July 14, 2006
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Death of a One-Design
I love all kinds of sailboats -- catamarans, dinghies, cruisers, daysailers (not day sailors), and even occasionally huge boats I can't even afford. What sustains a class and keeps it from dying out? Why do people continue to enjoy sailing Lasers single-handedly, but balked when the Escape line came out?
Excerpt from http://www.ussailing.org/member/library/CMH-TaleOfTwoClasses.htm
A TALE OF TWO CLASSES
By Ed Adams. . . Glos simply dropped the hint that he wants to try a Thistle, and his
telephone began to ring. First there was a call to read him the regatta
schedule, then a call to offer him the use of a boat for a trial regatta.
Finally there were calls to line up an experienced Thistle crew for him, to
make sure that his first "ride" was an enjoyable one. "It was almost like I
was being courted," says Glos. "At the regatta, lots of people came by to
give us boatspeed hints. There was a general feeling of being welcome, not
like I was breaking into an exclusive club. I finished fifth in that
regatta, and it was clear that they weren't afraid of someone coming into
the class and doing well."
It's no wonder that the Thistle Class is thriving. It's also hard to believe
that it wasn't always this way. Like so many other one designs, however, the
Thistle has seen worse times. The most serious spell hit bottom in 1984, the
year that not a single boat was built. . . .. . . There are seven Thistle fleets in the Pacific Northwest, but until recently,
the closest builder was in Ohio. This meant expensive shipping and long
waits for a new boat. The builder was too far away to be actively involved,
and that discouraged growth. So the Thistle sailors of the Northwest
District raised the money to buy a set of Thistle molds and set up a local
builder. Since then things have been booming, says northwest sailor Ken
Tucker. . . .. . . Today, the Thistle Class is alive and thriving. Why? It's more than just the
hard work of class management. It's also the implementation of new ideas and
the cultivation of new blood. The ability, as Alan Glos says, to make
everyone "feel welcome.". . .
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