Good Question Getafix...

Originally posted by getafix makes you wonder doesn't it?  Record turn-outs, everyone having a good time, crowded start lines and loads of different boats all competing together and sailors having fun before, during and after, in loads of different places and conditions.... perhaps it's something about 'usual' club racing that is keeping all these extra folks away, rather than a general malaise in dinghy sailing which is oft quoted on these boards, perhaps a new thread needed?

thanks for starting a new thread

I've been pondering this since leaving Sunday.  Now, I normally have a good time when I'm at the sailing club, it's why I go after all.  Sunday's weather was nice; windy, relatively warm and all the usuals where there, so lots of familiar faces to talk to.  But here's the odd thing, just as reported elsewhere, there was a plethora of 'others'.

Now, I don't want to be unkind, some of these 'others' are bl00dy good sailors, far better than me, and some are pretty new to the game.  But they don't come down often.  Some I haven't seen for donkeys.  Others managed to put aside family, shopping, other hobbies, church or whatever has drawn them away and came down, rigged up and went out.

Open meetings don't draw the crowd like that event.  Open 'weeks' draw a crowd, but not that big (or varied).  So what is the reason?

• It is a very good cause
  
• Promotion was very good.
• It was a one-off.
• There was a strong emphasis on taking part rather than winning.
• There was a record attempt.

I think the last one is a red herring.  T'internet is awash with causes, flash mobs, record daftness and opportunities to be one of many, so I don't think the record attempt aspect was the big driver.

So, without doing down the very good cause in this case in any way.  I'm more inclined to believe it was the idea of taking part in something new and different and that, and here's my key reason, taking part would be fun.  Even seeing who might turn up added a certain something to the whole thing?

Anything we can draw from this to keep this kind of feeling going?

Originally posted by kneewrecker best thing about the Bart Number- no one seems to have a clue, but everyone raced together and there has been no whinging / moaning etc

Think you'll find just about everyone did their local results on their normal handicaps.

When the Bart numbers are published I have every confidence that the usual predictable suspects will do their usual predictable whinging with their usual predictable ignorance about how little difference the odd 1 or 2% usually makes on handicap results: especially as I happened to see from one of the few published results that the "Bart Number" for a Laser is 1088, which seems kinda familiar...

Thinking about it further, is it what is happening on the water that matters at all? Is it the atmosphere off the water? Sunday at the club, all the same old men, eating the same lunch every week, sat at the same bench, having the same conversations, tutting at the children...

Mind, some Open meeting circuits are rather like that, too.

"how can we get the same enthusiasm every week as we got for a one-off event with massive publicity and celebrity endorsement"