Increasing Interest

[mal gray]

Originally posted by berny:

Guys, as a cat sailor I really just want to sail and race a bit and have some fun and I'm able to do that without getting involved in all that highly elitist corporate bs. Berny.

I haven't had much to say about this all because I believe that the above quote, applies to most of the catsailing fraternity. The few keen guys who were prepared to poke their hands up after the recent widespread uproar, will soon find out that they are standing alone.

Regarding my current attitude to an active catamaran racing community, some people call me a pessimist. After a long period of frustration, I consider myself a realist.

[BarryK1200LT]

I agree with Berny with regards to the Olympics. I don't see what the Olympics has to do with the bulk of us average weekend sailors.

I also don't agree with the presumption that the future growth of cat sailing in general, is reliant or in anyway connected to Catamaran's being included in the Olympics.

Cat sailing as I understand it has slowly fallen away over the past 15 or so years, yet cats were only kicked out of the Olympics this year.

Maybe I tend to look at things too simplisticaly, but it seems fairly obvious to me that having catamarans in the Olympics has done nothing to prevent the dimise of the sport over the last 15 or so years. Thats the main reason why I don't share the beliefs of those who feel that getting catamarans reinstated in the Olympics will be important to the future success of the sport at grass roots level.

I agree in principal with the idea of having a National Multihull group of some sort that will give us average weekend cat sailors a strong and united voice, and I applaud those people who are passionate enough to get off their butts and get involved.

But the general concensus amongst those that have contributed to this discussion seems to be that Y.A isn't interested in us cat sailors all that much, so I'm a little confused about "who" we'll use our strong united voice talking to?

Which brings me back to the original topic of this discussion which was how to "Increase Interest" in cat sailing in general.

One thing that hasn't been touched on so far in this discussion is whats out there for those people who own catamarans but don't want to race?

I can't speak for other parts of the country, but here in South East Qld there is nothing that I know of in the way of a catamaran "social" sailing club. The kind of club where like minded owners of any old catamaran can get together say once a month, and meet up at various pre-deteremined launch spots somewhere on the S.E coast of QLD, and just have a fun day of sailing and share in a picnic lunch. A kind of social or leisure sailing club where the emphasis isn't on racing, but rather on just having a sail with friends at different locations once a month.

I know I'd be interested in being a part of something like that, maybe others would too? And here is S.E Qld we are kind of spoilt with so many great places to choose from where we could sail.

In fact, I've just convinced myself that this is worth exploring further. I'll give some more thought to starting something up here for sailors in S.E Qld for next year.

Cheers

Barry

[This message has been edited by BarryK1200LT (edited 13 December 2007).]

[John Dowling]

Barry

Try contacting these people. http://www.lswsa.org.au/cruises.htm

This was set up to do exactly what you are talking about although I'm not sure if it is still active.

Cheers

John Dowling

[phil_taipan117]

The Olympics are an obscenely expensive, corrupt, drug-filled, politicized 5 ring circus. No doubt the chinese will turn Beijing 2008 into a nationalistic, jingoistic extravaganza. And I can imagine you won't be able to move in London 2012 for sub-machine gun toting security police. That's not sport in the true Olympic ideal, and really, I believe ISAF has done the multihull fraternity a favour. Ashby won't have to rub shoulders with a cheat like Marion Jones.

Catamaran sailing/racing in this country has been in steady decline for the past 20 or so years, and no amount of promotion, training or organisational changes (equivalent to shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic) will turn this decline around. Society has/is changing. We can lament these changes as we look back on the good times from middle age, but we can’t prevent these changes.

[berny]

Yep!

[BBCC]

An Olympic coach (and medallist) came down to train our kids last night; it may have been on a voluntary basis. He also said we had a great programme to get kids into the sport.

A while ago, the same guy was a bit against our programme. What has happened in the meantime is that we have persisted, organised ourselves, and have a small but active group in several clubs. Now the YA is interested - because they can see that it's not hot air but kids on the water and racing. We have also found that compromise with them is necessary.

I can see it from their point of view; would they lend support to plans and ideals, or to reality?

About the alleged bias to junior monos. I just checked the Sabot Southern NSW State trials and the Flying 11 NSW states alone - 200 sailors. Add in the Flying Ants, Northern NSW Sabots, NJs, Optis, Laser 4.7s etc and you'd have to be looking at several hundred kids all paying their $25 or whatever to the YA.

Since the YA is getting something like perhaps $10,000 from sailors in junior dinghy classs and nothing from junior cat classes (because there are none in NSW) perhaps it's not biased if they give a few $k back to the kids in monos and none to the kids in cats (apart from the national Youth cat reps)??

Maybe it's not bias, but a case of "no pay in, no pay back"?? I was in classes for years that paid out and got nothing back; now we are putting into kids, we are getting funding back - and we are less establishment than the cats.

Of course, just about all those classes started as grass roots efforts with no YA funding, just a few parents or a company.

[BarryK1200LT]

Originally posted by John Dowling:

Barry

Try contacting these people. http://www.lswsa.org.au/cruises.htm

This was set up to do exactly what you are talking about although I'm not sure if it is still active.

Cheers

John Dowling

Thanks John,

I have emailed the contact for this group to see if it's still running, and if so, if they would be interested in working together to maybe develop the idea a little further.

Cheers

Barry

[This message has been edited by BarryK1200LT (edited 13 December 2007).]

[tgh]

This thread needs to have some siblings.. it's passed it's use by date...108posts .. must be a record

While boat shopping , I attended an outing run by this club.

Just a simple day out on the water..lots of family along , all having a picnic and a good time.

Eventually thay got enough starters to have a race.

They were a very friendly lot , and if they were not on the other side of the planet to me (and you too barry) , I would have been happy to join their group.

You can't belong to everyone .. I already have one long standing boat club membership that ain't peanutz.., and if I go sail my new toy at Cleveland there is another one.

[slammer]

What happened?

Storage- gone is the quarter acre block to put the boat.

Dual incomes- here, and the partner doesn't want to sit around on shore while the other goes and sails on the weekend.

Access to water, now you have to pay for parking- if you can park anywhere...

Time poor- if you read the SMHerald, some can't find time for a game of golf, let alone an afternoon of sailing.

Though shouldn't these reaons apply to ALL SAILING. So is all of sailing in decline?

This topic is about INCREASING INTEREST and I believe that interest can be created at a grass roots level.

We managed to attract the largest heading on the inside back page of the local paper, BRAITHWAITE TEAM TAKES OUT SUPER SERIES. Accompanied by a good picture of three boats rounding the top mark. Now- the super series was the usual three race sunday afternoon with 5 boats on the water. So it was quite a feat to get a pic with three in the one close-shot.

We have achieved this coverage for the past three weeks. By February we will have a scrapbook of articles. NEXT I will approach the main street committee and we will offer the boats names (free) to businesses which are willing to participate. The results will include the businesses names as the boat names, we agree to share the names around and each business has a turn at being the headline. ie YARADS COMES FIRST, or CHILLI JAM TAKES THE CAKE.None of the reports are negative of the boats name. Though we are struggling with the Beauty Therapist. SCREAMER OF A RESULT- coming from behind...

Then with some feedback and good communication and evidence we move forward with minor sponsorship snd support etc. Then we'll go out to the shopping village and do the same thing...

BUT AT LEAST WE ARE INCREASING OUR PROFILE.

It's a small step but at least we're not going to sit back and lament the good ol' days.

[BarryK1200LT]

Excellent work Slammer!

Cheers

Barry

[berny]

I may be a cynical but coaches, and sailing in the print media!!!

It couldn't be, that suddenly YA/YNSW has realised that they have been seriously delinquent in their duty of care for small boat sailing, could it?

Yesterday I looked at this;

http://www.nsw.yachting.org.au/

and this;

http://www.yachting.org.au/

and I could find precious little on small boats. Almost all the articles and pics were off shore and elite level related. Now today....

I guess they have woken up to the reality that they need their $9 mil from IOC and just maybe the small guys can help them retain it.

Two/three days ago, I sent an email to YA asking why I should remain a member. I was shunted off to YNSW, from whom I've not had a reply.

Maybe today.

[slammer]

Has anyone else done this? I'm not sherpa Tzening on this one am I.

Am looking for a Brazilian crew for the Beauty Therapist boat. Then I've got the "Stripped Bare' headline.

Come on guys, you're starting to sound like GOM. Lighten up, the guys at livessaildie have attitude.

What's happening this weekend??? Santa's coming to Forster and we're cracking 3 of those Heinieken 5L kegs.

Scott

[BarryK1200LT]

quote:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Originally posted by John Dowling:

Barry

Try contacting these people. http://www.lswsa.org.au/cruises.htm

This was set up to do exactly what you are talking about although I'm not sure if it is still active.

Cheers

John Dowling

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks John,

I have emailed the contact for this group to see if it's still running, and if so, if they would be interested in working together to maybe develop the idea a little further.

Cheers

Barry

Just a follow up to the above.

I received an email back from the fellow that organises the adventure sailing trips for LSWCA, and he rightly mentioned that organising any outing isn't just a case of just saying "Lets do this" anymore.

The problem is that in this day and age of litigation, anyone who dares to organise some kind of an event or outing, then invites other members of the general public to come along to that event, leaves themselves open to serious legal action in the event of something unforeseen going wrong during the event.

Sad but true, and as such, here endith my idea.

Cheers

Barry

[Jake__Devlin]

well im 17 and i started sailing at the end of last sailing season on spirals and since than i now have brought a maricat and have encouraged some other junior saliors at the club to buy cats aswell, all maricats cause thats wat they have sailed b4 but i reckon it would be good to get younger ppl and different classes cause us smaller and younger ppl are versing older and more experianced and heavier ppl.

[berny]

Originally posted by Jake__Devlin:

well im 17 and i started sailing at the end of last sailing season on spirals and since than i now have brought a maricat and have encouraged some other junior saliors at the club to buy cats aswell, all maricats cause thats wat they have sailed b4 but i reckon it would be good to get younger ppl and different classes cause us smaller and younger ppl are versing older and more experianced and heavier ppl.

What club is that Jake?

[slammer]

It's off season and time to get the ball rolling for 0809.

Club AGM's and other meetings . Have there been any Promotions positions proposed and filled.

Has the club got resources for some digital pics to be submited to the local paper.

Calendar put forward for next season?

The Sport and rec will have applications for capital assistance programs. Has anyone begun to think about applying?

******************************************

Sailing at Forster May 24-25 = a Sleepover on Saturday night with Baked dinners. All welcome to attend Sailing Saturday and Sunday.

[darcy1945]

Bernie, Jake sails with toukley club.

[darcy1945]

Bernie, Jake sails with toukley club.

[darcy1945]

Bernie, Jake sails with toukley club.

[darcy1945]

Bernie, Jake sails with toukley club.

[bad dog]

If I may reflect on some of the thoughts raised in the above 118 responses (wow!)...

I signed the petition ti the IOC, with indignant outrage like the best of us. I now tend to agree that the Olympics may not be the main game for us to make cat sailing "intergenerationally sustainable".

What about a bit of real sailing anarchy - like why don't some big multi sailors take on the Hobart fleet from behind the line and blow 'em all away, right in front of the cameras?

The 18s and other skiffs have a hard time maintaining commercial interest and TV coverage, and the 3 boat Sydney Harbour race (18' skiff v Tornado v Testosterone 40) linked in another thread should have made the news - but didn't (correct me if it did).

Hey, if two brave souls can sail a Hobie to Hobart, why can't a Tornado score ten bucks off each of us to fund a headline grabbing rogue tilt at the Pittwater - Coffs Race, or similar? Make a Facebook or Myspace page for it, stick it on YouTube, these are where the kids are.

I suspect the dinghy clubs like Avalon and BYRA might have an anti-cat bias, but no harm building bridges. Multi clubs like Palm Beach Sailing Club would do well to link with local businesses and media, but maybe also extend that to school sports programs. Pittwater High has an active sailing program, launching the career of James Spithill for one. Other schools within a drive of the water might be enticed too, if there's something in it for them - like a fully funded alternative sports program.

We could provide the boats, gear etc, take one student on each boat, for say two short course races over a total of one hour. Insurance would need sorting, but maybe this is where YA et al could prove useful after all, negotiating something with the various education depts.

Just a thought - but we gotta do something!