SAILING:TALK OF economic recovery and its effect on a sport as dependent on equipment as sailing invariably leads to a search for indicators of the 2011 season. Trends from last year, when financial worries were at a crescendo, suggest that "use it or lose it" has become the motto for many sailors – especially boat-owners.
Also bucking the trend, there was in fact an increase in IRL sail number registrations in 2010. Although small boat and dinghy registrations fell, 50 boats out of 110 were larger cruisers, an increase from 30 in 2009.
“Industry representatives would probably disagree with these figures based on their own experience of falling sales,” commented Irish Sailing Association (ISA) chief executive Harry Hermon.
The ISA expects a repeat of 2010 which saw club memberships drop nationally by eight per cent, and is rounding up for a 10 per cent drop in income, suggesting a negative or at best flat outlook for the season. Certified training schemes have also seen a similar drop in participant numbers.
“On anecdotal evidence, we see the drop as being attributed to non-sailing and social members opting not to renew memberships,” said Hermon. “Its hard to say if it’s levelling out, but club activity was actually higher last year, though with fewer people travelling to away events.”
New developments around the coast are, unsurprisingly thin on the ground. However, the Greystones Marina project is moving a step closer to completion as all the heavy engineering work of phase one is expected to conclude over the next week when earth and reclaimed land is finished.
But an actual marina facility is still uncertain, though Wicklow county councillor Derek Mitchell remains hopeful this could be in place by next year. A survey to assess demand has been completed but the findings haven’t been released. Mitchell reckons interest has been high, but as rental costs have still to be announced it will be difficult to be certain how strong demand is.
Meanwhile, the harbour is in place, but access is limited to a single public slipway and the various watersport club buildings may be delayed.
Other barometers of activity include numbers of entries for various events, but even on 2010 experience organisers may be able to expect relatively strong turn-outs. The Irish Cruiser Racing Association national championships in Dun Laoghaire attracted one of the largest ever fleets at more than 100 boats.
Later this year, the biennial Sovereigns Week in Kinsale will be hoping to repeat its 2009 performance that continued a record of hitting its maximum entry of 150 crews. So far indications are strong that 2011 will hold, and the inclusion of the Quarter Ton championships is expected to bring up to 30 boats to the venue.
There is also always a section of the market who will fill the crew places still widely available on boats. Where one change has been noticed is the number of these new sailors taking courses to become boat-owners themselves after being introduced to the sport.
“There are fewer new people coming into the game and, of those, there are fewer taking on courses,” said Eddie English of the sailcork.com training school.
“There is an upside – people want to use their boats; boats that were previously lying dormant are being used more, so participation here is definitely up.”
