How clubs can renew interest in sailing

The report and video, Why sailboat racing is dying in America, prompted a lot of feedback. This report comes by Dan Carney in which he shares how interest is being renewed in the sport:

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I’m about 40 years old and have recently found a deep interest (some might say addiction) to sailing and racing in particular. I watched this video about how sailing and racing is in decline, and wanted to share my experience with the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center in Wisconsin because of how it makes getting into sailing and racing so much easier.

For about $500 per year, you can join the club. Membership allows you to take boats out after completing classes or passing evaluations. The Sailing Center has close to 100 boats, ranging from Ensigns, Lasers, Solings, and J/24s to a handful of larger cruising keelboats. They offer summer classes for both youth and adults, from introductory sailing for complete beginners to advanced racing and spinnaker handling.

There are also great racing opportunities. On Sunday mornings, Ensign races provide a welcoming way to get introduced to racing. The environment is competitive but focused on learning—you can’t call protests, but if someone fouls you, the race team leader makes sure penalties are taken. Typically, 10 to 15 boats show up each week.

On Thursday nights, there’s J/24 racing that combines Sailing Center boats with privately owned J/24s in Milwaukee. Around 16 boats are in the series, with 12 to 14 usually racing each week. This fleet is more competitive, but still very approachable and fun. Sailing Center members can hop on a J/24 and start racing right away, with plenty of teaching and encouragement from experienced sailors.

What I love most about the Sailing Center is how easy it makes racing. I literally show up at 5:30pm, get ferried out to a moored boat, rig, race, put the boat away, and head home—without worrying about finding crew, doing maintenance, or paying for storage (summer or winter). And again, all of this is included in that ~$500 annual fee.

Another highlight is the people. I’ve built some great friendships through the center, and it solves the problem of finding people to sail with. Members coordinate through GroupMe, and I’ve never had trouble finding someone to go out with—even on short notice.

In the winter, the center hosts classroom lectures on topics like racing tactics, knot tying, Great Lakes cruising, anchoring, and more. They’ve even organized iceboat restoration projects. They also do a ton of outreach programs to help make sailing more accessible to everyone.

After watching this video about the decline of racing, I felt especially grateful for the Sailing Center. I truly believe that clubs like this can play a big role in renewing interest in both sailing and racing.

For information about the Milwaukee Community Sailing Center: https://sailingcenter.org/

(Note: while I am a member, I am not a representative of the organization.)

Editor’s note: It is no coincidence that MCSC is doing so well as Program Director Nicholas Hayes is the same guy that woke up the sport with his book, Saving Sailing.