Here are some thoughts from a former ISAF president about the state of sailing, some of which have some relevance to us (with my flippant comments in brackets).
1) The Game has got too expensive. The adage used to be that your
racing boat should cost no more than your wife’s car (which means you can buy a new boat Sandy!).
2) The Promoters have taken over and come out with a new boat
constantly and get the Pros to sail them. Elvstrom said that it is
easier to design a new boat than build a class organization. (Stick to Flying Fifteens and Picos, which are well established).
3) The old classes were one or two person crews, not the faceless 8-10
boat crews who sit on the rail of some 40 footer paid for
by some wealthy investment dealer. (Not aware that Seonaid's crew get paid, yet).
4) The Yacht Clubs have forgotten what they are about and are run by
the Food and Beverage Manager who has convinced the committee that regattas
should be a profit centre, rather than hosting the sailors cheaply
as the raison d’etre of club. (Not quite there yet, but Donald is working on it).
5) When the Wednesday morning Ladies Bridge Club is more important than the Saturday race, we are in trouble. (Not a problem: none of our ladies play bridge. They go rowing instead).
6) Make the local racing fun. (Goes without saying).
7) Have very tight class rules and enforce them. I always thought
that if a sailmaker wanted to race in your fleet you had the right to go
up to him before the race and make him use your old jib and you use his
new one. (This should apply to our Ladder Racing, whereby we all race in club boats, and put up with their deficiencies).
8) The Optimist class is doing more to
kill sailing then any class. Opi Parents are a disaster,
plus their coaches. You can now compete in an Opi at 15 yrs 9 months,
if you can starve your kid to keep at 110 pounds. (Stick to Picos).
9) We should stop focusing on singlehanders, trapeze boats and
college sailing. There are people who like to crew and do not want to be
the “prick at the stick,” so 2 or 3 people boats are also the way to
go. Trapezes breed freaks. The skipper is very small and the crew is
lanky with a heavy head. (Stick to FFs, etc).
* Focus on local regional sailing and get all the clubs to zero in on
all sailing the same small boats. (We have a fleet of club owned, but
bought by members, and given to the club Ideal 18′s, which are now 10
years old. Good solid boats only 2 people.) If all the clubs in a region
bought the same boats and kept them racing for 30 years then you have
used boats that new people can get into the game reasonably. (All our FFs, with the exception of Sandy's, are well over 30 years old).
* It shocks me when a parent has a kid who wins an Opi race and then
immediately starts dreaming about training for the Olympics. (Nothing wrong in dreaming).
* When the kid can beat 80 year old Buddy Melges on Lake Geneva then
think your kid has talent. Until then let them have fun in the local
regattas. (For Melges, read Osborne).
* The only thing my Dad ever said to me on Toronto Island when I started
at age 8 and he bought me a $50 Sabot was: “I will inspect it every
Thursday and if you do not keep it clean you do not sail.” (Clean your Picos, or you don't go sailing).
JSW
We are sailing...