RYA Wokebomb

Elitist and accessibility are easy to address, free membership for new members, free club boats for new members (first year).
Too difficult is the clincher, I haven't got a answer, needs the training bods to sort this out.

I've got to say I find it difficult to actually take offence at anything written above, OP or subsequent posts and I tend to agree with Paramedic in his suggestion of reasons for push back.

But none of this adresses the issues, which are that sailing is in decline, whatever ethnic group you consider and some may have not even got going.

Many years ago when windsurfing turned the corner into decline we hired all manner of consultants to find out why and what they came up with pretty much is still as relevant today as it was for us back then. Some of the facts that arose and I'll bet probably even more relevant in some ethnic groups more than others, but listed on peoples greatest fears, deep water was right up there. The number of people just being able to swim, never mind swim in the deep end, it was ridiculously low for an island nation and I doubt the recent influx from overseas has done much to exacerbate that. Then there were the three big ones, Elitist, Inaccessible and Too difficult to bother with anyway.

We can be as woke as we like but they are the obstacles that need addressing, not any misguided lack of diversity or inclusion.

Edited by iGRF - 27 Mar 21 at 2:01pm

I dont see anywhere where the OP had singled out the scenario you describe Paramedic. His post was pretty offensive in general, completely tone deaf, especially bearing in mind recent events, and, possibly, either a troll post or someone from when dinosaurs ruled the earth

Originally posted by Paramedic Can I wade back in as I possibly didnt explain very well. I am a member of an inner city club. We had our first female commodore in the 1980s. We have had members of all shapes forms and colours since i joined in the mid 1990s. I don't actually see that this is a cause for celebration, because it should be normal. What I object to is being told that being just open to anyone (And having proof that this is the case going back decades) isn't good enough. I'm not sure if its RYA doctrine or local council pressure (Probably a bit of both) but we are now it seems obliged to be seen to positively discriminate in our membership recruitment because we happen to sit in a part of the city that has a high percentage of people of a certain ethnic background. This is wrong. It wastes hours of volunteer time (We have held specific open days targeted at that audience in addition to our normal open days) working to provide taster sessions to people who are never going to become part of the club. The accusation from the outside is exactly what many people who have previously posted in this thread have made against the OP, but this is simply not the case - it isn't the clubs fault if the local populace within 3 miles of the pond don't like sailing! With due respect to our countryside and coastal members you may not be seeing this just yet, and if 50 year out of date attitudes are still in the fore it may be a good thing to start to change. But there will come a point where you have to start to push back. So, the OP may be wrong. He may have put his point across badly. But I can see why he did it.

Wetabix, i'll engage because one of us seems a bit confused.  


Edited by Doug H - 27 Mar 21 at 7:45am