Racing isn't what interested me about sailing to start with. The daydream of 'sailing away' did, however. I think that the cruising lifestyle has things to offer young people as well but with the way that careers are these days, there's no stability. Young people move from job to job, no vacation time or little vacation time and little financial stability. I work with tech in the higher education sector (though where this train is going is another question) and I have steady employment. I can afford to think about next year and the year after, and my plans include a sailboat. Also, when the zombie apocalypse is upon us I've got a boat and I don't think zombies can swim.
On a serious note though, for young people who are into technology and the spirit of DIY (search "maker culture" on google) an old sailboat has a lot to offer. I get a lot of satisfaction from working on and improving my boat. Of course, if it's sunny and breezy, I'de rather be sailing it! Steve Suhana, C&C 32 Toronto On Fri, Nov 1, 2013 at 2:21 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 >
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