Travellers

So is musical monogamy, I'm also putting a Gypsy Jazz band together :)

When I was in my 20s I thought nothing of driving 300 mles in a weekend for any reason.
Not so keen now I'm older.
I think the dinghy demographic is generally older which may be the problem.
Most of us are no longer young wannabes who think we can be as good as the top guys, we just do what we think we'll enjoy.

Cars are better generally but how many 19 year olds can afford to insure a car that will pull a double trailer like mine would?

Originally posted by RS400atC When I was in my 20s I thought nothing of driving 300 mles in a weekend for any reason. Not so keen now I'm older. I think the dinghy demographic is generally older which may be the problem. Most of us are no longer young wannabes who think we can be as good as the top guys, we just do what we think we'll enjoy. Cars are better generally but how many 19 year olds can afford to insure a car that will pull a double trailer like mine would?

When I left uni, I made myself broke by buying a house. I had some cheap old wrecks of dinghies but also got into crewing yachts and keelboats.I think if I'd taken my first 505 to an open I'd have been laughed at, if I could have found the entry fee. I remember one year 505 insurance was more than my car insurance!

The point about age is relevant. I still feel, and am made to feel like one of the young kids at my home club and I'm 40 next year!!!! The boom time was the 5 years after uni. Good salary, decent car, RS fleet in its prime with events every fortnight. I put almost 100k miles on the car just going to sailing events. It was basically a 5 year extension of uni sailing p**s ups.

When I look at the scene today, the 20-25yr olds with reasonable jobs have enough cash to play the game but the social scene has dissapeared as the bulk of us have aged and settled down for a quieter life. With no one organising any social sailing that is attractive to the youngsters and given they don't want to organise anything themselves it's not a big surprise.

Meanwhile the rest of us will mainly sail at our home clubs with a few opens during the year where a good night is measured by how many types of boutique ale we sampled.