are Handicap events up? Are there more returns going in?

Is it a shift or part of a general decline?

Too much of a spread in too many different classes maybe?? with the majority of them poorly attended.

Edited by elzorillo - 05 Nov 16 at 2:55pm

When my new club was two clubs (Leigh Sailing Club and Lowton Sailing Club) and I was sailing there in the '60s there were, IIRC, nine different classes raced on Pennington Flash. Leigh SC had Ents, Merlins, GPs, OKs and Herons, Lowton raced 505s, GPs, Graduates and Solos and both shared the water with Manchester Uni sailing society who raced Fireflys. I think both clubs had a handicap fleet too (at least I remember at least one IC racing at Lowton but maybe they were the 10th class at the time). The combined club now has mainly handicap racing with only a Solo fleet getting separate starts and results on a Sunday.

the manufacturers that rather than help their existing boats just bring out a new design. smaller fleets being spread over more classes makes it less appea!ing

Well if I were at RS I'd be worried since they rely more on class activity than handicap and with all their main classes down, the 800,700,600,500,400,even the 200 and only the Tera Feva and Aero's up which I wouldn't bet were as profitable boats as their more expensive models. The Aero is a runaway success and doing well for exports etc but is it making up for the downturn in the other classes, I have no idea, but nobody would want a previously successful multi product company to be single model reliant.

So why does it matter someone asked, well it matters as it does in lots of the other sports, if sales volumes drop then prices have to increase. Jim is right about the fewer active classes, but wether that is fact or just they don't bother to tell Y&Y what they're up to, again I've no idea, perhaps he can elaborate as to the numbers of handicap returns are they up or down since 2011?