Is Sailing In The USA Dead..?

Indysailor · Sep 27, 2013

I took my brother sailing and his most jarring comment to me was, "This sure takes a lot of time."

If there is a problem, I think that's it; people want immediacy, no work. They want to be home in time to plop down on the couch and watch TV.

jepomer · Sep 27, 2013

I enjoyed watching the AC72s on broadcast TV. I rooted for the American boat even knowing the crew was not 100% American (but almost no professional sports team is made up of local people, anyway). It was exciting like watching the Indy 500 when I was learning to drive.

For many decades I wanted to learn to sail. It was difficult to get information (i.e. magazines) that described people sailing anything but "expensive yachts". The terms "yacht" and "yacht club" conjure up thoughts of "expensive" and "snobbishness". Lack of accessible information and image hurt.

What I have found is that sailing smaller boats is fun and very affordable. Yacht clubs are comprised mostly of people who work (or have worked) for a living.

This year's Americas Cup with the foiling catamarans and wing sails may be the impetus to capture the attention of our youth to look at sailing as an exciting activity. A few of the technical advances from the AC72 will eventually become part of everyday sailing.

I would enjoy sailing on an AC72 just as I would have enjoyed riding on the Space Shuttle. In the meantime, I enjoy participating in the local club races and regattas to hone our skills for our goal of daysailing and ultimately coastal cruising.

We "compete" against our own record more than with the others, but the club members are very supportive and encouraging when they see us do better each time.

We regularly bring friends (and friends of our children) along to share our enjoyment on the water. We show them our costs are less than owning a motorboat. As the wind picks up, the younger ones get more energized...

Now, I will never spend the money that Larry Ellison has done, but I can purchase a new Laser and I did see that there is a foiling kit available for a reasonable price. Now to get my 60-something body in shape enough to try foiling a Laser...

Tim R. · Sep 27, 2013

Keep in mind that many of the crew on the AC72s are past and current Olympic medalists. What do they sail in the Olympics...dinghys!

So you can imagine your kids starting out in a local program, going to nationals, maybe qualifying for the Olympics and next is a ride on an AC boat.

rgranger · Sep 27, 2013

For me, it is not a sport. It is a lifestyle. I've been sailing for 38 years and have been on the water my entire 48 years and have never been in a formal regatta. It is not that I have something against it and I understand why people like it. But for me, I go sailing to get away from it all, not to join in.

Maybe I'm strange but I couldn't care less about the America's Cup.

RichH · Sep 27, 2013

Sailing in the US 'is' dwindling, especially in comparison to past years. Also many who still own a larger sailboat increasingly are older and increasingly are becoming 'dock rats' with dockside condominiums / dockside entertainment centers ... hardly actually go sailing.

In addition to those items/issues already discussed elsewhere, I attribute the decline to the increased cost of buying and of ownership, the high cost of even 'entry level' boats; plus, the decline in real 'disposable' income (increased taxes / insurance / general living expenses) for many. Even with a 'glut' of well found used 'smaller' boats ... many wind up being cut apart and sent to the 'grinder' because of the 'excess supply'.

Same thing happened to skiing. There was a decline shown by the steady reduction of the number of active skiers .... until the advent of snow-boarding. Now, there's probably more snowboarder than skiers. The 'skiers' are mostly 'oldsters'; the 'boarders' are the 'youngsters'. The Snow-sports industry is alive and well, growing in most places ... simply because innovation reversed the quite obvious decline.

So, maybe what 'sailboating' needs is increased 'innovation' that re-stimulates the sport. A much better/stable economy that results with more $$$ in ones pocket would also help.
Certainly, the 'foilers' are such an innovation for the 'adrenalin junkies'.

jviss · Sep 27, 2013

Joe said:
I can't really make a connection between interest in this America's cup and general interest in sailing. The boats are just too radical. (You realize, of course, that NO ONE can relate to two 100 million dollar multihull spaceships, crewed by multi national professionals, competing for a rich guy trophy that gives the mega bucks owner some kind of nebulous bragging rights.)

If the media were really interested in promoting sailing..... they would have spent more time on the backgrounds of these sailors... instead of just saying that Oracle changed a crew member and they started winning........ they should have made a point that Ben Ainslie won four Olympic gold medals in the Laser class.... a boat very accessible to anyone...

The would have shown excerpts from other exciting sailboat racing circuits such as the Aussie 18 foot Skiffs.....

But...... it will never replace golf or tennis because people think it's too expensive to get involved in.... and it will never be popular on mainstream TV because it's not popular to wager on outside the yacht club bar.

Maybe you missed it, but they did many crewmember bios and retrospectives.

rufus1138 · Sep 27, 2013

a few thoughts ive had, not wanting to get a fight going but the ac was not that far removed from what any of us do every time we start a regatta, starts are hugely important, flat is fast tacking/jybing is key, boatspeed and vmg win the mark for you. all of these things are important and it doest change whether you're in a foiling 72ft wing sail cat or a opti. look at the last few races, the kiwis over-heel'd their boat constantly, sloppy jybes, bad starts, vmg upwind was atrocious. early in the competition oracle was concentrated too much on the novelty of "whoa guys we can go so fast, this is cool" but all they had perfected was reaching, notice how we had a great skipper who could win a start (go figure its the americas cup we better have that) and then we reach away from the kiwis (shortest leg, good job guys) then they sail right around us and if it wasnt a buoy race they'd have horizon-ed us, once we figured out we had lost the basics, that they still applied, we figured out how to foil upwind and make the most of vmg downwind...holy crap we won. basics are basics no matter what.

something that is going to be a factor in sailing (its happening in my circle of friends) more pressure on the working class and more shenanigans in the housing industry will force people to live on boats, its cheaper folks, and our marinas already dont like it but they legally cant do much about it. join the life folks its great out here, even if you sail and cruise alot its different when you live aboard full time.

as forrest gump would say, thats awl i got-ta say bout dat.

Gunni · Sep 27, 2013

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the next generation of America's Cup United States of America sailors, team American Youth Sailing Force. Featuring St. Mary's College (Maryland) alumni Ben Lezin and Skipper Mike Menninger! Racing the repainted OTUSA AC 45

Maryland, where youth sailing is alive and well. Send your kids.

Tim R. · Sep 27, 2013

Nice! Now slap some foils on it.

Sanjuan26 · Sep 27, 2013

Who needs 100 million? You can cheaply adapt any boat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR5rxy5rdOg

oliversdad · Sep 27, 2013

I may be in a niche where I live but sailing is all but a memory here.I live about an hour north of NYC across the road from Candlewood Lake in Ct..I moved here as a high school kid back in '78.My parents got me a 16' daysailer That I sailed a lot.In '81 I got my 1st Hobie18 and started racing with a fleet right out of a local club down the street.Our family were members there for the next 22 or so years.We witnessed a lot of changes over those years.The biggest being the lake becoming overcrowded.Not only was it less enjoyable it became downright dangerous to sail.I had a few close calls with powerboaters who probably didn't even realize they were doing anything wrong.I think it was in '03 when I quit sailing Candlewood altogether. Fast forward to today.The club we belonged to which had 50+ catamarans and at least that many monohulls on the docks is down to a couple hobie Waves on the beach and for the first time this year,NO sailboats on the docks.This is at a marina with over 300 slips."Sailing Club" used to be part of the name of this marina.No more.I can't blame the owners as they have just adapted to what their clientel wants..Very expensive powerboats. As for me,a couple years ago I rescued a little O'day 19.Restored her and keep it at a friend's house 30 minutes north on Bantam Lake.Well worth the drive as it is a much quieter place,even on weekends.I'm really happy to have rekindled my love of sailing. As for this years cup.I loved every bit of it.I've always thought tradition was holding back the sport in a way.The Indy 500 is not sailed in Model T's and this years design went well beyond what most could have even imagined.Unfortunately I think NBC missed an opportunity to have had many more viewers.I didn't see any promo spots on any of their channels.I think even non sailors would have tuned in for the sheer spectacle of the event. Most here in the U.S. didn't even know it was taking place.Maybe next time.. Cheers,Barry

25yearslater · Sep 27, 2013

I added 10 this year. Out every weekend, usually twice, and when I could squeeze it in I went out during the week. Work is severely limiting my true calling. Dragged friends and family out all summer. Going for more next year.

ggrizzard · Sep 27, 2013

I help with the local Sea Scout Ship teaching navigation, (Sea Scouts are a division of the Boy Scouts of America). In the past four years we have had 30 youth, boys and girls, transition from green novices to accomplished Capri sailors who win regattas.

Want to help promote sailing? Find your local Ship by calling your regional BSA Council office and volunteer.

jepomer · Sep 29, 2013

Tom G said:
This is a great moment for the America's Cup but a sad day for our sport.

My questions are:

*How can we fix this, or slow the bleed?

*What are YOU doing to try and pick our sport up by the boot straps and get new sailors on the water?

Yesterday, we participated in the Boston Harbor Islands Regatta along with almost 100 other sailboats. We brought along a friend and her son to experience a day sailing. (Last month she brought us out kayaking.)

As with any regatta or race, we endeavor (although not always successful) to get to the starting line before the prep flag goes up. Then we want to cross the starting line as close to the proper time as possible. Since this was a pursuit race, there was no mass congregation at the start line for our time.

We crossed the line within seconds of our time. Our best start of the season so I was delighted. Our neophyte crew started to learn how to tack (very low winds before the actual start). Not long after rounding the first mark, the 20-something son manned the tiller. He we so excited and steered a good course avoiding the other boats congregated around us.

We probably should have tacked toward Georges Island but he was doing well and enjoying the experience. The currents and winds around Hull Gut always slow our progress and our tacks did not go well. So we did fall behind the rest of the fleet. Soon after we got around that mark, his mother took the tiller for the downwind leg and the sail back to our mooring.

We did accomplish my personal goals of "a good start" and we did officially finish the race. We had an enjoyable day on the water with friends. More importantly, we introduced two more people to sailing.

Sometimes, the last boat across the finish line is the winner. Are you willing to do this?