2020 Dinghy Show

Interesting opportunity to procrastinate ... the fact that small sailboat racing is on the rise should be celebrated.

Didn't they have radio controlled yachts racing at Crystal Palace? I seem to remember jousting with Eddie Warden Owen I think it was, it was way back, must have been '82/83, we'd gone there to leaflet the show to get folk to come to our show which was at Alley Pally, which much later on after we sold it, the RYA moved in on our slot. Must have been '89, we sold up in '87. My first show was at Pickets lock in '78, took a TV and video player, to promote the original Windsurfer, must have been the first time anything had been marketed by video, shape of things to come, somebody from the RYA complained that it was unfair marketing tactics and asked me to turn it off for periods.. Honestly you couldn't write it never mind making it up. They are/were so dead between the ears when it comes to publicising anything, don't think much has changed.

Edited by iGRF - 20 Feb 20 at 8:23pm

My wife is involved in dog showing. Crufts is on next week and they are not allowing exhibitors from Northern Italy etc to attend.

When they cannot control the thousands of private visitors I dont understand how this helps.

I only go to the Dinghy show every third year so I can see some changes, but if I was going I cannot see how the risk is much higher than going to the local supermarket. I am optomistic that the average dinghy sailor may be paying extra care to hand cleaning, not going if feeling unwell etc

Elaine and I will be there tomorrow. Sad as always that our class gave up on the show a few years ago , to me if you don’t make the effort to go it means your class is on the way to extinction. But mine is the minority view in this matter. The committee view was the money saved would be used on other forms of publicity, never seen any sign of any though.