The State of Sailboat Racing

[dlandersson]

The State of Sailboat Racing

[Russ]

Interesting video.

He focuses on Racing. Which he identifies as obstacles. However I believe sailing in general is losing favor as too many younger boaters don't want to invest in the "work" it takes to sail.

Virtually EVERY guest I've taken out sailing has said "It's a lot of work". Which is true until you shut off the motor and relax.

[NiceAft]

Virtually EVERY guest I've taken out sailing has said "It's a lot of work". Which is true until you shut off the motor and relax.

It’s a work of love, and the rewards are worth it, to some. Some are sailors, some are not.

[Ixneigh]

Sailing is becoming an arcane activity here in the keys. Aside from cruising boats, very few people sail now. The waterways are crowded with center console powerboats hurrying from one destination (bar) to another (bar)
The learning curve for sailing is steep. It also requires a feel which some people just don’t seem to be able to develop. Heck I know longtime cruisers who don’t seem to enjoy sailing. But there is Nothing like a sweet little sailing vessel on a pretty afternoon with a nice beeeze.

Ix

[Russ]

The learning curve for sailing is steep. It also requires a feel which some people just don’t seem to be able to develop.

There is more to learn to sail. Heck, boating in general requires learning. I walk down the dock of my marina and laugh at how many boats don't even know how to tie docklines. I see $100k wakeboats tied to the dock with ski tow lines and carabiners. Then i walk down to the sail boat section and they seem to know how to tie up their boats.

Racing? Not for me or I wouln't own one of the slowest sailboats on the water. But once I'm out there, shut off the motor and just gliding with the power of the wind. Nothing like it.

[Be Free]

I gave up racing long ago, mostly for the reasons mentioned in the video. A few years ago I "tested the waters" again by crewing on a racer just to see if I wanted to get back into it. Only the fact that my phone was not waterproof kept me from diving off the boat and swimming to shore in the middle of a 40 mile race. I think I've been cured of organized sailboat racing.

For me, a perfect sail is never fast. Under two knots I don't have any steering. Over five knots I might break something if I let my mind wander. In between is the sweet spot where I can just sit back and enjoy the ride. I don't even care about the direction or destination. I'm already in my "happy place".

As for introducing new folks to sailing, I've found two main responses. One is, "When are we going to get there? When are we going to be back at the dock?" The second is, "I can't believe how quiet and peaceful this is. Do we really have to turn around already?" One guess who gets invited back for another sail.

[TrailerTrash]

Well.... sailing is an upper-middle-class hobby that appeals to a small, shrinking section of society. If you look at our society in general, we have less time, a smaller middle class, and more options for how we spend our free time. The nature of boating in general is that it is capital-intensive and time-intensive. It requires a large investment in both if you want to participate. If I were picking an industry to invest in, boating wouldn't be it, and if I had to pick a corner of the boating industry to invest in, it wouldn't be sailing.

But hey...it doesn't bother me. Not everyone has to enjoy what I enjoy. Not every sport has to grow among the general population. Sometimes they die and go away. If we were going to bring one back, I'd vote for good arena Gladiator fights to the death.

[JamesToBoot]

Never raced...
I don't hear about races, probably because I'm a trailer sailer and don't need a marina...
I'm a trailer sailer because boats and marinas are outrageously expensive. I don't make 100k a year... No where near. Those guys don't have any time to go sailing anyway.
And I got into sailing to relax