I think Ed has asked some good questions and Mark Michealson has hit the nail on the head. I believe access and time are the most critical issues for sailing to grow as a sport in this country. <br> <br>My family joined a yacht club when I was 13 years old. I quickly jumped right into the junior sailing program and soon had my own boat. The yacht club was my focal point for fun. If I was not sailing my boat, I was fishing, swimming, or playing football or frisbee with my friends. As I got more into sailing, it was a great place to hang out and play with my boat and enjoy the camaraderie of other sailors. <br> <br>At this point in time, I am not a member of a yacht club. I have to trailer my boat and gear to a launch site, setup, and then go sailing. Luckily for me, I am currently using a state park where I can leave the boat overnight if I want to sail more than two days. The extra time required for boat setup and takedown definetly takes some of the attraction away from sailing every spontaneous opportunity. I also have sailboards that are alot easier for that occasion. <br> <br>I am about to join a yacht club that has access to a decent launch site for beach cats. I will be able to keep my boat rigged and go sailing anytime with minimum hassle. I believe it will increase my time on the water exponentially and will be well worth the membership expense. <br> <br>Most beach cat sailors who want to sail more and find themselves limited for time should look at yacht club membership. Most yacht clubs have aging memberships and are looking for new blood. There could be great opportunites to convert new sailors to the fun of multihull sailing. It's also too bad that our communities do not have public sailing facilities that would offer dry storage facilities. Several communities in this country do but it is quite the exception rather than the norm. <br> <br>Regarding the PWC phenomenon, what can you say. I've only been on a jet ski once in my life and I was bored in 15 minutes. Many PWC operators (and that's a generous label at times) show alot of bad behavior on the water. In a culture where bullies are glorified at times, I don't think you are going to see PWC numbers go down anytime soon. <br><br>
