Fittster
Well-Known Member
Are there any signs of a reduction in the number of active dinghy sailors?
Quiet, innit? Decline in boating?Parallels/extention to manufacturing decline?
- Thread starter fergie_mac66
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Tranona
Well-Known Member
Think you will find the problem is the other way. Imports of large volume goods are far higher than exports. This country no longer makes or exports significant volumes of physical goods with the possible exception of cars, many of which travel to Europe by rail - drive up to Corby to see how. Last time I saw reliable figures (from a major container shipping company) half of the containers that entered the UK returned empty.
Rivers are not used for transport because they do not connect with sources of supply or demand, unlike in Europe. plus that rivers like the Humber are not easy to navigate and don't connect with other waterways, so road still has to be used to get goods to where they are required.
Babylon
Well-Known Member
No. A bad thing would be, say, another European war: not many yachts jollying around the Solent, the Clyde or anywhere else for that matter in 1940.
A recession, a changing demographic and an altered economy - there is both bad and good in this, but so long as people who are committed to sailing as a leisure pursuit or as a profession can still do it one way or another, then what's the problem?
prv
Well-Known Member
Not as far as I'm concerned.
People are harking back to the period when every man and his dog was building or buying small cruisers. But before that, yachts were much rarer. I have a 1930s pilot book in my downstairs loo, and I think I'd much rather have visited those uncrowded ports (in a modern boat
) than their present-day incarnations. So you could see the last few decades as an anomalous yacht-owning blip which is now on its way out again.
My only concern about declining numbers would be if reduced seagoing opposition makes it easier for land-bound bureaucrats to tell me what to do.
Pete
davidej
Well-Known Member
My impression is that dinghy sailing reduced enormously with the arrival of windsurfers 20 yrs or so ago.
Wind surfing seems to be in steep decline now
Otter
Well-Known Member
Because I care what happens to the small family boatyard I'm in; they're thoroughly decent people and I hope their business thrives.
photodog
Lord High Commander of Upper Broughton and Gunthor
Well, spend more money then!
Seajet
...
Fittster,
cruiser sailing has declined a little at my club - and I mean little.
Dinghy sailing, which in this case is any class you like with some fleet racing but mostly handicap + cruising / pottering, has decreased massively, I couldn't believe the state of the dinghy park last year; overgrown, good boats left at odd angles with covers off, it looked more like a war was coming than people had just got fed up !
Our and other clubs in Chichester harbour are mounting active campaigns to stir up the dinghy fleet with social sails, camping cruises, new member intro' meets, junior events, more joint races with other clubs etc.
As dinghies are generally cheaper with low running costs I can only think the weather over the last two seasons must be largely responsible.
cruiser sailing has declined a little at my club - and I mean little.
Dinghy sailing, which in this case is any class you like with some fleet racing but mostly handicap + cruising / pottering, has decreased massively, I couldn't believe the state of the dinghy park last year; overgrown, good boats left at odd angles with covers off, it looked more like a war was coming than people had just got fed up !
Our and other clubs in Chichester harbour are mounting active campaigns to stir up the dinghy fleet with social sails, camping cruises, new member intro' meets, junior events, more joint races with other clubs etc.
As dinghies are generally cheaper with low running costs I can only think the weather over the last two seasons must be largely responsible.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Don't think there is decline here in Poole in either of the main clubs. Lot of things in favour. Small number of very active classes - Oppies, Mirrors, 420, Osprey and YW Dayboats. Limited storage space so if a boat is not used it can't have a space. Sheltered slipway and pontoon moorings for Dayboats, good clear water for setting interesting courses. Based in big urban area so evening racing feasible. Excellent road access and parking plus v.good shoreside facilities and social activities. Similar applies to berths for cruisers and low costs by commercial standards. Always a waiting list for new members but active sailors encouraged to apply.
Otter
Well-Known Member
There's fatuous and there's twaddle but I can't decide which of those two best describes the above.
Phoenix of Hamble
Well-Known Member
+1
In fact the PMI figures of the last few days suggest that it is an increasingly confident and growing industry.... (and for completeness, even that is eclipsed by the fantastic PMI figures from the services industry released today)
maby
Well-Known Member
It's fatuous, but conceals a lot of sense. If the boatyard does not make enough money, they will go bust - simple fact of life. Their money comes from their customers - and that includes you! Obviously they need more customers, but they also need their existing customers to carry on spending otherwise they are probably doomed.
Seajet
...
Lazy Kipper,
agreed.
Tranona,
for once I think you're right, in that people in the Poole area don't have much choice, and the lack of space so ' be active or get lost ' probably works too !
Not sure I'd class the dayboats / keelboats as dinghies, wherever they are they are a rule unto themselves.
The relatively abundant space and lack of dictatorial rules - the reason I and others love sailing - may have come back to bite clubs in the Chichester area if people are too lazy to look after let alone operate their dinghies.
Boats which are very obviously abandoned go onto the club notice board then website, finally auction if all contact fails and family aren't interested, this has happened with some surprisingly good dinghies and keelboats but usually when something unfortunate has befallen the owner, not simple giving up.
agreed.
Tranona,
for once I think you're right, in that people in the Poole area don't have much choice, and the lack of space so ' be active or get lost ' probably works too !
Not sure I'd class the dayboats / keelboats as dinghies, wherever they are they are a rule unto themselves.
The relatively abundant space and lack of dictatorial rules - the reason I and others love sailing - may have come back to bite clubs in the Chichester area if people are too lazy to look after let alone operate their dinghies.
Boats which are very obviously abandoned go onto the club notice board then website, finally auction if all contact fails and family aren't interested, this has happened with some surprisingly good dinghies and keelboats but usually when something unfortunate has befallen the owner, not simple giving up.
photodog
Lord High Commander of Upper Broughton and Gunthor
Well that is either
A) a lack of understanding of the fundamentals of macro economics and the driving forces behind confidence...
Or
B) a lack of a sense of humour...
If you want the boatyard to thrive, then you have a Responsibility to drive confidence and drive growth by spending your money... If you are unwilling to do so, then it's just fatuous wishfull thinking...
If all the doom monging kool aid drinking lot actually stopped wringing their hands and instead started to behave in a confident manner and actually spent some dosh.... Then we would be going a long way to solve our problems.
If you are already spending your money, then good on ya!
Otter
Well-Known Member
Agreed it's fatuous, by definition I'm already spending there so I can only assume the photodog chappie wishes to do the same.
As virtually no GRP cruisers are disposed of at present, numbers of craft continue to increase - is all the excess really going to the EU? Surely they are in even worse financial straits?
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budgester
Active Member
I'm hitting 40 this year and just bought my first bigger boat, westerly griffon, for our 2 children family.
We also do kayaking and I coach at our local club, and there is definately a big increase in people go out in tiny boats, but there is a huge issue of people being able to store boats.
So I reckon there are still people out there in boats just not the type you are used to...
We also do kayaking and I coach at our local club, and there is definately a big increase in people go out in tiny boats, but there is a huge issue of people being able to store boats.
So I reckon there are still people out there in boats just not the type you are used to...
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