Toronto Sailing & Canoe Club is a sailing club, not a yacht club. It is the most accessible club in Toronto, I think. Anyone can walk in off the street and crew but our race nights haven't been well attended in recent years. Very solid dinghy racing program that produces some top notch racers, solid youth and adult sailing school and this past year we hosted the Canadian national team. Speaking with the older members it seems that there's a lot less racing going on these days than there used to be. I took my intro dinghy lessons at TS&CC and then my CYA basic ... then I bought that Mirage! My first time on a keelboat I threw up :( But I came back the next day and got back on the horse and learned how to sail a keelboat. The other guy that threw up that first day didn't come back .. and he talked real big about buying a big boat and all.
TS&CC is a small club, inexpensive, no slips, all moorings, not many amenities ... but we're accessible. I decided to buy the biggest boat I could afford after the Mirage because I felt that a bigger boat just had more options. My girlfriend and I talk about sailing off into the sunset but we're also realistic. I figure if that day comes we could do it on the 32 if we had to. Truthfully I would rather do it on a C&C40 but one can't have everything. Needless to say, I broke the bank on the boat and while I'de like to be at a club with a slip, I love the old non-snobby TS&CC and right now I can't afford the 8k or whatever it'll cost me to go to the yacht club closer to my house .. and have a slip. I do want a slip one day though, I do a lot of work on my boat and keeping it on a mooring makes that more difficult. When maintenance is difficult it's not done as frequently. It's also a lot easier to bring guests. Many advantages to having a slip. Our anchorage is also not the most sheltered. Boats have broken moorings and washed ashore in the past, I've seen it. This is why I'm on the mooring committee every year and why I check my moorings and have oversized lines! What will happen to all the old boats? I don't know. But I've heard all the clubs on the lake have the same problem .. dwindling numbers. Members are getting older and leaving sailing and younger people aren't filling their shoes. On our recent cruise to the thousand islands my girlfriend and I spent a lot of time chatting with folks on the docks at various clubs .. in every case we were the youngest .. by far. Most people were retired. She's 26 and until she met me, hadn't set foot on a boat. She's sold on the sailing thing and I love her for it. You really have to love this thing to sacrifice a new car and other opportunities at this age, that's the reality. Or, maybe I'm just stupid and impulsive :) The fiscally savvy part of me tells me to sell the boat but I just hum a tune and ignore it. Steve Suhana, C&C 32 Toronto On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 11:14 AM, Indigo <ind...@thethomsons.us> wrote: > Mike, > > > > You wrote “Sailing you have to know someone and get an invitation.” > > > > This is precisely what we have to address – and where I believe Gary > Jobsen and Nick Hayes are coming from. Community Sailing Programs go a > long way to providing easy (inexpensive) access to sailing. But Clubs have > to do their part and NOT become driven by F&B. > > > > At my Club (full disclosure) Pequot YC in Southport CT we (I think > successfully) address this through: > > > > -allowing non-member kids to enroll in our Junior Program (sure they have > to be “sponsored” – but if a parent approaches us who does not know anyone > in the Club we will have the Chair of the Junior Program do the sponsoring) > > - having a “Special Activity Membership” category, which allows adult > non-members to participate (and use Club owned boats (Ideal 18’s and Dyer > Dhows) in summer sailing activities (clinics, races, etc) and frostbiting. > The individuals have to be sponsored, but again we will find a sponsor for > someone who does not know anyone at the Club. Membership in the SAM > program is limited to 2 years (its WAY less expensive that full membership > dues etc!) after which we hope that the very active SAM’s will transition > to full membership > > - having a very inexpensive “Corinthian” membership category. Dues start > at a little over $300 a year below age 25, and peak at less than half our > Senior dues at age 36 – when the Corinthian is required to age up > > - Having a “no sailor left behind” policy for Wednesday Night races. While > we don’t have an “open door” for folks to wander off the street and crew > (boat owners can of course bring as many guest crews as they want), we will > always find a spot on a cruising boat for any Junior (14 yrs and up), SAM > member or any member for that matter. > > > > As a flag officer of Pequot YC, I am always looking for ways to get more > people sailing. So would welcome hearing about any other “programs” > fellow-listers are aware of. > > > > I should add that Pequot YC does not offer anything other than sailing > (from a very protected harbor) and a good dining facility (mainly lunchtime > only). We have a maximum number of Senior Members because of limited > parking space and moorings, and will be at “no vacancy” status in the > Spring when we process the next round of proposed candidates. We may be > lucky, but maybe we are doing things right!!!! > > > > Jonathan > > Indigo – 35III > > Southport CT > > > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] *On Behalf Of *Hoyt, > Mike > *Sent:* Friday, November 01, 2013 10:45 AM > > *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com > *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Getting young people into sailing? > > > > Andy > > > > You may have hit on something ... > > > > Skiing is easy to take up as a young person. You and a bunch of friends > jump in a car and drive top local ski area and then everything is rented. > > > > Sailing you have to know someone and get an invitation. > > > > Both area expensive - especially when your kids get involved in racing .... > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] *On Behalf Of *Andrew > Burton > *Sent:* Friday, November 01, 2013 11:25 AM > *To:* cnc-list@cnc-list.com > *Subject:* Re: Stus-List Getting young people into sailing? > > I started skiing when I was 32. I always wanted to ski. What attracted me > to the sport was the images--in popular magazines, newspapers, and > videos--of experts gliding down hills in deep powder. that and friends > talking about how much fun they'd had during winter weekends.Perhaps in > addition to talking it up, sailing needs more positive, romantic images > featured in mass media. > > I said that people who sail are smart, Danny. I never said they weren't > emotional. And owning a sailboat is definitely an emotional thing! > > Andy > > C&C 40 > > Peregrine > > > > On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 9:48 AM, djhaug...@juno.com <djhaug...@juno.com> > wrote: > > > > I didn't really start sailing until 2008 in my, ehhh hem, early 40s. > However, I was taken sailing a total of about 4 times during the course of > my life. > > > > I grew up on power boats on long island sound. We would go fishing and > camping on the islands off of Norwalk CT, lots of water skiing and > kneeboarding and rafting up hand floating for days, heading over to > northport LI for drinks or dinner or trying to chat up the big haired long > island girls of the 80s. But, I always would stop and watch the sailboats > go by. Always fascinated by them! ...and I always knew, if a sailboat has > enough water, there's plenty of water there for my runabouts and speed > boats. > > > > Then the the 89-90 recession hit and I ended up in college in Bristol, RI. > Every day I would drive home, past the Lobster pot and I would come up on > that "L" curve and see that same sailboat, on its mooring, floating so > serenely. I knew then that "someday" I would have a sailboat. I would > drag friends, date, nieces, nephews, anyone I could commandeer to boat > shows with me and climb around on the new boats dreaming of "the day" that > would actually have one. Of course, then my dream was to get one and live > on it and never look back. That hasn't worked out quite yet. > > > > Then, "someday" came when, a buddy gave me a 1979 O'Day 22! and so it > began! that free boat cost me about $8K to get her in great shape. I sold > it for $4700 LOL that was a good investment! what was that someone said > about not too many dummies...? LOL > > > > And now, here I am annoying you guys about my 1973 Viking 33! aren't you > the lucky ones??!! ain't life grand!? > > > > Danny > > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > > > > > -- > Andrew Burton > 61 W Narragansett Ave > Newport, RI > USA 02840 > http://sites.google.com/site/andrewburtonyachtservices/ > phone +401 965 5260 > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > >
_______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
