Is sailing dying?

[DanHowitt]

Have people become lured away from the art with gas boats, fumes, and pollution? How awful to be on the blue and breathe in a mass of cancerous neurotoxic gas fumes.

Dan Howitt Schooners.

[rbk]

No. The complete opposite. It is making a massive resurgence. Not to offend but what rock are you living under?

[DanHowitt]

Originally Posted by DanHowitt

Have people become lured away from the art with gas boats, fumes, and pollution? How awful to be on the blue and breathe in a mass of cancerous neurotoxic gas fumes.

Dan Howitt Schooners.

[billknny]

Honestly, who who gives a flying f---?

I mean unless you are selling sailboats, who really cares if sailing is more--or less--popular than it used to be? Will it change your approach to the sport one iota if there were 1,000,000 more sailors last year? or 1,000,000 fewer?

I personally hope that cruising continues to become less and less popular every year because I enjoy remote, empty anchorages. I don't go sailing as a social event. I don't have any reason to make any effort to get more people involved.

[Orion Jim]

Originally Posted by DanHowitt

Have people become lured away from the art with gas boats, fumes, and pollution? How awful to be on the blue and breathe in a mass of cancerous neurotoxic gas fumes.

Dan Howitt Schooners.

Great first post

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by DanHowitt

Welcome aboard Dan!

[DanHowitt]

Originally Posted by rbk

No. The complete opposite. It is making a massive resurgence. Not to offend but what rock are you living under?

Wine for thought!

[DanHowitt]

Originally Posted by billknny

Honestly, who who gives a flying f---?

I mean unless you are selling sailboats, who really cares if sailing is more--or less--popular than it used to be? Will it change your approach to the sport one iota if there were 1,000,000 more sailors last year? or 1,000,000 fewer?

I personally hope that cruising continues to become less and less popular every year because I enjoy remote, empty anchorages. I don't go sailing as a social event. I don't have any reason to make any effort to get more people involved.

Hello. I miss Wind. My friend Wind.


Wind? Hello!

[valhalla360]

Gas/Diesel engines have been around and popular for decades. Better than 90-95% of all boats are NOT sailboats and that goes back a long long time.

I seriously doubt anyone who would prefer sailing has been lured away in the last 5 yrs.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Dan.

[Poche]

It appears boating in general is diminishing at least from what I see on the west coast of the USA. I don't see the massive amounts of new boats that used to be built in past times.
Add the ponderous restrictions from city controlled harbors up and down the coast that only effect easily picked on boaters. Add their greed to raise revenue.
Add the marina greed and insurance requirements.
Add the economy swings.
Add the greedy marine suppliers, for example the fabric mills that caused boat cover costs to skyrocket.
What is to be expected but a decline in boating?

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by billknny

I don't have any reason to make any effort to get more people involved.

I feel the same about all activities, only exception being reducing human procreation.

[Tetepare]

In the economically destroyed region on the south shore of Lake Ontario sailing and boating in general is way down from the heyday of the 1970s.

The nearest new sailboat dealer inventory is a 20 hour sail from my port. As sailors age out and sell, the boats are leaving. So somebody somewhere is buying sailboats, but not here.

Beyond that, small catamarans and day sailing boats are about gone, replaced by jet skis.

Families are few, now mostly older couples. In our marina one family is in their late 30s. Next is mid 50s. Most are in their 60s and 70s. Families are now tied up with 7 days a week school athletics.

[double u]

...french Polynesia, I'm told has about 700 check-ins of foreign boats per year...
Fakarava atoll sometimes sees 50 boats anchored off the village, in 83 we were alone...
Taiohae/Nuku Hiva-port of entry- sees up to 100 boats at anchor during the hight of the “crossing season“, in 83 there were less than 10...
I fail to see a “regrettable shrinking of numbers“. Here this incredible increase in numbers has led to the locals-by far the most welcoming people on the tradewind rtw route-are beginning to institute anchoring restrictions...

[Woodland Hills]

I see lots of sailboats, but I don’t see many actually sailing. Apparently there is a good demand for cramped low power motorboats with tiny windows and outside helms.