Where are all the next generation of sailboaters?

[captronr]

Our previous sail club at Grand Lake, Oklahoma, solved a couple of problems with some creative thinking.  First, the club membership was getting old.  Being mid 60's, we were some of the younger ones.  Next, most of the slips were occupied, so there wasn't a lot of room for newer boats.  The club recognized that recruiting new members needed to be a priority, or in 15 years, the club would be DEAD. 

Several families of members who had died either donated or sold cheaply the boats their aging parents had sailed to the club.

The club set up a group that would maintain those boats, provide instruction for prospective members that wanted to learn to sail them.  Those folks joined the club and for a nomial fee, were able to checkout a fleet boat much like you would rent a car. 

We've been away for a couple years, so don't know the current status, but the first couple of years, it was very popular, and let people know if sailing was for them or not, without spending a ton of $$$$.
Ron

[81compac16]

     My wife and I are 31 and are completely hooked on sailing. We had taken two private two hour lessons last summer and were immediately hooked. We purchased a Hunter 170 as it was very similar to the Hunter 180 and American 18 we took lessons on and sailed at least once a week last year. We sold it this past November and after months of research purchased an 81 C16 in good condition. I know we will continue to sail for many, many years to come.

      I would love to see other young families pick up sailing, we are always talking it up to our friends and family. If you go on youtube there seems to be a lot of young people and couples in their 20's & 30's picking up sailing and documenting their journeys on the internet. Although, most of these people seem to be going right into the "cruising life style" on a 30+ foot boat with no experience. For now, we are more than content sailing a salty little trailerable pocket cruiser. 

[jdklaser]

Locally we have a maritime museum that builds a row boat  as a school STEM project.  Great idea.  My question to them was why a rowboat.  Why not build a small sailboat, like an opti. Their response.  We don't teach sailing and they would be too hard to get rid of and sell.  My response to that was well, why not just pass it on and work with local community boating programs to continue the STEM teaching while the students are learning how to sail.  Local business could be involved by donating the funds need to build an optimist.  Very short money.  Boats could be built and wrap advertising could be used on the hull and sail.  A win for the local business who gets their name out on the water for a couple of seasons.  A win for the students who have an expanded STEM experience AND learn a new sport.  Imagine a half dozen optimist prams, perhaps cold molded for longer life, all with business logos on the hull and sails.  Beautiful.  Easily done.  Thoughts and another tip of the hat to Clark Mills

[Mas]

There are many great programs out there for young men and women. There just aren't as many continuing to stay in boating, more than likely due to the cost once they are on their own. My generation had it easier in many ways as far as cost of life than folks currently in their 20's. and 30's. Our little 16 "Mas" will not splash at all this year secondary to both my injury (even less stable on a little moving deck!) and little used last year as was mostly taking "Interlude" out, along with helping a friend new to sailing at age 60, with a new to her 16, learn the ropes. She is now crewing in the weekend races here. Railmeat at first but gaining skills. "Mas" will have her day again in the not too distant future to teach my grandson how to trick the wind into moving his boat. He already refers to her as "our" boat. I'm definitely planting the seeds for him.

[Frantic]

I'm a year one millennial (1982). Just turned 37 and I've been sailing for 9 years now. I live in Miami and the big thing among people my age is paddling. Almost everyone I know owns a canoe, kayak or SUP. When I bring up sailing, everyone is always excited by the prospect of it, but it seems like it was never even on their radar before I brought it up. I think perceived cost is a big factor. They see a boat as a big expensive investment as opposed to their kayaks. And most millennials, especially in super expensive city like Miami, tend to have less expendable income. Most are surprised to learn than they could get a nice trailer sailor for just a little more than they paid for their kayaks.

[jdklaser]

Yacht clubs are elitist and push the sport as such.  Community sailing is not elitist and is open to everyone. There's your growth.   

[brackish]

Yacht clubs are elitist and push the sport as such.  Community sailing is not elitist and is open to everyone. There's your growth.

I would respectfully disagree.  There are five yacht clubs on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  I was a member of the Gulfport Yacht Club.  They have a summer youth sailing program that is open to all members families and to ANY kid sponsored by a member.  I think the other clubs have the same policy.  The GYC program was inexpensive and very good.  When I was a member, it was run by a young woman who was an Olympic sailor. 

Ironically when I applied for membership there was a waiting list.  Strings were pulled and I was moved up.  When I asked why the answer " you have a sailboat, you actually sail it, you're not going to just sit in the bar trying to soak up prestige, you represent sailing well and that is what we want at this club".

[curtisv]

Yacht clubs are elitist and push the sport as such.  Community sailing is not elitist and is open to everyone. There's your growth.

Some yacht clubs are elitists, some extremely so, but some a quite affordable.

Cape Cod has always been big on sailing though we too are gradually being inundated by retirees, somewhat wealthy summer-only residents and increasing housing costs.  In terms of youth access to sailing the Outer Cape (near the Atlantic) remains a bright spot.

We have three yacht clubs and one community boating site within 5 miles of my house.  If you expand the radius to 20-30 miles there are a lot of yacht clubs and a few more community boating sites.  I'm most familiar with two of the yacht clubs and the nearest community boating.

The least expensive yacht club is $250/year but only open in summer.  They have an excellent youth sailing program.  I'm not a member but served on race committee and volunteered in other roles.  Another is $600/year and open year round and I'm a member there.  The community boating serves tourists who show up and want "a lesson" (introductory, and somewhat useless) or sign kids up at last minute.  The community boating offers lessons by the hour with late booking while the yacht clubs don't.

Those who are not first time tourinsts mostly go to one of the yacht clubs where a week of lessons is in most cases cheaper and better (all instructors US Sailing certified) but require minimum one week signup and fill up months in advance so you can't just show up and decide to look for sailing lessons.  These youth programs don't require club membership.  There are also scholarships to make free sailing available to local kids that wouldn't otherwise be able to afford the lessons.  We have a $150,000 endowment to support those scholarships mostly raised in the last three years and all of our social events raise some funds for that purpose.  Our yacht club has about 200 kids each summer (I think) with about 40 scholarships awarded each year.  Some kids sign up for the full 8 week program.  Though the whole summer can get expensive it is cheaper than most day camps.  We also host two youth racing teams (opti and c420) and the regional high school sailing team.

We also have adult sailing lessons which start in April (classroom) and run to September.  These lessons are free to members.

Our club is on good terms with the local community boating.  One of our past commodores was director there until last year.  They refer kids to our program quite a bit as theirs is more introductory.  Our program is so far having a good year with sailing weeks to mid-July mostly filled to capacity (depending on instruction level) and highest booking so far for this time of year.

The problem is that the kids get older most lose interest.  US Sailing has been looking into this and trying to figure out how to address it.  It seems that after 12-14 years old sailing programs lose a lot of kids.

In 2015 a father and his two daughters, age 14 and 12, won the daysailer north american championship - fairly serious sailing - so there are exceptions.  There was also a grandfather-grandson team in that same 3 days of racing.

At our YC we are trying to encourage younger people to sail.  In the past few years we've had a few sailers in the 18-21 age range race in our club races or regattas and a few father-daughter, father-son, and mother-son racing with the younger of the two in age range of about 6-25.  All of our adult racing is daysailer or sunfish and few member boats used in racing are purchased (all used) for more than $3-$4,000.  Our regatta entry fees are mostly is the $40-50 per boat range which covers food and awards.  Our neighboring club runs a free regatta (bring your own lunch, the club pays for awards).  From that standpoint sailing a com-pac is elitist.

If you have thousands of dollars for a boat and a place to keep it, the money to keep is up, etc, that in itself is a bit elitist.  Some yacht clubs are very expensive to join or to participate in their youth programs and so you could call those even more elitist (one not far away is $25,000/year to be a member), but not all are much more elitist than owning a small boat at all.

Curtis

[jdklaser]

Curtis and Brackish.  I would respectfully disagree with your disagreement.  I say they are elitist.  You disagree, but then agree that many are elitist.  So in that respect I appreciate that you agree with me.  I am familiar with the situation on the Cape of Cod.  Time does not permit me to address the issue further now, but perhaps in an evening or two I will hash it out with you.  For me this is an important topic.  I will respond again soon.  Be well, JK     

[jdklaser]

Brackish,  Okay,  back from a week of moving family student in for the summer in NYC  and teacher to a new job from NH to MA.  Tired just thinking about it.  The gulf coast is nice, the people are nicer.  Had the opportunity to coach a local public h.s. in the national champs back in '94 in Biloxi.  Not much wind but the hospitality was great.  Words like "sponsored by, "  "pulled some strings" and "waiting list" are not usually vocab words used a lot in community sailing.    I guess my point is that with community boating you cast a wider net and give more folks a taste of the sport and bringing many to the upper levels of the sport.    As I used to tell the kids, sailing can be a life long activity.  You can make it as wild or calm as you wish.   

[jdklaser]

Curtisv,  Pleasant Bay Community Boating  makes my point.  As they say right on their website "16,000 lessons"  John Dickson and Greg Kelley have done an incredible job down there.  Not to say that OYC hasn't done a great job promoting the sport also.  Town cove is the perfect place for h.s. sailing on Cape Cod.  I coached Nauset back in 2013 and was impressed with the folks and their support.  High school sailing in the northeast should be primarily a fall sport.  I'd much rather be sailing in 70 degree water and balmy temps than a typical spring 38 degree water and spring storms. IMHO dry suits suck and the cost is prohibitive for many.   If you want to engage the kids give them an opportunity to explore the sport with windsurfing, foiling, kite sailing and stuff like that.  Nantucket Community Boating is doing it and growing in leaps and bounds.   As I said in my last post, cast a wider net with community boating.  Keep the cost lower for all and more will take part.  Outfits like Pleasant Bay, Sail Cape Cod, Nantucket Community Boating and Sail MV are exposing more people to the activity than the local YCs.  JK 

[brackish]

Brackish,  Okay,  back from a week of moving family student in for the summer in NYC  and teacher to a new job from NH to MA.  Tired just thinking about it.  The gulf coast is nice, the people are nicer.  Had the opportunity to coach a local public h.s. in the national champs back in '94 in Biloxi.  Not much wind but the hospitality was great.  Words like "sponsored by, "  "pulled some strings" and "waiting list" are not usually vocab words used a lot in community sailing.    I guess my point is that with community boating you cast a wider net and give more folks a taste of the sport and bringing many to the upper levels of the sport.    As I used to tell the kids, sailing can be a life long activity.  You can make it as wild or calm as you wish.   

It would be helpful for me at least, for you to define more clearly "community" sailing.  Every place I've lived or been, educational sailing has been club sailing.  For instance, I knew that when I paid my dues part of that investment was for the purchase and maintenance of whatever one design boats were being used for youth sailing programs.  Outside of club sailing either yacht clubs or sailing clubs there has been no other opportunities any place I've been.  It is an expensive sport and not conducive to general taxpayer support in any place that I've lived or visited.  As a scout leader I have done sailing merit badge for the local troop, but I can assure you that does not cast a "wider net" and if I did not volunteer my time and boat that might not happen, and it still requires "membership" to take advantage of it.

[jdklaser]

What is community sailing?  From Clearwater Florida 
"Mission:The Mission of the Clearwater Community Sailing Center is to provide safe, enriching and affordable sailing opportunities to local residents and visitors, including youth, seniors and the disabled for the enjoyment and benefit of our entire community.
The Clearwater Community Sailing Association is a 501 – c (3) organization.
Vision: The Vision of CCSC is to become the region's most comprehensive, premier, all-year round sailing center. Traverse Area Community Sailing's mission is to provide sailing opportunities for the Grand Traverse Region by:

1. Increasing participation in sailing by community youth
2. Providing affordable sailing opportunities for community youth
3. Promoting respect and safety on the water while having fun
4. Providing a participatory activity which utilizes the unique environment indigenous       to this area
5. Promoting life-long skills and life-long recreational opportunities
6. Providing opportunities for positive involvement and instruction for community             youth during the summer
7. Promoting sailing's Corinthian Spirit of Fair Play

We strive to keep our programs affordable, due greatly to a tremendous amount of volunteers and donations. Parents are welcome to get involved, and we can always use extra help -- no experience necessary! Informal board meetings are held each Friday @noon in Traverse City. Monthly Board Meetings are held the third Monday of each month at the Grand Traverse Yacht Club. If you'd like to be involved contact us at volunteers@tacs.com
From Boston Community Boating:  The mission of community
Boating, Inc. is to enable "Sailing for All". We offer sailing and other water sports to people of all ages, abilities, and means in the greater Boston area. We promote an accessible and welcoming environment that encourages learning, volunteerism, and community spirit.
 
From TACS: 

[jdklaser]

They are everywhere that people who care about promoting the sport for all are found. 

[jdklaser]

  From US Sailing: 
Promoting & Supporting Community Sailing in the United States
The US Sailing Community Sailing Committee is committed to achieving greater diversity throughout the sport and fostering an environment that is more inclusive. Under the direction of the committee, US Sailing provides grants, accreditation and resources to support the growth of Community Sailing.