And that's exactly why all the real sailors in the States want to move to Austrailia and New Zealand! Here in the US we've got one Lawyer for every 8 bodies! It's become all about liability and property rights.

Meanwhile, all the "good" property is being bought up by developers who are making it off limits to anyone but those few who can afford the $3 Million per. condos they are building. That would be those same people with the huge yacths at the marina!

To tie two threads together (this one and the one about the need for a new F12 foot cat to bring new people into sailing) I will say future growth depends more on easy, cheap ACCESS to the water than any new boat design.

Unfortunately, Beach Cats need a Beach to launch from. Most of the beaches are privately owned or if not, then you have the problems described above with the park rangers/life gurards/city codes not allowing a beach cat on the beach. Most private Yacht Clubs do not have beaches, just a boat ramp or a lift for launching boats. But the kids can cary an Opti (or Laser) down the dock and toss it in the water. And they stack up nicely when you are done. And there is a national training pipeline established to take a kid from age 8-18. No such pipeline exists in the cat world. So before we go off building more cats nobody wants, why don't we work on the youth training pipeline and more beach access? <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I sail at Thunderbird regularly and don't have any issues with them telling me I can't use the beach. I launch my Inter 20 from the beach at Sailboat point. Which is on the other side of the marina from where you describe.


I have also used the ramp at the Zoom beach area. I typically roll my boat down the ramp on the beach wheels, then pull it over to the beach.

Bill Etchieson

You guys want to fly before you have provided yourself with the tools you'll need to take to the air.

Actually the ramp is just closed because of low water. What you saw at the end of the ramp is a whole dug by motor boats using their engines to push up on the trailer.

Normally we would rig our boats at the top of the hill, and roll down on the grass using our beach wheels. We don't really even use the ramp that's closed.

Wasn't it sleeting and below freezing on Sunday?

If we don't get more water in Lake Thunderbird by spring, I will probably sail at Lake Eufaula which has plenty of water right now.

Bill E.