I guess some day many of our younger people might end up inheriting a boat they will call their own. That might get them more involved
On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 3:21 PM, OldSteveH <oldste...@sympatico.ca> wrote: > It's odd and a little disappointing to hear that the racing program is not > drawing young folks as much. It would be my suggestion that for young > people racing offers a high level of fun, competition, adrenalin, > adventure, > etc. as a great way to learn to sail. > > Somehow the word has to get out to young folks that there is more to life > than video games, smartphones and clubbing. > > Racing is what did it for me back in 1982-83. Since then I have told anyone > who cared to listen - if you want to learn to sail - go and race. > > In our fall racing series at Lions Head I bumped into a young guy, maybe 28 > years old before a race and asked him who he was sailing with. He said he > was sailing his own boat, a Hughes 29. It was his first year here and I > just > met him for the first time. Wow! A young person, just bought a boat and now > going racing! Very cool, but that's just one. How does the sailing > community > pass along the torch to younger generations? No easy answer I guess. > > I do one thing however for my part - I post on Facebook lots of sailing > pics > etc. to family and friends, esp. nieces and nephews. It's like planting > seeds, maybe someone will see something they like and want to come out. > Then > again maybe they just say to themselves "I wish Uncle Steve didn't post all > those sailing pics . . ." ;-) > > Cheers > > > Steve Hood > S/V Diamond Girl > C&C 34 > Lions Head ON > > > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Fri, 1 Nov 2013 12:56:37 -0400 > From: Stevan Plavsa <stevanpla...@gmail.com> > To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com > Subject: Re: Stus-List Getting young people into sailing? > Message-ID: > < > caddevn7pnoquy9brvwmbzbptg0yfvxaxkenhvc1-3dkn1eg...@mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" > > 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 > > > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > http://www.cncphotoalbum.com > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > -- Dwight Veinot Alianna C&C 35 MKII Head of St. Margaret's Bay, NS
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