More from Mr 'gasoline'
"Here are the solutions I outlined. Again, I hope this is coherent and helps in some way:
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Solutions:
1. Community Sailing Centers and "Sailing Clubs".
The idea is simple. People need to be introduced to sailing in a controlled environment.
--The cost factor needs to be dialed into their first sailing experience. This is covered well in such organizations since maintenance, boat ownership, insurance and other costs are all bound up in the flat fees people pay to sail/learn to sail with these clubs.
I think that if things worked in the right way, that sailing would be a lot more popular, and that this would be the primary way that people experience the sport.
There is no dress code, no bouncers at the door (as I have incredulously heard people at Sailing Anarchy hint at) and no social obligations.
--Through this (with proper education), people will be able to learn more about how to actually go about owning a boat, where to store it, what to expect etc.
This will take an effort on the clubs' part to educate people about how possible it is to own a boat on an "ordinary" income etc. and how a re-arrangement of priorities can substitute for vast wealth.
2. Outreach is needed.
Not only should such clubs/organizations try to recruit people (off the street, in libraries, on college campuses, in coffee shops) but so should people with boats!
A particularly fertile group of people to approach would be people who are used to camping, RV-ing, biking, hiking and hunting.
These are the kinds of people who would not mind spending an occasional weekend in cramped quarters slinking from cove to quiet cove up the coast in a coastal cruiser of some sort (and bringing their families along).
It has all the elements of hunting (navigation, orientation), hiking and biking (physical exertion), camping (lack of luxury, bugs, winging it).
(Why am I typing all this? Maybe it's a good thing they did not send the registration e-mail!)
3. Emphasize cruising, daysailing and dinghy jaunts.
This will simply always be more popular than racing. But I think that the more comfortable people get with sailing in general, the more amenable they will be to Wednesday-night racing. Think about how much greater participation in racing would be if all of these new sailors attended at least one race a month.
I know more than a few people who own canoes and kayaks. To me there is no reason they couldn't also have a Laser or Sunfish hanging on the wall in the garage(except that those things are so darned heavy) or a Beetle Cat (which they could tow with the Camry/Accord/Malibu to the local pond/reservoir) covered down in the backyard.
4. People who sell, maintain and store boats need to get their act together.
--Advertise to more people.
--Try to get a dollar cost in people's heads.
--There is room for money to be made in maintenance. Boatyards can step up here and try to set up a system whereby people who buy boats for the first time can wrap their heads around the cost of ownership and maintenance (and maybe teach people how to be self-sufficient too).
The point is, that there is a lot one needs to know when thinking about keeping a boat. All this information needs to be consolidated in one place (as organized as the car industry).
I also think that the moment more people begin to think about sailboat ownership, the more likely it is that boating magazines will flourish, and that they will be more honest in their reviewing of boats (a common complaint).
I think that is all I will say for now. I hope you have not fallen asleep.
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Important edit:
I forgot one crucial, crucial thing:
Adult sailing programs!
When you go on the internet and try to look for them, all you see is instruction geared at children!
Nothing is wrong with that, but I think the adult angle is severely neglected.
This is a very big point, and I should have put it first on the list. I was my number one frustration."
