SOL Sailing???

[Dillon Waltner]

A new handicap class for Lateen sailed dingies under 14′ 2″ may be a solution. From Rocket to SOL, anything with Lateen sails can participate.

I think you'll find that any kind of handicap racing taking hold in the US would solve a lot of problems. The issue is not limited to lateen rigs. OD fleets have a tendency to eat themselves for a variety of reasons, but a big one is this cycle:

- OD fleet starts aging out
- A new guy comes along looking to get into sailing and has limited options for buying a boat
- OD racers talk him into buying a used boat so he can come racing with them
- New guy finds it hard to be competitive
- New guy has about an 80% chance of selling his boat and giving up sailing after a few seasons

**OR**

- OD fleet starts aging out
- A new guy comes along looking to get into sailing and has limited options for buying a boat
- OD racers try to talk him into buying a used boat so he can come racing with them, but he finds a cool new boat that nobody local races
- New guy has lots of fun sailing his boat recreationally and goes sailing every chance he/she gets, instead of only sailing on race days
- OD sailors grumble and complain when they see new guy out enjoying his new boat but not racing

Both scenarios have essentially the same outcome:
- OD fleet stops holding organized races
- The handful of holdouts from the fleet start sailing recreationally and having informal races with other sailors

The future prospect is either: the few racers still young enough to feel competitive end up replacing their boats with newer boats and form a new OD fleet, or: someone makes a serious go at forming a handicap fleet for organized racing. One of those 2 prospects is much harder, but ultimately better for sailboat racing because it breaks the ridiculous OD cycle.

 

[Xeon]

Totally agree . But unfortunately I’ve yet to a proper plan to put it into place or any inclination that the majority of USA clubs want it any way. And certainly in the uk it’s was the clubs that drove the change away from OD racing only.
In the uk py racing took hold due to explosion of sailing and new designs in the 50/60s but only really became the majority form in the 70s and 80s with the decline in sailing. Clubs realised they could not afford to turn away any new members whatever boat they sailed if they wanted to survive.
Do clubs in the USA have that commercial pressure to change ?

 

[Dillon Waltner]

Totally agree . But unfortunately I’ve yet to a proper plan to put it into place or any inclination that the majority of USA clubs want it any way. And certainly in the uk it’s was the clubs that drove the change away from OD racing only.
In the uk py racing took hold due to explosion of sailing and new designs in the 50/60s but only really because the majority form in the 70s and 80s with the decline in sailing. Clubs realised they could not afford to turn away any new members whatever boat they sailed if they wanted to survive.
Do clubs in the USA have that commercial pressure to change ?

I think they do, but most of them aren't aware of it yet. In the US the sailing boom was in the 70s (and the reason I learned to sail as a kid). Peak sailing was probably starting to end in the late 90s early 2000s. Around the 2010s there were still a good number of manufacturers to choose from, but we started to see the number of dealers decline. A decade later I would estimate that 60% of those remaining builders had stopped making boats. All but the elite sailing schools are gone. On a more anecdotal level, the most active club in my area went from having active Star, Snipe, Rebel and Lightning fleets in the early 2000s to just a dying Rebel fleet whose dwindling membership's average age is between 60-65 and the newest boat is 20 years old. I wouldn't presume to say that the Northeast US is representative of the whole, but it does have the majority of the population, and the most prolific waterfront access. I honestly don't think things will change much before I have to stop sailing, because old white men tend to be stubborn, but if the next generation of sailboat racers doesn't make a change I don't think there will be another generation of racers.

 

[Laz]

.... I don't think there will be another generation of racers.

There are some awesome new boats around. Not a sailing boom, but still, some big waves have been formed. Despite the shutdowns and decline, and even though there might not be another racer generation, it won't be too long before someone will, once again, say, "How 'bout a race?" Perhaps, Ufo will become the ideal first sailboat one day. We should remember the very first races of Sunfish sailboats. The fun started somehow somewhere. Why shouldn't the same happen for the future generations with the excitement of the new sailing inventions?

 

[sunseeker]

The sport will be revived when some fun is injected back into things. Have a Hobie Day worked.

 

[Laz]

The sport will be revived when some fun is injected back into things. Have a Hobie Day worked.

I think the best way to kill the fun is getting stuck in some old designs from the 50's. I believe new affordable, simple and fun sailing dingies can release enough neuropeptides to put smiles back on faces. Rocket and UFO have done just that. Let's race 'em -- and leave the past in the past.

 

[sunseeker]

I think the best way to kill the fun is getting stuck in some old designs from the 50's. I believe new affordable, simple and fun sailing dingies can release enough neuropeptides to put smiles back on faces. Rocket and UFO have done just that. Let's race 'em -- and leave the past in the past.

No idea how old you are, but I was a kid in the 70’s, a bit too young to go to Hobie regattas, all i know is it wasn’t uncommon for there to be 50 boats at a local event. Off the beach, beach parties, lots of fun athletic people and probably a bigger percentage of females as crew than most classes. I love the Rocket, but the concept of Have a Hobie Day applies to every class regardless of design year.

 

[knh555]

I think the best way to kill the fun is getting stuck in some old designs from the 50's. I believe new affordable, simple and fun sailing dingies can release enough neuropeptides to put smiles back on faces. Rocket and UFO have done just that. Let's race 'em -- and leave the past in the past.

No idea how old you are, but I was a kid in the 70’s, a bit too young to go to Hobie regattas, all i know is it wasn’t uncommon for there to be 50 boats at a local event. Off the beach, beach parties, lots of fun athletic people and probably a bigger percentage of females as crew than most classes. I love the Rocket, but the concept of Have a Hobie Day applies to every class regardless of design year.

Bingo. It's about the people, not the boat. I like my old hard-chine boats. Those '50s boats are practically new. I like the people I know in the classes and have a good time both on and off the water.

But anything that's additive to sailing is a good thing. If the Rocket, SOL, UFO, or whatever draw new people into the sport, put your energy into it and help make that happen.

 

[Laz]

No idea how old you are, but I was a kid in the 70’s, a bit too young to go to Hobie regattas, all i know is it wasn’t uncommon for there to be 50 boats at a local event. Off the beach, beach parties, lots of fun athletic people and probably a bigger percentage of females as crew than most classes. I love the Rocket, but the concept of Have a Hobie Day applies to every class regardless of design year.

Bingo. It's about the people, not the boat. I like my old hard-chine boats. Those '50s boats are practically new. I like the people I know in the classes and have a good time both on and off the water.

But anything that's additive to sailing is a good thing. If the Rocket, SOL, UFO, or whatever draw new people into the sport, put your energy into it and help make that happen.

You folks had amazing time. I envy you. I want the same for the future generations and shared my opinion for that. Today's kids will have their own stories sometime in the future as well, and I think those stories should be about new designs like UFO and Rocket - not opening holes on ancient hulls to dry some decades old foams.

 

[knh555]

You folks had amazing time, by the way. I envy you. I want the same for the future generations and shared my opinion for that. Today's kids will have their own stories sometime in the future as well, and I think those stories should be about new designs like UFO and Rocket - not opening holes on ancient hulls to dry some decades old foams.

I don’t mean old boats. I mean old designs. Think Snipes. Think Stars. Still wonderful boats and classes that have stood the test of time full of great, supportive people. I’d pick that over a new boat no one is sailing, but that’s me.

 

[Laz]

I don’t mean old boats. I mean old designs. Think Snipes. Think Stars. Still wonderful boats and classes that have stood the test of time full of great, supportive people. I’d pick that over a new boat no one is sailing, but that’s me.

RS800 and Melges 15 are wonderful boats as well.

I know this is irrelevant, but isn't Star a keelboat?

 

[Dillon Waltner]

There are some awesome new boats around. Not a sailing boom, but still, some big waves have been formed. Despite the shutdowns and decline, and even though there might not be another racer generation, it won't be too long before someone will, once again, say, "How 'bout a race?" Perhaps, Ufo will become the ideal first sailboat one day. We should remember the very first races of Sunfish sailboats. The fun started somehow somewhere. Why shouldn't the same happen for the future generations with the excitement of the new sailing inventions?

All true. My point was in reaction to Xeon's characterization of UK sailing. Seems to me we are a few decades behind that trend. Clubs there adopted handicap racing out of necessity. Perhaps the same will happen here. I'm not so sure that US clubs are as flexible, and I'm not sure a change is going to happen while I'm still young enough to enjoy it. My 20 year old daughter loves sailing but wants nothing to do with the stodgy club racers. My 14 year old step daughter is just learning, but excited to start racing. I'm probably going to have to buy her a Sunfish so she can try it. The most we old farts can do is give the kids as much opportunity as we can, but the future belongs to them.

 

[sunseeker]

You folks had amazing time. I envy you. I want the same for the future generations and shared my opinion for that. Today's kids will have their own stories sometime in the future as well, and I think those stories should be about new designs like UFO and Rocket - not opening holes on ancient hulls to dry some decades old foams.

As it stands now, the memories younger sailors are going to have is “we went to the same regatta every time. Too many rules and restrictions, waited around too often for the perfect start and perfect weather leg before the RC would start, and all our courses were just w/l. It was fun for a while, but got boring so I grabbed my mountain bike and rode off into the sunset because it was easier to do and there are way more hot women on bikes than I. Sailing”.

If you don’t embrace the Have a Hobie Day concept, you are just part of the pack leading the sport off the cliff.

 

[tillerman]

As it stands now, the memories younger sailors are going to have is “we went to the same regatta every time. Too many rules and restrictions, waited around too often for the perfect start and perfect weather leg before the RC would start, and all our courses were just w/l.

If you don’t embrace the Have a Hobie Day concept, you are just part of the pack leading the sport off the cliff.

Maybe I'm getting old but, these days I sail mainly for the joy of sailing. Racing is just a means to that end. And I find myself resenting the ways that the race committees tell me where to race and when to race and when not to race. There are days that it frustrates me so much that I just leave the race area and go blast around on my own.

And that's not because the RC is necessarily doing a bad job. It's inherent in the way the racing game is defined these days.

 

[knh555]

RS800 and Melges 15 are wonderful boats as well.

I know this is irrelevant, but isn't Star a keelboat?

I’m sure those are great boats, but I find it fascinating when conversations turn towards saying we should consolidate on something new when there are many of us happy in reasonably healthy, long-established classes sailing what we think are great boats.

You’re right the Star has a keel, but it also sails like a big, overpowered dinghy. It’s something special and unique. That’s not the point though. The point I’m making goes back to asking why someone like me would leave a great, existing class for a new boat?

 

[Alan Crawford]

Maybe I'm getting old but, these days I sail mainly for the joy of sailing. Racing is just a means to that end. And I find myself resenting the ways that the race committees tell me where to race and when to race and when not to race. There are days that it frustrates me so much that I just leave the race area and go blast around on my own.

And that's not because the RC is necessarily doing a bad job. It's inherent in the way the racing game is defined these days.

^^^ Agree 100%!

When one looks at other outdoor activities that are showing what looks like a lot of growth (alpine skiing, backcountry skiing, Nordic skiing, mountain biking, kayaking, standup paddle board, etc etc) as a participant in a couple (backcountry skiing and Nordic skiing), there is very limited emphasis on the formal racing / competitive side of things but a huge emphasis just getting out and having a great time!

If a boat like the Sol or Rocket or UFO or Aero helps people easily get out and have a great time, then great! For those of us (like myself) without access to a sailing club / at the water boat storage / dedicated launching, the "easily get out" statement = light weight boat that's easy to handle on the shore.

 

[Flyingfish]

If a boat like the Sol or Rocket or UFO or Aero helps people easily get out and have a great time, then great!

The UFO and Rocket each bring something new to the market and might get more people out (although there is a learning curve with the UFO.) The Sol is just a Sunfish, so unlikely to grow the market.

What MIGHT grow the market is something like the Sailing World boat of the year https://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/2023-boat-of-the-year-tiwal-3r-best-dinghy/ While Tiwal 3r is not a very sexy name, the boat itself helps solve both storage and water access issues. It looks like a blast and fits a niche where no other boat exists.

 

[Bill5]

The UFO and Rocket each bring something new to the market and might get more people out (although there is a learning curve with the UFO.) The Sol is just a Sunfish, so unlikely to grow the market.

What MIGHT grow the market is something like the Sailing World boat of the year https://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/2023-boat-of-the-year-tiwal-3r-best-dinghy/ While Tiwal 3r is not a very sexy name, the boat itself helps solve both storage and water access issues. It looks like a blast and fits a niche where no other boat exists.

Inflatables and boats that come in three pieces sound like panic mode to me. I would rather play pickle ball than sail either of those. And I have never played pickle ball. But 36 million Americans can’t be wrong.

 

[Dillon Waltner]

The UFO and Rocket each bring something new to the market and might get more people out (although there is a learning curve with the UFO.) The Sol is just a Sunfish, so unlikely to grow the market.

What MIGHT grow the market is something like the Sailing World boat of the year https://www.sailingworld.com/sailboats/2023-boat-of-the-year-tiwal-3r-best-dinghy/ While Tiwal 3r is not a very sexy name, the boat itself helps solve both storage and water access issues. It looks like a blast and fits a niche where no other boat exists.

The Tiwal might grow the sport if it weren't so bloody expensive. Same goes for the Red Beard inflatable catamarans.

 

[Dave Clark]

For what it's worth, the engineering behind a drop stitched inflatable boat is fully eyewatering. Even with all of it happening in a mill in china where it's all done, the price just has to be high.

Just go back a few decades and thing "Alfred! Get me the rapid inflating Bat-dinghy!". The party trick of being a blow-up is a bruce wayne level luxury.

DRC