Bobcat
Founding Member
The pursuit of sailing is fighting head winds.
Beyond the blow from the Great Recession, sailing faces pressure from aging baby boomers turning toward powerboats and millennials enjoying broader leisure options, industry leaders say.
The number of U.S. residents who sail has been roughly flat for a decade, with about 3.5 million to 4 million people going at least once per year and 1.2 million sailing at least seven times per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and research by industry groups.
That's despite a rise in U.S. population and trends for the affluent to seek "special experiences" like sailing, Sally Helme, publisher of Sailing World magazine, said during this month's Strictly Sail boat show in Miami, the largest sail event in South Florida.
It used to be the dream to get a sailboat and cruise off into the sunset, but maybe people are working more and don't have the time
- Richard Jordan of Jordan Yachts
Richard Jordan feels the strain at his Jordan Yachts brokerage in Dania Beach, which specializes in pre-owned sailing yachts and employs five brokers.
His company's revenues tanked during the Great Recession, recovered slowly from 2010 through 2012 and stayed flat in 2013 and 2014. They're still roughly 20 percent off pre-recession levels, he said.
Yet even before the recession hit, the sailboat business had been declining.
"It used to be the dream to get a sailboat and cruise off into the sunset, but maybe people are working more and don't have the time," Jordan said.
lRelated After strong 2014 rebound, marine industry upbeat on 2015
SMALL BUSINESS
After strong 2014 rebound, marine industry upbeat on 2015
SEE ALL RELATED
8
What's more, baby boomers are turning to less physically demanding powerboats, while millennials are less exposed to sailing than earlier generations that had fewer options for leisure, Jordan said.
At the Gulfstream Sailing Club in Fort Lauderdale, membership is down to about 90, off more than half from its peak decades back. And most members are older, even though the club welcomes sailors without boats and offers programs to teach children, said commodore Mike "Mick" Sazak.
"Millennials really aren't taking up sailing now," said Sawzak, noting that some are put off by the cost of dockage and insurance for larger boats. "I see them up and down the canals in kayaks."
Roger Moore, the chief at Nautical Ventures Group in Dania Beach, knows the challenges personally.
Sailboats near Las Olas
Sailboats are anchored in the Intracoastal Waterway just south of the Las Olas bridge. (Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel)
When he sold a previous business in 1987, he and his wife took off sailing — on a trip around the world that lasted 13 years. Now, in their 60s, the couple live on a powerboat that is easier to handle.
At his boating business, Moore sees relatively slow sales for Hobie catamarans, long popular as an entry boat for sailing. He links the slump partly to urbanization and added rules.
"Before, you could access the beach with a sailboat anywhere," Moore said. Sailors years back may not have needed a small motor to maneuver their boat from a dock area to open water, and areas for parking with a boat trailer were more readily available too, Moore said.
The most recent industry survey presented by Sailing World magazine highlights the hurdles. In 2014, sailboat brokers in North America reported sales roughly flat at $463 million.
cComments
Google pay 97$ per hour my last pay check was $8500 working 1o hours a week online. My younger brother friend has been averaging 12k for months now and he works about 22 hours a week. I cant believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what* I do..... ...........................
CLARKEBUZARD
AT 11:33 PM FEBRUARY 22, 2015
ADD A COMMENTSEE ALL COMMENTS
2
The number of sailboats imported and those made in North America both rose, led by sailboats under 20 feet. Yet the value of new boat sales fell, as fewer people bought larger sailboats, the survey found.
North American sailboat production last year hit its highest level since 2008. But the roughly 7,000 sailboats produced still lagged far behind the 22,000-plus made in 2000, surveys show.
"The industry as a whole needs some marketing help," said Sawzak of Gulfstream Sailing Club. "We do need millennials to come in and take up the reins."
To encourage sailing, advocates are pitching the sport as affordable.
Sailboats on the Intracoastal
More sailboats near Las Olas. (Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel)
"Sailing has the perception of being expensive, but you can get a great used boat for a thousand bucks or less and still have a lot of fun," said Helme, referring to boats under 20 feet that can be parked in a back yard and don't require payment of dockage fees.
Sailboat captain Charles "Chuck" Harad, a retiree, said he charters his 45-foot Hunter sailboat from Pompano Beach through discount websites such as Living Social at rates starting around $60 per person for a half-day sail — less than what many powerboats might use just in fuel.
"Sail-boating is not for the rich. Powerboating is. You have to be able to start your engines and burn sometimes 40 to 50 gallons of diesel an hour," Harad said. "I ride the wind. It's free."
Boaters also can share ownership or join boat clubs to cut costs on larger sailboats, advocates said.
A grass-roots sailing campaign also has been spreading since 2001. Called Summer Sailstice, it is held on the Saturday closest to the June 21 summer solstice. Sailors that day celebrate the joy of riding the wind and the water by taking out people for their first sail.
No one expects a quick return to heady days of the 1970s, when 12 million Americans sailed at least once a year.
Back then, families worked shorter hours, commuted less, had fewer child-only activities and could afford to take three hours on a weekend afternoon for a family sail, said Nick Hayes, author of "Saving Sailing." He welcomes community sailing clubs that foster multi-enerational sailing.
"If we could get only 50,000 more people sailing [regularly in North America every year]," said Sailing World's Helme, "that would make a real difference to the industry."
dhemlock@sunsentinel.com, 305-810-5009, @dhemlock on Twitter
Beyond the blow from the Great Recession, sailing faces pressure from aging baby boomers turning toward powerboats and millennials enjoying broader leisure options, industry leaders say.
The number of U.S. residents who sail has been roughly flat for a decade, with about 3.5 million to 4 million people going at least once per year and 1.2 million sailing at least seven times per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and research by industry groups.
That's despite a rise in U.S. population and trends for the affluent to seek "special experiences" like sailing, Sally Helme, publisher of Sailing World magazine, said during this month's Strictly Sail boat show in Miami, the largest sail event in South Florida.
It used to be the dream to get a sailboat and cruise off into the sunset, but maybe people are working more and don't have the time
- Richard Jordan of Jordan Yachts
Richard Jordan feels the strain at his Jordan Yachts brokerage in Dania Beach, which specializes in pre-owned sailing yachts and employs five brokers.
His company's revenues tanked during the Great Recession, recovered slowly from 2010 through 2012 and stayed flat in 2013 and 2014. They're still roughly 20 percent off pre-recession levels, he said.
Yet even before the recession hit, the sailboat business had been declining.
"It used to be the dream to get a sailboat and cruise off into the sunset, but maybe people are working more and don't have the time," Jordan said.
lRelated After strong 2014 rebound, marine industry upbeat on 2015
SMALL BUSINESS
After strong 2014 rebound, marine industry upbeat on 2015
SEE ALL RELATED
8
What's more, baby boomers are turning to less physically demanding powerboats, while millennials are less exposed to sailing than earlier generations that had fewer options for leisure, Jordan said.
At the Gulfstream Sailing Club in Fort Lauderdale, membership is down to about 90, off more than half from its peak decades back. And most members are older, even though the club welcomes sailors without boats and offers programs to teach children, said commodore Mike "Mick" Sazak.
"Millennials really aren't taking up sailing now," said Sawzak, noting that some are put off by the cost of dockage and insurance for larger boats. "I see them up and down the canals in kayaks."
Roger Moore, the chief at Nautical Ventures Group in Dania Beach, knows the challenges personally.
Sailboats near Las Olas
Sailboats are anchored in the Intracoastal Waterway just south of the Las Olas bridge. (Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel)
When he sold a previous business in 1987, he and his wife took off sailing — on a trip around the world that lasted 13 years. Now, in their 60s, the couple live on a powerboat that is easier to handle.
At his boating business, Moore sees relatively slow sales for Hobie catamarans, long popular as an entry boat for sailing. He links the slump partly to urbanization and added rules.
"Before, you could access the beach with a sailboat anywhere," Moore said. Sailors years back may not have needed a small motor to maneuver their boat from a dock area to open water, and areas for parking with a boat trailer were more readily available too, Moore said.
The most recent industry survey presented by Sailing World magazine highlights the hurdles. In 2014, sailboat brokers in North America reported sales roughly flat at $463 million.
cComments
Google pay 97$ per hour my last pay check was $8500 working 1o hours a week online. My younger brother friend has been averaging 12k for months now and he works about 22 hours a week. I cant believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what* I do..... ...........................
CLARKEBUZARD
AT 11:33 PM FEBRUARY 22, 2015
ADD A COMMENTSEE ALL COMMENTS
2
The number of sailboats imported and those made in North America both rose, led by sailboats under 20 feet. Yet the value of new boat sales fell, as fewer people bought larger sailboats, the survey found.
North American sailboat production last year hit its highest level since 2008. But the roughly 7,000 sailboats produced still lagged far behind the 22,000-plus made in 2000, surveys show.
"The industry as a whole needs some marketing help," said Sawzak of Gulfstream Sailing Club. "We do need millennials to come in and take up the reins."
To encourage sailing, advocates are pitching the sport as affordable.
Sailboats on the Intracoastal
More sailboats near Las Olas. (Mike Stocker / Sun Sentinel)
"Sailing has the perception of being expensive, but you can get a great used boat for a thousand bucks or less and still have a lot of fun," said Helme, referring to boats under 20 feet that can be parked in a back yard and don't require payment of dockage fees.
Sailboat captain Charles "Chuck" Harad, a retiree, said he charters his 45-foot Hunter sailboat from Pompano Beach through discount websites such as Living Social at rates starting around $60 per person for a half-day sail — less than what many powerboats might use just in fuel.
"Sail-boating is not for the rich. Powerboating is. You have to be able to start your engines and burn sometimes 40 to 50 gallons of diesel an hour," Harad said. "I ride the wind. It's free."
Boaters also can share ownership or join boat clubs to cut costs on larger sailboats, advocates said.
A grass-roots sailing campaign also has been spreading since 2001. Called Summer Sailstice, it is held on the Saturday closest to the June 21 summer solstice. Sailors that day celebrate the joy of riding the wind and the water by taking out people for their first sail.
No one expects a quick return to heady days of the 1970s, when 12 million Americans sailed at least once a year.
Back then, families worked shorter hours, commuted less, had fewer child-only activities and could afford to take three hours on a weekend afternoon for a family sail, said Nick Hayes, author of "Saving Sailing." He welcomes community sailing clubs that foster multi-enerational sailing.
"If we could get only 50,000 more people sailing [regularly in North America every year]," said Sailing World's Helme, "that would make a real difference to the industry."
dhemlock@sunsentinel.com, 305-810-5009, @dhemlock on Twitter
