What classes will survive ?

However, for some clubs, the Dinghy Show is pretty important. For King George, which is this closest club to the venue (we've checked- the Welsh harp were previously claiming this title), it represents an important recruitment opertunity.

Thanks MRJP BUZZ 585 Maybe I was just being provocative, but I think that the Dinghy Show is preaching to the converted, I was club racing that weekend together with 10+ Solo sailors, several of which can aquit themselves well at Open Meetings and Championships, but choose to club race.  If the primary objective of the Dinghy Show is to market the sport, I think that it may fail in that it portrays the sport as very technical and cliquey.

Thanks turnturtle might I suggest that 29ers, 49ers, RS800s, 18ft skiffs, cherubs are essentially travelling clubs, which are classes that younger club sailors aspire to.

When your travelling circus of say 30 boats turns up to a Championship, isn't it great when the ranks expand to 80 boats, because 10 clubs send 5 sailors appiece?

My point remains that you need to focus on the total sailing experience, rather than the narrower view of a particular class of boat and that matched fleet racing (of any class of boat) provides a better experience.

Banging on this point, it would be great if the RYA put as much energy and resources into promoting routes to class racing, particularly in clubs (which will feed through to performance boats and the circuits) as it does into Youth sailing.

DavidG, I also speak from 25 years of open, national and international experience - but I think it's recent experience that counts most.  I'm not knocking the club scene; believe me, as a Senior Instructor I gain a great deal of fun and valuable learning experience myself from seeing youngsters at clubs learn to sail and then start racing.  I also see these youngsters develop the instinct to go further afield to develop their skills on the open circuit which is, I believe, what makes them into great racers and develop skills which they can then take back to their clubs.  Without strong class associations the open circuit would not exist, the youngsters would get bored with always sailing in the same place and they would probably turn to another sport that gave them more options to explore further afield.

I also think that your view of the Dinghy Show is a little mistaken.  Of course there are 'punters' manning their own stand, but their are also lots of keen sailors there simply to see and enjoy the great variety of boats, clothing and products that are available.  I am a contender sailor, therefore I have a good idea of what a contender looks like and I can see the newest ones when I go to opens.  I don't need to make the effort of going to London to see my own class, instead I go because I want to see everything that's on offer, meet other people with new ideas, look at the club stands even, and generally enjoy every aspect of this great sport, instead of narrowing my view to what I can see at my club week in, week out.

Originally posted by DavidG [I have not been to a Dinghy Show for a while, ever since I concluded that most of the "punters" were in fact the people who were so enthusiastic (and partisan) that they were manning  "their own class" stands.

Perhaps I've got the wrong end of the stick, but who would you expect to find on one of the Class Association stands ?

I would expect to find somebody who was enthusiastic about that class and preferably somebody who could tell me about their experiences of sailing and owning that particular type of boat,

Nigel

Originally posted by winging it I have to say that only racing at a club, all in one or two classes sounds like my idea of hell.  I also think it would sound the death knell for dinghy racing simply because people will always like variety and it is the individualism of the sport that very often give it its colour. I really enjoy travelling around to different clubs when I do Opens and  I see  experiencing the variety this offers as both educational and fun - certainly a year on the Open circuit last year did my sailing a world of good after too long a period simply sailing at the same club. A good sailing venue, great atmosphere, fun people, well matched boats actually sounds like a typical Nationals or Open just as much as it could be  club racing. Classes are very narrow minded?  No - perhaps focussed would be more accurate?

Wingingit, my comments are based on over 25 years of travelling the open, national and international circuits and I fully recognize that these have there place, however these are at the top of a pyramid, which requires a strong club structure for its base.

I would suggest that all of the classes that have strong open meeting and national turnouts at the moment also have plenty of active clubs offering class racing supporting this structure. 

The classes that are foundering are those that have little club racing and have open meetings and championships that are mainly supported by an ever diminishing band of enthusiasts.

I have not been to a Dinghy Show for a while, ever since I concluded that most of the "punters" were in fact the people who were so enthusiastic (and partisan) that they were manning  "their own class" stands.