Dinghy development: A Club has an Adopted Classes only Policy

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A Club has an Adopted Classes only Policy

Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: Dinghy classes
Forum Name: Dinghy development
Forum Discription: The latest moves in the dinghy market
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12864
Printed Date: 04 Jul 25 at 8:38pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: A Club has an Adopted Classes only Policy

Posted By: JimC
Subject: A Club has an Adopted Classes only Policy
Date Posted: 24 Sep 17 at 3:26pm

An attempt to find out whether an Adopted classes only policy is going to influence folks' decision on which club to choose.
The club's adopted class list is
Laser
Laser Radial
Solo
RS400
RS200
(5 most popular according to the RYA PY list)

Replies:

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 24 Sep 17 at 3:58pm

Here's the matching poll for http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12863&title=your-club-starts-an-adopted-classes-Only-policy" rel="nofollow - what you'd do if your club started an adopted classes only policy .

Posted By: turnturtle
Date Posted: 24 Sep 17 at 7:24pm

I’d have concerns about the quality of the galley - other than a 400, nothing for the fatties in that list ;-)

Posted By: PeterG
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 8:43am

Difficult to answer in abstract - even with your list.

I've gone for "slightly more likely to choose - I'd get a new boat".

I'm not fan of compulsion, and wouldn't choose a club because I'm keen on lists of approved classes, but the key decision in choosing a club for me is will I get good fleet racing, not what classes are sailed. If having approved lists leads to a club having a better chance of fleet racing I'd be happy to go for it.

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Peter
Ex Cont 707
Ex Laser 189635
DY 59

Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 9:00am

If i sailed any of the above classes it may draw me to the club.

As I don't then I wouldn't give them a look in.

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Paul
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D-Zero GBR 74

Posted By: Dougaldog
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 9:40am

I think Jim C has asked a very, very clever question but has taken it a step too far by being descriptive with the classes (though I understand why he chose them as they are the most popular, at least in numerical terms) BUT - if the question was the more simplistic "would you support a move to a club only supporting 'adopted' classes" - maybe as a first step towards a more structured question later, then I think the answers would be even more revealing.

Like it or not, you'd need a boat, a single hander, for the heavyweights for starters.

The real concern is that whatever you do now will be wrong in the next decade. After a long season travelling around the UK as RO or scribe, that popular press concept of the 'Doomsday Clock' is also ticking for our sport as the demographic cliff edge comes rapidly towards us from over the horizon!

Ventnor/Isle of Wight

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Dougal H

Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 10:04am

My club approaching this cliff edge, all committee over 60.
Members
One third over 70
60% over 60
Less than 5% under 40

Posted By: JimC
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 11:42am

Originally posted by Dougaldog

[---] but has taken it a step too far by being descriptive with the classes

If I wasn't prescriptive with the classes then everyone would respond "I'd be quite happy, provided my chosen class is on the list" and the survey would be of very limited value. Picking the 5 most popular classes makes for a reasonably feasible scenario. Those 5 also cover approx 50% of races in the PY system, so if the responses don't suggest around 50% of respondees have those classes then you know your sample is skewed.

So far I would say that the responses seem to indicate roughly what I would have expected - that most sailors don't see local fleet racing as a high priority, and that adopted classes only policies are only viable if a club is massively over-subscribed.

Posted By: RS400atC
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 2:07pm

Originally posted by JimC

....

So far I would say that the responses seem to indicate roughly what I would have expected - that most sailors don't see local fleet racing as a high priority, and that adopted classes only policies are only viable if a club is massively over-subscribed.

The problem is, you are asking a small number of people on a dinghy development forum.

If you were to ask people from a different group of sailors, you might get a very different selection of answers.

The classes you've picked are also perhaps not very aspirational.

Maybe if a club adopted the Musto Skiff and organised some coaching people would view it differently?

Posted By: Old Timer
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 4:17pm

Originally posted by 423zero

My club approaching this cliff edge, all committee over 60.
Members
One third over 70
60% over 60
Less than 5% under 40

Sounds like most golf clubs ...

http://youtu.be/9EH1G4EwljM" rel="nofollow - http://youtu.be/9EH1G4EwljM

Posted By: Eisvogel
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 4:51pm

My main problem would have been that I bought a boat before I was looking for a club, and it hadn't occurred to me that there could possibly any restriction to sailing a certain class at a given club. If I had been told sorry, you can't sail your boat here, that would have put me right off sailing, I think!

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Enterprise 20361 (Eisvogel), Laser 102727 (Halcyon), Laser 121986

Posted By: Old Timer
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 8:14pm

Are there any clubs left that prescribes classes. Last one I knew of was that one on the north circular.

Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 8:16pm

Budworth does, I believe.

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Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

Posted By: 423zero
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 8:59pm

South Staffs

Posted By: Sam.Spoons
Date Posted: 25 Sep 17 at 11:27pm

Both Budworth and South Staffs run handicap racing throughout the year.

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Spice 346 "Flat Broke"
Blaze 671 "supersonic soap dish"

Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 26 Sep 17 at 11:34am

A club with and adopted classes only policy is a group of people usually old who are bent on using a shotgun to blow off their own feet.

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https://www.corekite.co.uk/snow-accessories-11-c.asp" rel="nofollow - Snow Equipment Deals https://www.corekite.co.uk" rel="nofollow - New Core Kite website

Posted By: jaydub
Date Posted: 26 Sep 17 at 6:52pm

Originally posted by Sam.Spoons

Both Budworth and South Staffs run handicap racing throughout the year.

Budworth only runs one handicap race on Sundays, thereafter it is three class races. Handicap racing on Saturdays and Wednesdays, but only open to the club's adopted classes.

Posted By: jaydub
Date Posted: 26 Sep 17 at 6:57pm

Originally posted by iGRF

A club with and adopted classes only policy is a group of people usually old who are bent on using a shotgun to blow off their own feet.

Do you want to compare the average turnouts at Budworth and South Staffs compared to your chosen clubs, Graeme?

I know Budworths's average number of boats on the water on a Sunday is significantly better than Leigh & Lowton's and it's not because Budworth is the better water to sail on.

Posted By: RS400atC
Date Posted: 26 Sep 17 at 7:31pm

It seems to me that many clubs operate in catchment areas shared with other clubs.
So there may be room in the market for a club that does things differently.
Each club often needs to find its own niche in the market.

Posted By: Doctor D
Date Posted: 26 Sep 17 at 8:42pm

I've not sailed at budworth but looking at recent Sunday results shows some pretty small fleets?

Posted By: jaydub
Date Posted: 26 Sep 17 at 11:03pm

36 out on Sunday. Might not be quite as healthy as it was a few years ago, but not bad for a small club.

Posted By: iGRF
Date Posted: 27 Sep 17 at 10:39am

Originally posted by jaydub

Originally posted by iGRF

A club with and adopted classes only policy is a group of people usually old who are bent on using a shotgun to blow off their own feet.

I had to look up Budworth, and noted lots of bellended sails on the club header pic, where we have just the one at our equivalent lake Redoubt, but, you can't compare a population centre as large as Cheshire with the lower reaches of South East Kent and it's total lack of hinterland. So per head of local population within an hours drive, I bet our ratio is probably a lot greater, and until you 'open' the doors to more modern classes how would you know how effective/ineffective that policy is?
Our place is/was pretty Miracle/Streaker/Solo dominated but that doesn't stop us enjoying ourselves sailing nice boats and at some point the powers that be must have had to recognise that what they were sailing isn't for everyone however much they try to force their choice upon us.

However if circumstance forced me through work or other trial, to have to live near Budworth I probably wouldn't let your dogma force me to stop sailing and would suffer whatever tripe I had to pilot in order to continue, would I be happy? No, would it matter? No, better to sail something than not at all.

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