We are not alone

“When the ship is sinking, it’s time to get creative.” This kind of thinking can be applied to most every situation, and with the recession that the sport of sailing has been experiencing, this approach been actively applied herein. What’s interesting to learn is that through our struggles, we need not have a “WHY ME?” sentiment, as at least one other sport is feeling the pinch as well… Golf. Here is a New York Times article titled, “More Americans Are Giving Up Golf”, and it is not a stretch to say that many of the challenges noted in this article are shared by sailors as well:

Hauppauge, N.Y. - The men gathered in a new golf clubhouse here a couple of weeks ago circled the problem from every angle, like caddies lining up a shot out of the rough. “We have to change our mentality,” said Richard Rocchio, a public relations consultant. “The problem is time,” offered Walter Hurney, a real estate developer. “There just isn’t enough time. Men won’t spend a whole day away from their family anymore.”

William A. Gatz, owner of the Long Island National Golf Club in Riverhead, said the problem was fundamental economics: too much supply, not enough demand. The problem was not a game of golf. It was the game of golf itself. Over the past decade, the leisure activity most closely associated with corporate success in America has been in a kind of recession. The total number of people who play has declined or remained flat each year since 2000, dropping to about 26 million from 30 million, according to the National Golf Foundation and the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association. -- Read on