ASA (American Sailing Association) acquires North U

[Lowflash]

ASA has acquired North U. Bill Gladstone is joining ASA to run North U within ASA.

Press release here:

American Sailing Purchases Racing Educator North U

American Sailing (ASA) has acquired North U, a performance sail racing education company that teaches sailors sail trim, tactics, and strategy to win races.

asa.com

 

[George Hackett]

So.

 

[ROADKILL666]

Your point

 

[Hitchhiker]

Probably the single best thing that ASA has done for their program.

 

[sunseeker]

That North didn’t find a way to partner with US Sailing shows how lame US Sailing is.

 

[pqbon]

The existence and success of the ASA indicates the level of problems in US Sailing.

 

[sunseeker]

The existence and success of the ASA indicates the level of problems in US Sailing.

ASA is a much better business model than US Failing. They can teach you and provide boats at a reasonable cost on an ongoing basis. US Failing only does that tangentially through community sailing, which is where you’d think the low hanging fruit would be to get newbies to want to try racing.

Most, if not all, of the ASA schools only have what would be considered very basic main and jib boats, and North U is for more advanced racing skills. I could see a time where ASA schools get fleets of something like Melges 15’s, and maybe J70’s.

US Failing will choke itself into a smaller member base because of its insular, ivory tower bureaucracy and top heavy training division, which came at the expense of leadership of yacht racing. They aren’t the cause of the decline of racing in the US, but they sure haven’t done much help turn the tide. This is another nail in their coffin of irrelevance.

 

[pqbon]

ASA is a much better business model than US Failing. They can teach you and provide boats at a reasonable cost on an ongoing basis. US Failing only does that tangentially through community sailing, which is where you’d think the low hanging fruit would be to get newbies to want to try racing.

Most, if not all, of the ASA schools only have what would be considered very basic main and jib boats, and North U is for more advanced racing skills. I could see a time where ASA schools get fleets of something like Melges 15’s, and maybe J70’s.

US Failing will choke itself into a smaller member base because of its insular, ivory tower bureaucracy and top heavy training division, which came at the expense of leadership of yacht racing. They aren’t the cause of the decline of racing in the US, but they sure haven’t done much help turn the tide. This is another nail in their coffin of irrelevance.

I try not to be a US Sailing alarmist -- when I lived in the US I was a member of both US Sailing and the ASA. However, now being in RYA country... the differences are astounding.


The RYA does more that both combined in basically all fronts. I'm not saying the RYA is perfect it has it's issues but as a member it feels both more productive and more broadly focused than either the ASA or US Sailing or both combined.

 

[Snaggletooth]

The existence and success of the ASA indicates the level of problems in US Sailing.

Absillutley goddam rite.

 

['Bacco]

Why would an apparel company want to run an educational series anyway?

 

[Gigantasy]

Why would an apparel company want to run an educational series anyway?

You ain't kidding! I was in Sicily last summer and the Italians there wear North Sails gear like it's Nike.

 

[Editor]

You ain't kidding! I was in Sicily last summer and the Italians there wear North Sails gear like it's Nike.

poseurs.

 

[Snaggletooth]

poseurs.

Hay Mr Tempestra, you no they caulled 'finto marinaio' in Italiya.

 

[LB 15]

You ain't kidding! I was in Sicily last summer and the Italians there wear North Sails gear like it's Nike.

North should sponsor MJ. Or better still realease a sailing shoe for the yachting Fashionistas called 'Air Head'.

 

[atwinda]

North U was a USA-based operation. The British owner of North has axed every North American operation they could in favor of concentrating operations across the pond. Lowell and Terry would be rolling over in their graves after seeing how much NA has been gutted.

 

[MR.CLEAN]

Lowell and Terry would be rolling over in their graves after seeing how much NA has been gutted.

That's kind of what happens when the bottom line suddenly matters to an organization after decades of being irrelevant

 

[Peter Andersen]

North execs have been known to fuck their customers. Literally.

 

[in_TO]

You ain't kidding! I was in Sicily last summer and the Italians there wear North Sails gear like it's Nike.

I heard a rumour that the apparel revenue exceeds that of sails.

 

[MR.CLEAN]

I heard a rumour that the apparel revenue exceeds that of sails.

My understanding is that apparel and licensing was something like 80% of the revenues prior to the sale. Might have been 80% of the profits, I am not exactly sure. Sails were maybe break even.

 

[Newbee Racer]

"North U" is not (or was not) a North Sails affiliate at all. I have met Bill G in 2022 and have asked the question in person. Answer was : No, not affiliated with North Sails.