Mary, I think it's genetic. You either have the "Sailing Gene" or you don't. I remember as a kid at Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, watching the sailboats go by, I said to myself, "I'm going to do that some day..." and eventually I did. I started out on a $600 monohull dinghy with not a clue, not a book, and no instructor, but after nearly capsizing, I bought a "Learn to Sail" book, then another! Then a buddy got me into Laser racing, every Sunday. He said, "You will learn more about sailing in one season of racing than in 3 years of cruising." Then another buddy got me a job doing foredeck on an Etchells 22 every Saturday, in Marblehead, Mass. The skipper told me to read every Stuart Walker book, and get a compass for my Laser, which I did, and presto, I started winning races. So every weekend and Weds. nights, I was racing, all summer (which is only about 12 weekends in NH!) And all winter I was reading Stuart Walker and Yacht Racing/Cruising. It's was nice to be single and have that kind of time (100%) to devote to sailing. But it cost me a lot of girlfriends...they couldn't accept that sailing was more important to me than going to the mall.

I have 5 siblings, they all were at the same beach, all summer, every summer, yet none of them ever wanted sail, they have never tried it and yet they tell me how boring it is! "Like watching paint dry..." My older brother was into drag racing his Chevelle 396 and my younger brother was into racing Motocross. My 3 sisters...at the mall.

Now, 30 years later, I live on a lake in Florida. There are maybe 5 of us around the entire lake who sail. The other 99% of residents on the lake have pontoon boats, jet skis, ski boats, bass boats, etc. Many neighbors have said to me, "I'd like to learn to sail." But when I offer to take them out, they always seem to have something else to do. If they really wanted to learn, they would make it a priority, but they don't, and you can't force someone to learn to sail.

I also fly airplanes, since I was 8 yrs. old. I have found the exact same thing holds true there. Many have told me, "I'd like to learn to fly." but when it comes time, they are always too busy doing something else, even to take a FREE ride with me. None of my 5 siblings fly either. Our father was an instructor with a Cub, we lived 1/4 mile from the airport, so they had every opportunity I did, yet they never wanted to.

So I have come to believe you either have the gene or you don't, and no amount of -pushing- is going to make people "get interested" in sailing or flying or anything else. Of my own 4 kids, only the last one shows any interest in sailing today. I started all the older ones sailing, they lost interest. And when the last one loses interest I'm moving out...

But then I don't golf or play tennis or ride horses, or play video games all day, and I have no desire to learn. I just don't have that gene. And I'm OK with that.