Sitting behind a computer instead of sailing is generally a waste of time to me.
I think quite a few hours were spend behind the computer designing DOGzilla and CHEESEzilla (If not Hydropthere, Orange and Alpha)
I would think not having those projects would be really missed as well.
With respect to time spend on the forum. This grew the cat scene and created a few new fleets and classes. Also very valuable to the larger sailing scene.
Wouter