Laser 28 - Excellent example of this great design Hamble le rice |
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Eisvogel ![]() Posting king ![]() ![]() Joined: 09 Dec 16 Location: Birmingham Online Status: Offline Posts: 135 |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Posted: 23 Jan 18 at 1:12pm |
I must say I despair at the foiling mania that seems to have gripped some people within the RYA. That is definitely not going to attract loads of 'normal' people to sailing, on the contrary, they'll see this and go bungee jumping instead, which looks far less complicated.
Maybe the people at the top have decided that the high performers need to be kept happy with new ways of making sailing more challenging? It seems to me that there is a very broad range from beginners to international level who are all lumped together under one umbrella. Perhaps what could help is something they started in Germany a few years back: the Sailing Bundesliga (only we would call it the "Cat o' Nine Tails Championship" or something similar), where clubs battle it out in a league format. Might attract more people to their local clubs, as they'd identify more with a club at their location than with an individual sailor.
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Enterprise 20361 (Eisvogel), Laser 102727 (Halcyon), Laser 121986
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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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My club did inter club racing for years, we used to do a 3 corner with 2 other local clubs, tried to restart this last year, only managed to get Banbury cross to take part, was a brilliant day, made even better because we won.
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iGRF ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 07 Mar 11 Location: Hythe Online Status: Offline Posts: 6499 |
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RE "Black Run" tell me honestly who hasn't heard of tales from beginners who endured the inevitable 'black run' by error.?
Many a dinner party conversation turns to tales from the slopes like that, but contrast that say with the beginner experience on offer to our would be grown up neophyte into sailing where, lets say hailing from deepest Surrey they decide to approach our friends at Frensham Pond.. (Tongue in cheek here for Clives benefit) Where after a couple of years of the public being advised that the website would harm their computer, the would be sailor is now offered a 5 day, yes 5 days starting at 8.30 in the morning course and at the end a certificate in your new found excitement of being able to master a bloody GP14... FFS, come on now what are we thinking? And... I bet racing isn't even mentioned. Or... if you want the gold star you get to use a Laser Bahia. So what should happen? There should be a rack of Aeros (Or better still Solutions) and on DAY 2 they should be racing them around the cans.. Edited by iGRF - 23 Jan 18 at 1:59pm |
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H2 ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 26 Jul 17 Online Status: Offline Posts: 750 |
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I may get shot for this - but is the sport really in as bad shape as people make out? I agree society has changed in many ways and that this has affected lots of sports and past-times but against this tide of change has sailing really come off that badly? Over the 35 years I have been sailing I have been a member of many clubs and visited many more on opens and nationals and I am struggling to recall a club that seemed in terminal decline. Sure less people are sailing but then less people do sport or out door things in general but it seems odd to me to be saying that we are in terminal decline!
Someone in this post made the point that there is a move toward mid-speed, mid-difficulty boats which is certainly something I have seen over the years. Huge effort to get skiff type boats out there which most of us tried and secretly hated to sail - suspect the same will be try of foils...fun on holiday for a blast but not something you want to do each weekend for the next five years!
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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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I have yet to see a 2nd day beginner who could race, putting them under a lot of pressure throwing them into a race.
My club gets beginners out in the races, watch what experienced racers do at a particular mark and try themselves, when they are happy move to another mark. Boats, Bahia's and Topaz's for training, other boats, Enterprise, GP14 etc.
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eric_c ![]() Far too distracted from work ![]() Joined: 21 Jan 18 Online Status: Offline Posts: 382 |
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I tend to agree. |
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Eisvogel ![]() Posting king ![]() ![]() Joined: 09 Dec 16 Location: Birmingham Online Status: Offline Posts: 135 |
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From my own club I don't think it's terminal. We get a decent number of boats out each weekend, even in weather like this, but since I've been a member I have seen very few new people join, while the existing members are not getting any younger. We have a good number of juniors, but once they finish school they're off to uni somewhere else, and don't seem to be coming back.
We are training about 20 beginners per year, but we're lucky if one or two of them stick around after the training course. So long-term I can foresee a problem...
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Enterprise 20361 (Eisvogel), Laser 102727 (Halcyon), Laser 121986
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H2 ![]() Really should get out more ![]() ![]() Joined: 26 Jul 17 Online Status: Offline Posts: 750 |
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I agree that racing is very scary to many beginners and I think as a sport we lose lots of people that are interested but after doing their level 1&2 or a week in the Med they cannot find a way into the sport. Our club ran "Super Saturdays" for beginners last year - it was free to come along and either get into a boat with an experienced sailor or take a club boat out and cruise around with close rescue boat supervision. Lots of people who used it commented that it was a great way to build skills and confidence but one piece of feedback was that they were nervous about the next leap into club racing and worried about getting in the way. So we encouraged them into pursuit races that were laid on specifically to encourage people - serious racers had fun and laughed alot and it was great fun for all. Could not do it each weekend but once or twice a season seemed to make a huge difference in how many went on to buy a boat and go racing or become a crew for someone needing one!
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eric_c ![]() Far too distracted from work ![]() Joined: 21 Jan 18 Online Status: Offline Posts: 382 |
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'Skiff type boats' however you define that, there are a lot of people sailing fast dinghies. When I were a lad, fireballs were regarded as very fast, enterprises were the standard adult boat. A lot of adults were racing things slower than ents. Sometimes even racing Mirrors. Maybe our standards of 'fast' have changed. I think there is a drift back towards tactical fleet racing in some quarters. Boat vs boat, person vs person at close quarters around the course, in Lasers, Solos, Merlins or whatever. Much as many of us drifted back to dinghies after boards lost their attraction. |
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Eisvogel ![]() Posting king ![]() ![]() Joined: 09 Dec 16 Location: Birmingham Online Status: Offline Posts: 135 |
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I'd just love to see someone try foiling on our little inner-city puddle :)
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Enterprise 20361 (Eisvogel), Laser 102727 (Halcyon), Laser 121986
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