DSM....RIP!

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Nigel
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Nigel »

davidh wrote: I'm tied to the older/ Traditional dinghies. Will I get to write on these subjects for Y&Y?
To draw a parallel with car mags, the most popular features are usually the road tests. I for one would buy a mag that routinely had good road tests of various dinghies - class, new/used, which builder etc. Looked at from the viewpoint of a potential buyer, the history of a class qualified with good/bad points of different generations and even a price guide......or is it just me :?: .
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Ancient Geek
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Ancient Geek »

Nigel what you are asking for should be easy enough.
Well structured non jargonised English without chippy or biased comment just factual with of course graphic description, except where the writer decares an interest.
No modern journalist except Ben Judah (Son of a 1950's/70's Merlin Rocket & Hornet sailor) seem capable of it. (Actually I never thought i would praise the Murdoch Press bu in non sailing terms Libby Purves, Mathew Parris, Giles Coran and Jeremy Clarkson all to be read in The Times and Sunday Times.
Sadly it is as rare as hens teeth elsewhere.
However if DH is able to influence Y&Y then hurrah!
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jon711
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by jon711 »

It is a real shame to loose DSM just as it was getting better, and about to eclipse Y&Y in the dinghy market (If it hadn't done it already!!). I think it shows a bit of short sightedness from the DSM publisher, on this occasion. However, maybe, Y&Y will work with some of the DSM team, to give us exactly what dinghy sailors want, rather than endless interviews with Olympians..

I personnaly think a merger between the two would have been better!!

It didn't take Y&Y long to close the DSM website down - can't blame them really, I suppose. I just thought they would have used the web address for JUST dinghy news, and left all the other stuff on the main site.

(I know Mags, checks this site, please take the above as constructive comments!)

Jon
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Nessa »

I'm not impressed by the fact that I specifically asked about the future of the mag before I forked out for my year's subscription...

As far as the RYA's interest in grass roots sailing is concerned, this year we have had a substantial grant to train six new dinghy instructors, all tasked with the specific aim of getting more adults afloat more often, we have had generous assistance with the regeneration of interest in our laser fleet, and we have in the last week helped 40 children to either learn to sail from scratch, improve their sailing skills, or learn new skills in different boats. None of this would have been possible without the assistance of the RYA, and there is plenty more to come this year. They have also provided me, as a new Principal, with invaluable guidance and support.

I think that unless you are directly involved in the process of developing sailing at grass roots level it's very easy to think nothing is being done. That is very definitely not the case.
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Ancient Geek
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Ancient Geek »

Nessa delighted hear it, what will be the acid test id how many of those are still sailing regularly in 2 years time, the drop out rate it the worrying thing.
I know from having seen it at first hand how much your club is doing and how broad its base is.
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Nigel
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Nigel »

Finished reading Y&Y and I am not yet convinced that I want it.

Almost worth the subscription for the photo on page 112 though. Worse than Whitefriars Roger :D
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Ancient Geek
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Ancient Geek »

Well it (yachts and Yachting.) is getting better the latest issue usually gets discarded before the fasten seat belts sign is off the latest issue lasted untill the meal came!
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davidh
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by davidh »

Sadly, the whole thing with the closure of DSM is getting very messy.... and very sad!

A shame!

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JimC
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by JimC »

Ancient Geek wrote:Nessa delighted hear it, what will be the acid test id how many of those are still sailing regularly in 2 years time, the drop out rate it the worrying thing.
Yes and no. I think I'd rather they dropped out early having learned to sail and came back to the sport in their thirties for the rest of their lives (which I think we are starting to see) than went right through the system and became completely burned out and never wanted to get in a boat again.
Everyone you teach to sail who enjoys it is a potential recruit to the sport later on when the attractions of all night parties and all the other distractions dimish as the years pass. Its seed-sowing. Training that youngster might not benefit your club this year, but some club will benefit down the line, and what goes around comes around, so your club will pick up sailors trained by other clubs as often as they pick up the ones you've trained... Also big youth class open meetings are great ways to get your club in folks' minds. And when some of the visitors move into your area... might be 2 years, might be 12 years, whatever. To my mind there's too much short term thinking about the benefits of running training...
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Stephen Hawkins »

I was taught to sail at Bowmoor sailing club near Lechlade back in the late 70's as a 12 year old. My dad very quickly got into bigger boats and much of our time was spent down at Poole, sailing out of Wareham.

However, as a youngster, dinghy sailing is where its at, but I never really got to grips with it. Although I did dabble on occasion.

17 years in the RAF and an effective layoff of 20 years and I go and buy a Heron and re-learn how to sail. My son sails a Cadet, but he does not do the circuit. Like me he is happy to sail and race locally at SCSC...So South Cerney Sailing Club has been the beneficiary over the last 6 years as far as my training is concerned.

I have a bet of with my son (£10), that he'll buy his first boat before he is 30, even if/when he does inevitably drop the ball when jobs/further education, fast cars and girls take over. He will have a skill and he will pick it up later in life when he is ready.

We see peaks and troughs as far as memberships of our Cadet Squadron is concerned as well. Many youngsters do not stay with the class to the end, as by that time they can handle something far faster. Some drop out for other classes, some for education/jobs some never even make it that far. We keep our focus at the new recruits so that there are always fresh faces to teach the basics and after that they either give it a go or they go do something else. if you focus your attention on the top performers, then you will quickly find that you will have nobody in the wings ready to take their place when the top performers move on.

But now and again we see some of the older ex-cadets coming back to look around. Many will be back...Eventually. Its only a career for the lucky few.

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Michael Brigg
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Michael Brigg »

"Give me a girl at an impressionable age and she is mine for life." (Miss Jean Brodie)

In Africa, the charities tell us that a girl that is given an education is 4 times less likely to catch HIV, will have a smaller, healthier family, will earn double the income and will have literate children herself, further increasing the longer term health (physical and economic) of the nation. She will live at least twice as long also.

Get the girls. They may not want to race, and they may want to mostly cruise around gossiping, but make them confident and happy on board a boat.

When they marry a yachtsman, they won't be nervous about getting the children into boats, and will enjoy sailing with their husband. They will not get cross about boat faffage, or garages, and there will not be (as many) domestics involving boats. The children will see their parents are happy on the water and will be happy to sail with them.

When they come home from the sailing week ends, the house will be tidy, and the husband can be ordered to put the boat to bed. And rinse out the wet suits. etc.

Squabbling parents in boat = end of child's sailing carreer.

This is not sexism. It is fact. There will be exceptions.
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jon711
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by jon711 »

JimC, you are spot on. If all clubs had a junior training section then all clubs would benefit....

However, not all clubs are like Hunts (or WOBYC), and so we get the drop out. Not sure on the best way to promote clubs to encourage junior training.

As I will be ARO at the Tera Nationals next weekend, may get some ideas..

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Ancient Geek
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Ancient Geek »

Just do not start squads! Let 'em run free and learn by osmosis -"....if not duffers won't drown."
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Pat
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Pat »

As two of those who came late to sailing without learning as a child we are finding clubs constantly pushing the youth training side and leaving the adult beginners out. We have Silver Surfer course for older people learning the internet, how about Silver Sailors?? Older people are the backbone of clubs, having more time available and then they will take the grandchildren out and the whole cycle starts again.
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Re: DSM....RIP!

Post by Ancient Geek »

Yes Pat and there is frankly little fun for the young in the modern methods and the drop out rate worrying if you are concerned about our sport, I was very priviledge and lucky to have a free range childhood up the dykes and on the broads of Norfolk and Suffolk, in and out of boatyards and sail lofts from Cowes to Alnmouth, an understanding school that let me duck out of ball games and ride, sail, fish and shoot and indulgent parents too. But on this last bit I emphasise indulgent, not pushy I drove the direction and depth of involvement. I am lucky.
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