Over 100 clubs and organizations from across the Untied States participated in Gowrie Group’s survey and shared their ideas for ensuring the long term health of sailing. The results revealed great optimism amidst sailing’s generational challenges. It is clear from the response that clubs are passionate about these themes, and committed to the future success of their club and programs.The Yacht Club Survey was conducted in May 2010 by Gowrie Group, the marine and yacht club insurance specialists located in Westbrook, CT and Newport, RI. The team at Gowrie knows that clubs across the country are implementing a range of initiatives to preserve and enhance the sailing experience in their communities and at their clubs, and wanted to facilitate the sharing of these best practices and ideas.
One hundred and seven clubs of all different sizes and types from 28 states (43% from the Northeast) participated in the survey (73% yacht clubs; 8% community programs; 5% organizations; 14% other). The clubs and sailing centers were asked to rate the amount (from too few to too many) of each of the following at their club, and also to write in about what they are doing to address these themes:
• Numbers of teens involved in sailing related activities • Numbers of young adults and young families joining their clubs • Amount of inter-generational interactions at their club • Amount of hours members are devoting to club and sailing activities
Passion Evoking Trends Emerge.
More than half (61%) of clubs say the amount of time members spend enjoying sailing and boating is “About Right” at their club. And only about a third (29% of clubs) say that today their club members spend “Too Few” hours simply enjoying sailing and boating in general.
* “With so much else going on, it is hard to spend all day at the club anymore.” – Stonington Harbor Yacht Club * “Weekend recreational sailing seems to have diminished, as has participation in club racing.” – Anonymous Class Association
However, three-quarters (74%) of clubs believe that there are “Too Few” teenagers participating in sailing at their club.
*“Where 10 years ago we had 20-30 kids in our weeklong training programs, now we have 6-10 kids.” – Anonymous Sailing Club * “We have far too few youth participating in ALL boating activities – building, rowing, paddling, sailing.” – Traditional Small Craft Association *“Most teens nowadays set their own schedule, and sailing is not on their horizon. It seems to be something that old fogeys do, as far as they are concerned.” – Blackbeard Sailing Club
The majority (73%) of clubs feel that “Too Few” young adults and young family members are joining their clubs. * “Our club is getting older, and our big problem is getting younger members to join.” - The Yacht Club of Hilton Head Island * “The cost of buying and keeping a sailboat for a young family seems to be an impediment to enjoying the sport.” - Caloosahatchee Marching and Chowder Society
About half (48%) of clubs say there are “Too Few” interactions among the generations of sailors and members at their club. * “A serious problem with all clubs; we don’t have an answer. We have tried a few things to do this, but none have worked yet.” – The Yacht Club of Hilton Head Island * “It seems like families sailing together is a thing of the past. Kids have their own boats and progress through them like sizes of shoes.” – Ensign Class Association
These responses underscore themes discussed in Nicholas Hayes’ recent book, Saving Sailing, where Hayes notes that the average age of yacht club members today is around 60 and that teens and young families have competing demands on their time outside of sailing.
Best Practices
While the survey results pointed to the importance of addressing these issues, respondents went beyond mere diagnosis of the problem and provided a variety of suggestions and examples of best practices that are currently being utilized at their clubs across the country. The heart of the survey results are represented in these strategies and best practice ideas for invigorating a club’s family and youth oriented activities.
1. Offer opportunities for teenagers to get involved with larger keelboats. * “We try to get preteens out when we can on the longer cruises so they get a taste of life on the water.” – Stonington Cruising Club * “Let them move to more advanced boats and get them out on the big boats.” – Anonymous Yacht Club * “Hands-on safety and seamanship training when transitioning from one-design to larger keelboats.” – Storm Trysail Club * “Having them race keelboats against the adults.” – Sachem’s Head Yacht Club
2. Promote and offer access to alternative, high performance boats. * “Development of sportboat classes; kids are looking for speed & new technology.” – Mystic River Mudheads * “Free catamaran sailboat rides” – Gulfport Yacht Club * “Use of different kinds of boats that appeal more to the older kids (skiffs, sailboards, etc.)” – Sachem’s Head Yacht Club * “Adding sailboards and a great director who makes the program fun.” – Anonymous YC
3. Get juniors involved in club management through committees and as junior instructors. * “We have a junior committee reaching out to the junior members keeping them informed about all the club activities to encourage more junior participation.” – Anonymous Yacht Club * “Have them volunteer or work as sailing instructors.” – Stonington Harbor Yacht Club * “Youth are encouraged to join race committee during races.” Gulfport Yacht Club
4. Invest the needed time, resources, and human capital to ensure the success of the junior program. * “Active parental/mentor involvement - driving to regattas, discussing conditions and strategy, etc.” – Madison Beach Club * “Forming a separate youth sailing organization to mentor them through early adulthood.” – Davis Island Yacht Club * “Creating Sailing Teams for the youth and summer camp programs.” – Anonymous Sailing Center * “Hire a full-time program director.” – Anonymous Yacht Club
5. Reach out to non-members through camps, schools, and outreach programs. * “We offer the ‘Fast and Fun’ program which invites those not normally exposed to sailing to come and try a day on the water.” – Sail Sand Point * “We are teaching boating safety to 150 young people through the library summer reading program.” – Belhaven Yacht Club * “Supporting the local YMCA camp sailing program.” – St. Croix Sailing Club * “Open up sailing classes to non-members so friends can take lessons together even if they are not both members.” – Ram Island Yacht Club
6. Create, promote, and publish electronically a junior calendar of events that is full of activities and includes a wide range of things including sailing and non-boating oriented options. * “Get kids out on the water and having fun. Activities to include racing, safe boating requirements, games, and responsibility for the care of equipment.” – Anonymous Sailing Club * “Expand the number of regattas the club participates in.” Anonymous Yacht Club
7. Offer grants and scholarships to children who need financial aid to participate in lessons and regattas. * “Our organization awards college scholarships to the youth and we also provide grant funds for the youth to ladder step their way to participate in national events.” – Inter Lake Yachting Association * “Incentives and grants to help pay costs for US SAILING level events. These events have become more competitive and expensive, with higher tech boats, gear, and coaches.” – Mystic River Mudheads
8. Reach out to and integrate local school sailing teams. * “Sponsor the high school sailing team.” – Sherborn Yacht Club * “Offer sailing and crewing opportunities to local schools and colleges.” – Blackbeard Sailing Club
9. Implement ways to reduce the initiation fees and dues for this age group. * “Waive initiation for legacy members.” – Annisquam Yacht Club * “Lower the annual dues to almost nothing for this age group.” – Stonington Harbor Yacht Club * “We have lower dues/initiation for members under age 33.” – Sachem’s Head Yacht Club * “Clubs should have some kind of flexible membership for those that live 100+ miles from the club and only use it weekends.” – Madison Beach Club
10. Create opportunities for young adult members to get involved in the yacht club management. * “We have a reserved board position that is offered to a younger member. They like it for their resume; we like it for the involvement and the social interactions that it starts. Yacht clubs are not just about sailing.” – Oshkosh Yacht Club * “Getting them on a committee, involving them in running junior regattas, etc.” – Madison Beach Club * “We try to add/keep a younger member (under age 30) on our Board of Managers.” – Mystic River Mudheads
11. Consider a wide range of possible strategies to encourage this age group to join; best solutions will differ depending on the nature of each organization. * “I encourage my son and his friends to join. Keep them active in sailing and the MYC social scene.” – Milford Yacht Club * “To attract ‘younger members’ (i.e. 35-45 yr olds), we have redesigned our website and advertise on meetup.com.” – Shoreline Sailing Club *“Hold open houses with free sailboat rides and food.” – Anonymous Sailing Club * “General outreach to younger sailors to not just crew on boats, but to JOIN our club.” – St. Croix Sailing Club * “Put publicity in areas like the community college.” – Anonymous Sailing Club * “Establishing a website has been very helpful in recruiting new members.” New Haven Yacht Club
12. Create an adult learn to sail program that is open, friendly, and nonthreatening. * “We have an adult learn to race program. It is still in its infancy, but shows promise for the future.” – Belhaven Yacht Club * “We offer ‘Mom (Dad) and Me’ learn to sail programs.” – Sail Sand Point
13. Offer usage of club boats for broad usage applications, from lessons, to recreational sailing, to team racing. * “Initiation of a club boat program to encourage match and team racing.” – St. Francis Yacht Club * “Providing club boats for members to sail for fun in the evenings.” – Anonymous Yacht Club
14.Make the club attractive to young adults and young families by scheduling and promoting a range of social events and activities that will be of interest to this age group. * “Be sure to make events as social as they are competitive.” – Storm Trysail Club * “Host more family oriented social events.” – Anonymous Yacht Club * “We have a special committee focused on hosting events/activities for young families once a week in the evenings, including science projects, arts & crafts, family fun night, etc.” – Sachem’s Head Yacht Club
15. Create social events that appeal to all age groups, and encourage integration between the age groups. * “Focus on the ‘fun factor’ and competitiveness and lifelong enjoyment will follow.” – Storm Trysail Club * “A packed calendar of multi-generational activities including dinner-dances, casual pizza nights, clambakes, etc.” – Sachem’s Head YC * “A summer lecture by a former instructor or sailor: this year an instructor who has just completed a round-the-world.” – St. George Community Sailing Foundation * “We have cocktail cruises aimed at getting non-sailors and non-boaters out on the water on member boats. They have a blast.” – Madison Beach Club
16. Develop programs that encourage all age groups to go out and sail or race together. * “Our club highly recognizes successes of our young sailors, not necessarily for winning. We have young and old racing against each other (parents against children makes for a fun competitive spirit).” – Thimble Islands Sailing Club * “Interclub 3-boat team racing that has one youth/women boat, open boat, and one senior boat.” – Madison Beach Club * “We don’t segregate the kids or young adults from the adults. Helps keep the older members young too! Our Lightning class encourages kids and young adults by incorporating them into their crews.” – Malletts Bay Boat Club * “We have an annual regatta between the older club members and the high school sailing team.” – Sherborn Yacht Club * “Our J/22 program will be a bridge for kids to move from dinghies to keelboats. Sailing needs to be about teamwork and camaraderie.” – Milford Yacht Club
Start Something New at Your Club this Summer.
Kenneth Grahame wrote in The Wind in the Willows, “Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Luckily, that spirit is alive and well in clubs across the country. By implementing just a few of the great ideas suggested here, clubs can energize their programs and engage the passions of young sailors this summer and for years to come.
Whitney Peterson is Gowrie Group’s Vice President of Marketing. Gowrie Group’s Burgee Program, endorsed by US SAILING, is the nation’s leading insurance solution for yacht clubs. For more information, visit www.gowrie.com or www.burgeeprogram.com.
