Where is the main user base for CF?

[Shrew]

On a side note............why does this matter??

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by AuChante

Just to get an idea of power/sail ratio.
We also have 7 boat barns locally with about 600 spaces each. I think another is being built. There's a waiting list for all of them.

I think the data I’ve seen from industry federations shows the US is a predominantly “ sport boats “ market ie small power boats. This is also evident from the number of US builder of such craft and their penetration outside the US.

The opposite is true for sailing boats , where the majority of builders are outside the US and the market is predominantly non US.

Nothing wrong with all this of course. Different markets arise due to different local demands.

Similarly the US and non US car and light truck markets are also very different.

What struck me in the US and I’ve lived there and sailed almost everywhere including it’s lakes wax that the teaching of sailing to kids was not a big undertaking and was noticeably absent even in areas with lots of boats and yacht clubs.

In fact yacht club racing for adults was far less in evidence as well.

[AuChante]

Originally Posted by Shrew

On a side note............why does this matter??

Just curious. The reach of membership caught me off guard... People regularly talking about places, seas, and straights that I have to look up to see where they are.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by AuChante

Just curious. The reach of membership caught me off guard... People regularly talking about places, seas, and straights that I have to look up to see where they are.

That’s the great thing about the internet Here am I swinging in a deserted anchorage in the Ionian on a last hurrah , sails stripped off tomorrow (

Mind you the local pizzeria delivers I just have to row to the beach

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by AuChante

Just curious. The reach of membership caught me off guard... People regularly talking about places, seas, and straights that I have to look up to see where they are.

See the value of this site.. not only boat specific info but, World Geography to boot..

[wholybee]

Not necessarily representative of the make-up of this forum, but the major sailing areas are:
The Mediterranean
The Carribean
Mexico/Sea of Cortez
The South Pacific
South-East Asia
A notable fact is that there is little connection to a sailor's home country and where they are sailing. Sailing generally isn't very good in the US, so US sailors are often found in the Carribean or the South Pacific. European sailors are often in the Mediterranean or the Carribean. But sailors from anywhere can be anywhere.
American's (which I am) usually have a very closed and US centric vision of the world. Welcome outside, to the rest of the world.

[Mike OReilly]

I'm unclear whether this is a thread about boater activity per capita, or CF user demographics.

On the latter, I've always thought CF is dominated by Americans, and most east-coast folks. But perhaps I'm wrong. There is likely a way to analyze membership since most of us include location information in our account.

[Be Free]

"Given the population you’d expect US sailors to be common around the world. But In any remote anchorage you’ll find a French sailor not an American one !!!"


I can't speak for all American sailors, but my plans are to explore my own "back yard" before I start looking elsewhere. I've got around 8000 miles of coastal area to "gunkhole" just in my own state. That's going to take me a while. After that there is a whole lot of Atantic and Gulf coast to explore.


The way I see it, "remote" is a matter of perspective. Around here I can sail for days and never see another boat. I'm sure that any French sailor would consider where I live to be "remote" but I don't see any of them here either.

[AuChante]

Originally Posted by wholybee

A notable fact is that there is little connection to a sailor's home country and where they are sailing. Sailing generally isn't very good in the US, so US sailors are often found in the Carribean or the South Pacific. European sailors are often in the Mediterranean or the Carribean. But sailors from anywhere can be anywhere.
American's (which I am) usually have a very closed and US centric vision of the world. Welcome outside, to the rest of the world.

I'm still not grasping this type of sailing. I'll do a day sail or weekend camping trip... But the Caribbean is a week away for me. How much time do long cruisers take for their trips?

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by danstanford

I have been surprised by the participation of Canadians though perhaps we are just mouthy and opinionated.

I was about to say the same thing. Except I would never call you guys mouthy. Lol. But I feel like if we are talking about Europe as a geographical area, we should be talking about North America also as a geographical area. And that includes Canada. And there are lots of Canadians on here.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by AuChante

I'm still not grasping this type of sailing. I'll do a day sail or weekend camping trip... But the Caribbean is a week away for me. How much time do long cruisers take for their trips?

I don’t know, I’ve no time constraints , so when I leave late Nov for the Caribbean my crossing will take three weeks.

But that’s just a another delivery.

Next year around the Peloponnese will take 2 months. I mean it’s takes 4-5 days to get to know each village

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Be Free

"Given the population you’d expect US sailors to be common around the world. But In any remote anchorage you’ll find a French sailor not an American one !!!"


I can't speak for all American sailors, but my plans are to explore my own "back yard" before I start looking elsewhere. I've got around 8000 miles of coastal area to "gunkhole" just in my own state. That's going to take me a while. After that there is a whole lot of Atantic and Gulf coast to explore.


The way I see it, "remote" is a matter of perspective. Around here I can sail for days and never see another boat. I'm sure that any French sailor would consider where I live to be "remote" but I don't see any of them here either.

I can sail for weeks and weeks and not see more then one yacht or so. The remote places are seriously remotes ( southern Peloponnese)

North Africa for is seriously “ remote”

Ireland to the canaries is as about as remote as you can get , nearest land 5 miles down. Nearest people , the space station

!!!

Ps the French regard sailing up the Amazon or the beagle channel as “ remote” puget sound is not “ remote “ , nice as it is. Nowhere on the coast of the US could be regarded as truely “ remote “ even though it’s very nice on places.

[wholybee]

Originally Posted by AuChante

I'm still not grasping this type of sailing. I'll do a day sail or weekend camping trip... But the Caribbean is a week away for me. How much time do long cruisers take for their trips?

I took 4 years, but that isn't so common.
Common from the United States would be to either charter a boat in the Carribean, or sail south to the Carribean (or Mexico from the west coast) on November, and return home north in May. Around the world there are other similar seasonal migrations.

[kish]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I’m not sure what marina photos indicate.

Here’s port Vauban one of the biggest and in France

Attachment 266646

About 5% is power boats.

Largest marina in France! from Wikipedia:

Les Minimes, Port de plaisance des Minimes, is the largest marina in France for pleasure boats. It is located in the city of La Rochelle. Its name is derived from the establishment of a convent of the Frères Minimes in this area during the Middle Ages. There are slips for about 3,500 boats

[AuChante]

Are there no-go zones? Unfriendly countries… or, dare I say, pirates? The only out-of-country travel I’ve done was with the Army, so I never had to think about it. Then there’s passports and National water boundaries. I’ve read that at the Canada/US border you can make trouble if you boat across the line.