I think, to get sailboat racing more popular with the general public, not that I advocate growing a great sport like sailing into a prime time Superbowl event, is to get the interested investors to highlight Olympic sailing in lasers and other affordable high-speed small boats.
When you watch a video of a one or two man crew hiking out on a plane going faster than true wind. There is a real sense of power and finess that I've only seen in athletes like Ingemar Stenmark and Bjorn Borg. When more schools start fielding racing fleets and kids growup looking up to Olympians like John Rhodes and now, Steve and Ben Rhodes.
Small boats are the key, that's why the Opti is the most popular sailboat in the world.
If they could bring the price of a competitive Optimus back down to under $800 per boat, the sport of sailing would take off. But, I'd hate to see popularity and commercialism do too it what it has done to others.
- Will (Dragonfly)