Laser 161752 Tynemouth |
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Laser 28 - Excellent example of this great design Hamble le rice |
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Laser 140101 Tynemouth |
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List classes of boat for sale |
Twenty years from now |
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JohnJack ![]() Far too distracted from work ![]() Joined: 12 Mar 13 Online Status: Offline Posts: 246 |
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How many sailing clubs will be left in 20 years time?
I am sure this is part of another post. We have three small clubs in relatively close proximity. 2 with torrid water (1 river, 1 tiny lake) but brilliant socials sides, t'other with decent sized lake but with no real social side. If you could merge all three at the better water, then you would have one of the best sailing clubs in the region. Shame really, the RYA keeps plowing loads of money into all three where there could be one super club
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rogerd ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 25 May 04 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1076 |
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Yes but you are not accounting for the big fish in those small ponds, they will defend their big fishiness and wont see the bigger picture. |
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Rupert ![]() Really should get out more ![]() Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956 |
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Or maybe they enjoy the smaller water to sail on, and the way the clubs feel like they have a stake in the future of it, whereas at the big club they would simply feel a little lost.
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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686
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jeffers ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
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Where I sail we are around 10 miles from Grafham Water so definitely the little relation. That said we attract a different demographic to them and have even attracted members from them who prefer the feel of a smaller club. we have had people go the other way too who want bigger water and large fleets to sail in. For me I prefer the smaller club. It gives my eldest daughter somewhere safe to sail and it is affordable (the fees are less than 1/3rd of Grafham). If Grafham was the option I would not be sailing today as I simply could not justify the year on year expense for the small amount I am doing these days.
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Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
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fab100 ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 15 Mar 11 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1005 |
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We have a thriving youth section too, and have had forever. But the missing generation i refer too is the 20-40 year olds - the youth of yesteryear perhaps who for whatever reason have dropped out of sailing in unprecedented numbers and show no signs of returning. Who runs all the youth programmes when we are too old and there is no one following along?
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423zero ![]() Really should get out more ![]() Joined: 08 Jan 15 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3420 |
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The club where I sail has one member between 18 & 45 years of age, only 4 members younger than 18 years of age, 80% of members are over 60 years old, of this 80% most are around 70 years old, the committee is comprised of one member under 18 the rest are older than 50.
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jeffers ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
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Most clubs see that and a lot of people either stop sailing at Uni or go team racing. We are seeing a few return after Uni back to the club if they move back to the area but predominantly it is families who join where the parents have an interest in sailing or want to get back in to it (or the kids have shown an interest). They tend to be in their early 30's with kids around 8-10 years old.
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Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
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Jamesd ![]() Far too distracted from work ![]() Joined: 01 Feb 08 Online Status: Offline Posts: 377 |
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The club question is interesting.
I sail from a largish club, with a high, albeit declining membership. There is a great youth (i.e. 16 under) programme, but there isn't a great deal after that. Certainly by the time those 16 year olds without direction have gone to uni they are almost completely wiped off the membership. There are plenty of 50+ members who will no doubt fight it out for the race committee positions, but there are few people that I can see that will be there as weekend warriors, week in, week out like you see today. Am I just not old enough to have seen/understood the cycle? do they flood out of the woordwork? is it a case of them starting up in their thirties when their kids are sailing fevas and optimists? There are a lot of clubs I know of, that I personally do not think will be there in 5 years time, forgetting a 20 year prediction. However a lot of those clubs have looked in that state for the last 20 years and are still here, usually held together by old men with beards looking for some place to keep their fishing boat |
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SUGmeister ![]() Sailwave Moderators ![]() ![]() Joined: 08 Jun 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 265 |
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For what it's worth if you're looking into the future of sailing as a viable sport 20 years hence then in my opinion grass roots sailing needs to be serviced by cheap, really cheap boats. Forget about your foils and other high tech stuff make ok boats cheap. I don't know what the relative value of plywood boats were in their heyday but I can only see sailing surviving in quantity if you can have good supply of cheap durable low tech boats designed to carry weight.
Boats today are just too expensive, perhaps RS have cottoned on to that with their Aero, would it be any worse if it were made slightly heavier but more cheaply? Edited by SUGmeister - 27 Jan 15 at 4:08pm |
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Simon SUGmeister
I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. |
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jeffers ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 29 Mar 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3048 |
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This is why boats like the Laser have a future even if the class does implode. They can be picked up cheap as chips and get you racing anywhere.
The Aero and Zero are the only 2 real credible replacements but until they reach critical mass and have a good secondhand market they will always be trailing behind the Laser.
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Paul
---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
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