Where is Everybody?

[Firebar]

Today marks week 2 of the Warsash Spring Series in the Solent. And what a sad turnout it is. 15 boats across IRC3&4, 10 years ago this event had 150 boats across 4 IRC classes and 4 one design classes.

All I can wonder is where is everyone? The boats are still in the marinas, our pontoon alone had 4 idle J/99s on it, but why haven’t people come out to play? Is it crew availability? The proliferation of 2h sailing?

What’s gone on? And what are we going to have to do as a sport to not lose these events? I’m not sure I can see events like the Hamble Winter Series and the Warsash Spring Series lasting for much longer.

These are the events that as a teenager I was able to get my first yacht racing experience in. How would a teen learn to race as a part of a crew now?

/rant

 

[Mid]

valid question , hope it gets some answers .

 

[Cruisin Loser]

I’m here.

 

[dogwatch]

I've looked earlier in the week and have been wondering the same. I sailed in both of those series for years, as crew and owner. Sold up and now sail a dinghy. The relentless inflation+ ratcheting up of the cost of keeping a boat on the Hamble and the struggle to find crew were the killers for me. The closure of the marina on the Warsash side was a pity and took away at least some element of price competition for White Group boats.

 

[VWAP]

We're on a 3 hour cruise

Sailing with Strippers | royalholidays.uk

 

[BrightAyes]

Look around British Society, mate. What we read in the Colonies is your working class has not faired well under the Torys. Ever since the Iron Lady came to town and declared war on Unionists, its been less and less for the working class. Same here in the Colonies.

Think of Yachting (no longer referred to as pedastrian "sailing") in the Gilded Age. Only the Sopwiths, Liptons and Vanderbilts could afford a Yacht and crew to race. Us commoners were stuck shore side, watching the rich fluant their shit. 100 years later, we've emerged from the Wars with booming middle class and explosion of plastic sailboats for the masses. And then Reagan/Thatcher and the 80s reversed all that. Now, 40 years later were back to the Gilded Age of Billionaires and their yachts, with the commoners back on shore wonder WTF happened. Like you and this post. Simple economics sir. Good day.

 

[dogwatch]

Wrong answer. Working classes weren't ever keeping boats on the Hamble.

 

[slug zitski]

Today marks week 2 of the Warsash Spring Series in the Solent. And what a sad turnout it is. 15 boats across IRC3&4, 10 years ago this event had 150 boats across 4 IRC classes and 4 one design classes.

All I can wonder is where is everyone? The boats are still in the marinas, our pontoon alone had 4 idle J/99s on it, but why haven’t people come out to play? Is it crew availability? The proliferation of 2h sailing?

What’s gone on? And what are we going to have to do as a sport to not lose these events? I’m not sure I can see events like the Hamble Winter Series and the Warsash Spring Series lasting for much longer.

These are the events that as a teenager I was able to get my first yacht racing experience in. How would a teen learn to race as a part of a crew now?

/rant

Sad the hear this …that was always an important regatta and the British are keen sailors

perhaps it’s the bad economy or demographics ?

I see similar things happening in France and Italy ..some regattas have completely disappeared

 

[Hitchhiker]

Today marks week 2 of the Warsash Spring Series in the Solent. And what a sad turnout it is. 15 boats across IRC3&4, 10 years ago this event had 150 boats across 4 IRC classes and 4 one design classes.

All I can wonder is where is everyone? The boats are still in the marinas, our pontoon alone had 4 idle J/99s on it, but why haven’t people come out to play? Is it crew availability? The proliferation of 2h sailing?

What’s gone on? And what are we going to have to do as a sport to not lose these events? I’m not sure I can see events like the Hamble Winter Series and the Warsash Spring Series lasting for much longer.

These are the events that as a teenager I was able to get my first yacht racing experience in. How would a teen learn to race as a part of a crew now?

/rant

Proliferation of 2hour and 3 hour racing for a day I think goes a long way to reducing interest. Easier to do that in dinghies. I have pretty much stopped close course racing in keel boats in favour of point to point, random leg and distance racing.

Shorthanded racing on the other hand with longer courses (and less crew needs) is on the rise.

 

[dogwatch]

Proliferation of 2hour and 3 hour racing for a day I think goes a long way to reducing interest. Easier to do that in dinghies. I have pretty much stopped close course racing in keel boats in favour of point to point, random leg and distance racing.

Shorthanded racing on the other hand with longer courses (and less crew needs) is on the rise.

I'm not sure what you mean but those two series generally deliver 2-3 races a day, which seems to be what the modern punter wants. There is a lot of dialogue between the organising clubs and classes/owners and I really don't think race format is the issue.

 

[Hitchhiker]

I'm not sure what you mean but those two series generally deliver 2-3 races a day, which seems to be what the modern punter wants. There is a lot of dialogue between the organising clubs and classes/owners and I really don't think race format is the issue.

But how long are you actually racing? Break it down. Maybe 40 mins to an hour to motor/sail to the venue. 2-3 short races in 2-3 hours then similar time to travel back.

I was out on the stinkpot yesterday to watch and the racing was done before 1600. Still a good hour and half of daylight and breeze left and for this particular venue it was maybe only a 30 minute motor to and from.

Might as well race dinghies.

 

[dogwatch]

It's been that kind of duration for ever, including the nineties and noughties when turn-outs were many times what they've become. It's winter, a few hours on the water hits the spot. JOG and similar provides for those wanting passage-type races. I can also tell you for sure that in the Solent at least, there aren't many White Group (sportsboat-type) boats wanting to do JOG-style racing.

 

[BrightAyes]

Wrong answer. Working classes weren't ever keeping boats on the Hamble.

Ya, but in general you know that's exactly why to OP pines for the old days.

 

[dogwatch]

Ya, but in general you know that's exactly why to OP pines for the old days.

No. It's people in the top few % of income who own race boats and they've done pretty well in recent decades thank you. Especially those in finance, medicine and law, which covers a lot of boat owners. You can bemoan growing inequality and I might agree but that has sod all to do with shrinking turn-outs in the Hamble and Warsash series.

 

[Firebar]

I'm not sure that worrying about a quantifiable 90% drop in particiaption in 10 years is quite the same as pining for the "good old days". Yes, I am sure that the economic situation has something to do with it, I am certainly one of the 30 something year olds struggling to afford to purchase a house with a stagnating salary, but it is not the whole story.

 

[slug zitski]

I'm not sure that worrying about a quantifiable 90% drop in particiaption in 10 years is quite the same as pining for the "good old days". Yes, I am sure that the economic situation has something to do with it, I am certainly one of the 30 something year olds struggling to afford to purchase a house with a stagnating salary, but it is not the whole story.

Seems that young people don’t like sailing

when Im at a regatta I see baby boomer crew

 

[Flaming]

For us it’s simply that none of us live close enough to Hamble for a 1 day event to be of any interest. We’re entered for the spring champs after Easter, but a 7 hour round trip for 2 1 hour races doesn’t seem worth it.
When I lived in Southampton it was a very different matter.

 

[FlyingCircus2]

Isn't it bloody cold there right now?

 

[SloopJonB]

The IOR needs to come back - huge fleets in those days.

 

[Somebody Else]

Where is Everybody?​

Ever since Scooter sold the site, I've been wondering the same thing.