Sailing in decline, etc

[Adrian_Morgan]

I can understand why youngsters are turning to more exciting pursuits. From the evidence of this forum it's becoming the pursuit of prematurely middle-aged attention seekers who, just as Tara Palmer Tomkinson can't bear to stay out of the limelight for more than a few days, crave the attentention of fellow Solent yachties by spending their evenings posting (mildly contentious) items on the board.

This posting puts me firmly in their camp, of course.
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So, here goes. Despite the evidence of our eyes (more boats on the Solent, scarcity of marina berths) the numbers engaged in sailing are dropping. This is good news for those who have long felt that sailing was and should always be an exclusive pastime, but bad news for those who want to promote it. The RYA are especially worried. But why we should want higher marina charges, more boats (unused for much of the year), more crowded anchorages and more lifeboat launches is beyond me.

I ask you: does anyone but the car manufacturer want to see more cars on the road?

It's an old argument, I know. But then I've yet to read a new one on this forum for some time.

 

[longjohnsadler]

Re:Middle-aged attention seekers...

Sailing in Scotland is still as exclusive as you might wish. I have been out in the Sound of Jura (for example) in September and seen no other sails for hours.
The postings on this forum seem to me show humour and some informed debate.
Your sailing experiences are limited by you and not the members of this forum.

 

[webcraft]

And your point is?

Who cares if numbers are dropping . . .

If there are more boats but less participants then either we are seeing the rise of the two boat family or the number of singlehanders is on the increase.

I say again - who cares?

<font color=blue>Nick</font color=blue> -

BlueMoment.Com
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.bluemoment.com/>http://www.bluemoment.com/</A>

 

[Adrian_Morgan]

Re:Middle-aged attention seekers...

Ah, Scotland. We are based in Ullapool and sailed to Stornoway, down the coast of Harris, through the Sound to Taransay (via The Shiants) in early October and met one other cruising boat, in Rodel. It would have been nice to see a few more sails, but then exclusivity has its own rewards. Has anyone been to Berneray? It scares me just looking at the chart.

 

[petery]

... I don't think its sailing thats in decline - its the 'Protestant Work Ethic'. It's obvious that most comments are posted during the day - and not the evening - when those who should be working are day-dreaming about sailing!!!

 

[Guest]

dont think for a moment that sailing is in decline. to the contrary, every year there seems to be more of my aquaintances who sail, plus a large proportion of my childrens friends.

what seems to be happening is that club membership is declining (which is what the RYA would have details of) but more and more non boat owners are chartering for sailing holidays. I suspect that the number of boat owners is also going up if only for the reason that grp boats dont rot away at the same rate that wooden ones used to, so more of the old boats are still around. certainly this is the case at our club where almost 50% of the boats there are never launched - shore storage is free

 

[claymore]

Re:Middle-aged attention seekers...

Couldn't agree more - we were out in Firth of Lorne weekend mid-October and were the only boat out there - beautiful mild gentle autumn days.
It would be very hard to substantiate the claim that this reflected a state of decline in yachting - perhaps people were just doing something else?

regards
Claymore

 

[Guest]

Boat usage in decline ?

I can only speak for my own patch (E. Coast) but boat ownership is ok but people are just not using them much. I think this is due to us not having a decent summer since 1997.

It is rare to see families with children on boats in the holidays like there used to be. Marinas have mostly sold berths that they perhaps kept open to make a few quid in the summer. Also, there are few berths available as less marina dwellers go on holiday in their boats. This often gives the impression that things are busy.

The most obvious sign on the East Coast is very few foreign flags now.

 

[Adrian_Morgan]

Re:Middle-aged attention seekers...

I was just reacting to a recent major survey. Extremely impressive research. Recent RYA News had a lengthy report. But basically the survey was unequivocal: sailing is in deep recession (as it is in USA). Why? More motor boats? Rugged Nelsonian national spirit in decline? Sailing too cold and wet? Boats too expensive or is it perceived as a middle aged pursuit. 50-somethings in yachting caps with beards and thus deeply unsexy?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Disposable income, etc

Some thoughts from a middle-aged attention seeker!

To keep a boat in UK waters, apart from the initial purchase price you need a fairly hefty dollop of disposable income to donate to assorted marine industries annually. Bye and large (but not exclusively) those with elastic wallets will be older, empty-nesters, kids processed through uni, etc.

The proportion, even of generously salaried 20/30/40 year olds, who have large dollops of money left-over after buying into the over-heated housing market must, surely, have diminished (proof anyone?)

Non-wrinklies with stretchy cheque-books may well be attracted to spend money on other pastimes with a higher adrenaline-quotient. As one example - quite a lot of well-heeled 30-somethings seem to have caught the big motor-bike bug. Or they are travelling more frequently to far-away places for activity-style holidays. "No, we're spending Christmas alone this year - Piers and Samantha are going trekking in Bolivia, Sally and Giles will be in Aspen skiing, and Wills and Belinda (you know, she's that girl he met when he chartered in the Whitsundays) are going to Phuket."

With the advent of cheaper fights and a relatively strong £, second home ownership overseas has climbed very quickly. A maison de campagne in rural France doesn't go together with boat ownership very well.

Even if young, and liquid, and saily, then the attraction of the various sportboats like the 1720 and the Hunter 707 might keep people away from the true religion of cruising under sail (but bodes well for their later conversion).

And then there are RIBs. Big RIBs seem to have multiplied like rabbits. Apart from the occasional ski-boat, anglers in 'potterers' and proper power cruisers, you didn't see that many leisure powerboats around 20 or so years back. Now, RIBs seem to be a sustantial new market and a way of life.

Then there are 'comfort' changes. The vast majority of might-be boatowners born after 1960 will have spent their entire lives shuttling between warm, dry, draught-proof homes, schools and offices. For them going sailing is slumming it, even if they're tied-up in one of the south coast's more chi-chi marinas. That's perhaps one reason why boats offering H&C, 'bedrooms', microwaves, showers, etc, seem to sell in preference to boats that can keep the sea in almost any conditions.

End of attention seeking post.

 

[Adrian_Morgan]

Re: Disposable income, etc

I suspect you're right on most counts there. As I rapidly approach middle age (that suggests I'll make 100, of course) I seem to see more of my kind and less of the younger kind out there cruising about in little boats. I do at times think to myself that cruising is overrated. The buzz of a 2-hour race, hanging on the wire, beats two days pottering about at 4 knots and you can get enough of sunsets in deserted anchorages where the only sounds are the lapping of the water and the cry of the curlew, (see Maurice Griffiths pp 12, 13, 18, 20, 30, 50, etc, etc). Yes. Newtown Creek is overrated.

 

[Guest]

Re:Middle-aged attention seekers...

"50-somethings in yachting caps with beards and thus deeply unsexy?"

Oi! Adrian Morgan. I'm 50 something, with a beard and cap, and am deeply sexy - particularly after a pint or 4!

 

[Adrian_Morgan]

Re:Middle-aged attention seekers...

What can I say? Forget what I say; what do the women out there say? Indeed, are there any women out there? If so, what sort of woman would waste her time on a forum like this, populated by bearded 50-somethings who, after 4 pints, think they're sexy?