On Sailing

By David Powell

Ithink there is broad agreement that sailing, and sailboat racing are on the decline. It seems each year our fleets lose one or two boats usually due to aging sailors but get only one or no new boats. This essay will examine some possible reasons and outline a few things that can be done that might help ameliorate or at least slow the process.

There are probably many reasons for the decline. While I have no statistical support, here are some thoughts.

Boating is getting more and more expensive. More important than the cost of boats is the cost of living near the water which has increased dramatically over the last 50 or so years. This increase arises from two sources. First is what may be thought of as standard of living. Once, weekend getaways by the water lacked air conditioning, dish washers and clothes washers and dryers. Such items are no longer amenities but requirements. And this increases costs.

I’m familiar with a community on Barnegat Bay in New Jersey. When it was developed in the early 1950s the cost of a two-bedroom cottage was about 150% the cost of a family car. These were plywood sided and lacked the amenities noted above. Today they are three-bedroom houses capable of year-round residence–heat, a/c, full kitchens and costing upwards of $300,000–pretty steep for a weekend getaway.

More and more people want to live near the water –ocean, gulf, bay, lake or river - higher income types as summer weekend places; retirees as full time. Supply and demand drives prices up.

Then there is the important question of where to keep the sailboat. Marinas are replaced by real estate developments. Fewer marinas, more people, equal higher costs. If the costs by the water are prohibitive, where do you store a boat if you live in an apartment or your homeowners association doesn’t allow trailers? In addition, the boat needs to be transported, the mast stepped and rigging finished; this can be a major time commitment.

A second cause is societal in nature. Over this same time period there was a significant change in childhood. Children developed their own social life! Weekends became devoted to transporting kids to birthday parties, soccer games, etc. Dragging them away from these activities for a weekend of boating was simply not going to happen. As a result, when the kids grow up and the parents now have time (and money) they do not have a boating background. To learn to sail, choose a boat and find a place to keep it must feel like a very high, steep mountain.

For young families today the attraction of sailing competes with so many other activities. While youth sailing programs certainly help, is it any wonder why we see a decline? So, what can be done? I don’t think there is a magic bullet, no panacea that will reverse the trend.

When I look around town, I see a lot of tennis, including very competitive team tennis, being played without officials. Yet the sailboat racing community often acts as if the only way to race is with a proper race committee, and in one-design boats at that. You almost have to belong to a yacht club to participate! It doesn’t have to be this way.

Handicap racing, with all its faults, is a key part of the solution. Many people, including me, buy boats to go daysailing with family and friends, something most onedesigns are not well-suited for. We have to encourage these sailors to get out racing. Performance Handicap Racing Fleet isn’t perfect, but it gets boats racing.

We often hear the term “beer can racing”. I find this term quite pejorative. It really covers a wide spectrum of activities. At one end are the weekday evening events that can be more of a group cruise. The other end are the random leg course races often using fixed marks and frequently taken as seriously as most one-design races. Race committees are not required. Finish times can be recorded on the honor system, which seems to work just fine for tennis. Starts can use a rabbit start, starting box or even one sailor starting the race from his or her own boat. No signal flags; horns can be used or just a countdown on the radio. To look down on these races because they use a handicap system and don’t use a formal race committee does a serious disservice to our sport.

Rabbit starts can also be easily used for one-design racing. When clubs do have more formal handicap racing, I prefer using a pursuit or reverse handicap start. Eliminating the chaos of the start line helps get beginners to participate. It also leads to better racing as the fleet is more in contact. With the traditional fleet start the fast and slow boats are all alone by the end of the first leg.

But racing is not the only sailing activity. Clubs, or just a group of friends, should organize lunch cruises or simply raft-up and have sandwiches. Poker runs can, and should, be adapted for sailboats.

And let’s not forget windsurfers and kiteboards. They can be readily stored and easily transported. Their ease of setup and inherent excitement are attracting new sailors who may eventually gravitate towards more traditional ves sels. We should be encouraging them. When possible, clubs should try to get non-members to their events, both handicap and one-design, both racing and other. Depending on the specifics, this may not be possible for all events, but there certainly will be at least a few where it can be arranged. Such events should be publicized in the community. This has the benefits of increased participation (more boats are more fun), helping the sport, and just maybe getting the club a new member or two. The important thing is to remove impediments to people getting out on the water.

I fully support junior sailing, but it is unlikely to solve all our problems, at least in the near term. All too often it seems the aim of the programs is to develop top rated racers. I’m happy that there is such a path, but that’s only for the few. I would also like to see the development of both basic sailing skills and the love of sailing for the many. When these juniors begin their careers and families, they are unlikely to have the time or money to pursue sailing. But maybe when they get even older the seed that was planted in the junior programs will blossom.

In the meantime, we simply need to get people out on the water having fun in sailboats.

EDISON SAILING CENTER TEACHING YOUTH THE ART OF SAILING

Edison Sailing Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to teaching children and youth 8-18 the passion for sailing.

SAILBOATS FOR SSIL 19’ 1980 O’Day w/trailer 2’draught Laser II , blades & sails Laser “old style” vang 22’ 1978 S-2 with new Yamaha outboard, electric w/special tilt & trim 15’ Vanguard w/dolly (three available) 25’ 1966 Westerly w/trailer, outboard, triple keel, completely redone 2.5’ draught 28’ `1983 C & C 29-2, diesel, good shape 5.3” draught Sunfish (old style), wooden blades Sunfish (newer models), some with fiberglass blades 23’ Sonar 23 w/trailer; needs work -keel loose & slight damage port side 11’ 1951 Wooden boat, w/trailer 16’ Older Laser 16 w/trailer, extra parts 31’ 1985 Dehler 31 Yanmar 2 GM20 draught 4’9” Motor top end, redone & new sails 2014 Some new electronics added 2016 17’4” 2002 Com-Pac SunCat w/trailer, gaff rig/catboat Draught 1’2” up;4’6” down

POWERBOATS FOR SAIL 22’ 1977 Mako center console 2-75hp,4stroke Hondas 2005 No trailer 10’ 1995 Nautica RIB without trailer $650; with trailer $950.00 8’ Fiberglass dinghy

TRAILERS & DOLLIES FOR SAIL Laser/Sunfish/ 420 dolly Small Sunfish trailer – galvanized

1420 Del Rio Drive, Fort Myers, FL 33901 Physical Address: 13001 N Cleveland Ave, North Fort Myers, FL 33903 (Northshore Park) Phone: (239) 454-5114 https://www.edisonsailingcenter.org/ Non Profit - Registration # CH11905