Is trailer Sailing Dead in the Water

[Peter T]

Found this very interesting read on fb. Hope you enjoy it
https://www.facebook.com/groups/tscq.sa ... 638329637/

[Geoff]

Hey Peter,

First, thanks for the link. I only use fb to view sailing groups I have joined, all individual 'friends' are unfollowed to keep my feed clean and interesting. This looks like a worthy addition so I have requested membership to the group.

Re the article. It is a generalized circumstance, unfortunately. The author mentioned other areas of declining interest and participation. Living in a rural area I have been heavily involved in Rural Fire Brigades, Show Societies, etc. They are all dying, if that is the right term. Certainly in decline. The active members are almost always seniors, often retirees. Getting working age or younger members is a rarity.

It is an issue constantly fretted about, with no real or viable solution. Back in the day membership of like groups and attendance at functions were some of the only ways to meet others, including possible life partners. Today, like everything else, people are spoilt for choice. Meeting others? There's an app for that, apparently.

For me, it's something acknowledged and let go. I feel a bit selfish even. If there aren't others out there, it won't lessen my enjoyment! Sad for those that aren't taking advantage, but if they get their buzz somewhere else, all good. I like the solitude.

I did enjoy the article, and I read another of his more recent ones about his non-participation in the recent bay to bay race. Poor buggers.

Thanks for sharing Peter.

[Peter T]

Thanks Geoff, agree with everything you say. The other thing I thought about was how the particular boats he was talking about and the ease and speed of rigging same at the boat ramp because of the shorter spars. I might look further into them a bit, especially as some are talking about the possibility of adding a Bow Sprit to their investigators. Perhaps a similar rig could be used on the I563 ? Although it would not suit the purists and I would only look at it for myself if my rigging was in need of replacing. Just food for thought I guess and for me, it would make a very interesting project especially designing the correct balance into the boat if this change was to be made. The biggest problem I see with this idea is the original mast position would need to be kept which might not allow a gaff rig to work and keep a similar sail area ? Cheers

[Ozzie]

Not an FB user but Interesting article guys. As I have lived on Lake Mac for all of my 65 years I’ve seen phases of boating enjoyment come and go. As a kid no one in the street had boat, other than the next-door neighbour, which was a home-made plywood 12 footer with a seagull leg ? onto which he bolted the engine from his lawnmower. When my old man built a similar boat about 1966 I thought we were bloody royalty. When I started work in 1974 I bought my first private boat, a 10 foot fibreglass kayak, which I still have. At that time it was just the start of the Wind Surfer boom and within couple of years the lake was alive all weekend with literally hundreds of windsurfers including organised club races. I bought one second hand in about 1979. It’s interesting to note though that the the constant stuff such as the 16 foot club races and the Belmont and other yacht club races continued through this boom. Windsurfing moved into wave jumpers.

The next mad craze was of course kite boards which also went nuts, all the guys who were sick of windsurfers now moved to kite boards and probably the newer generation started with them. Now of course kites are becoming few and far between the new craze if there is one is probably fishing kayaks of which there are lots on the water whenever I go sailing. For those with a penchant for new stuff and expensive stuff there is now of course foil moths too. Interesting however is that the 16 foot and other dinghy class racing still goes on and also the major weekly and mid week club yacht races. Enter stand up paddle boards, almost forgot.

Lots of old cheap sail boats around and it always strikes me as a bit balmy that people will pay 15 or 20 grand for a new tinny and associated gear to get on the water to simply park it and fish when you could buy a a secondhand TS and park that and fish and have a nice cabin to get out of the weather, a head, place to cook and be comfortable etc for maybe 20% of the price. You could throw the sails/mast away and just use your outboard.

I think the thing that will ultimately kill sailing would be the demise of the clubs even though I’m not a club person any more. I experienced similar decline in community activity as Geoff with our local neighbourhood watch and also the local urban committee which I chaired for three years back in the 90s. Ultimately I shut it down as the predominantly pensioner members passed on and membership drives to encourage younger people to get involved bore no fruit.

If my daughters, both young professional people are anything to go on, politics or interest in politics suffered a similar fate although I have noticed a resurgence in recent years of younger people getting interested in government again. Tribalism for want of a better word seems to be shifting to connections on the internet now and face-to-face community activity is in decline.

Personally I like the peace and quiet of sailing and so does my wife. We do the odd raft up with friends but Im too old und set in my ways to be in a sailing club after my experiences in community, other clubs and various bands over the years. I personally have found ultimately the best thing about hobbies is that they are free of the structures, rules and personalities that one has to deal with in the workplace and sometimes extended families. It’s one instance where the internet works well. A exchange of info without the other “issues” so to speak. I’m still a practicing musician but now only a rare jam session with friends.

Maybe it will change in the years to come. Things like Covid-19 have indicated that people do miss outdoor activity when the opportunities are taken away and given limitations on overseas travel which may continue for sometime now could or will spark interest in long forgotten activities, maybe even TSsing in much the same way as caravan sales have now gone back into high gear. Interesting stuff and I will be really like to know other members take on it.

[snoopebj]

Trailer sailing
imho
Passion passion passion.
If you start counting the hours and dollars spent, the discomfort and sometimes fear anxiety and misery then sailing and especially trailer sailing is not for you. Same with my other hobbies of riding classic bikes, collecting vinyl music and hi fi equipment.
The 1970’s and 80’s the glory days of trailer sailing (and rock music?) were simpler days uncluttered by regulations and rules. Money was tight and people trailer-sailed and camped in tents and learnt to innovate learning many practical skills in the process.
Today consumerism and technology has bred a culture of instant gratification time constraints and attention deficit.
That’s why I’m a grumpy old codger and pass me that bottle of Jameson.

[Geoff]

Emrys,

The 70s. Don't forget the fashion. Did we look good or wot?

[Ozzie]

Oath mate!
Thinking about it....the original 563 buyer probably sailed in Elton John platform shoes, big collar sailing shirts and had big sideburns. no wonder tsing died, their kids were embarrassed to sail with them

Yes kiddies years ago even the Prime Ministers had long hair

[Ozzie]

Just reread that article again and noted he mentioned bowling clubs, got me thinking maybe tsing as gone the way of lots of other second half of the century stuff. My late parents were members of the local bowling club. They joined in the sixties and it was part of the fabric of community life . Sport and social, Christmas picnics, Father’s Day dinners, a fishing club the works.

Decades later when I became a working musician, I played at lots of local and Hunter Valley bowlos. After the games finished late arvo and we were setting up to play the predominantly aged bowlers, who all looked like big Kev, the goo remover guru, were all clearing out. If they didn’t get younger, social only, members in with bands to keep the bar and pokies turning over they simply would not survive and sadly many of them did not. Barefoot bowls was introduced as a way to attract younger members to the sport but had limited success. I don’t have any friends that are bowlers. A (very) few play golf.

I would but a happy face on it all though and say nearly everybody who’s put a for 563 up for sale on this site has managed to sell it so maybe it’s not all as bleak as it seems.

[snoopebj]

Ahh yes guys i remember sailing my Corsair 16 wearing my blue safari suit and knee white stockings mullet flying in the breeze. Her in tartan bell bottoms and kaftan and sprayed down beehive hairdo. Those were the days we’d be arrested now.
My favourite Aussie movie second to The Castle is Crackerjack a great tribute to the Bowlo culture. Carl Barron does great impersonations of Bowlo types. *are you winning champ? thar’s the way.”

[Ozzie]

Yep an absolute classic true to form. Not a big fan of Molloy but he nailed that one Tony Martin is usually the funny one.