How to get new/old people on the water

OK,
I have finally done it. I bought a Hobie wave with a couple of goals in mind. One, to have a boat that doen't scare my two little guys away from sailing (they are three and five, the H-20 is a little much on most days). Two, have a boat my niece can sail with her girlfriends. Three, to build excitement about sailing catamarans at MBYC. Four, have other people in my family/group skippering besides me.

The first day on the boat was just me and the boys. We sailed to seaworld and saw the peguins, saw the cirque show from the water, and made it back to the club with the boys dragging their feet, taking the tiller at times, and pulling on any line they could get a hold of. A great day.

The next day on at MBYC was my three year old's Pirate b-day party. While the kids played, my niece and her girlfriend sailed around by themselves. Then my Dad then picked up his friend, the friends son, and grandson from across the bay. Then my sister, who has not taken a boat out in fifteen years, took out her girlfriend and sailed around for a while. We took out many of the children and their parents from the party. Finally the yacht club kids, normally sabot racers, asked to borrow the boat. The four girls who took the Wave sailed around for almost an hour before they returned.

Now I just need to keep this activity up and maybe we will have a wave fleet at MBYC before the year is up.

Hammond, you are on the right track. See http://www.ussailing.org/multihull/fast&fun.htm

US SAILING no longer has the Waves, but the program continues in local Community Sailing Programs. At Sail Sand Point in Seattle, see www.sailsandpoint.org, we have five Waves, all donated, that we use in our sailing programs, and conduct Free Fast and Fun outreach programs. Let me know if you need more information on our programs.

Caleb Tarleton

I actually helped to set up a fast and fun event at MBYC in San Diego a few years ago. We tweaked the program a little to make it an invitational type of regatta for the kids. The sad thing was a lack of support from the area youth programs. The good thing was the few that attended were really impressed and wanted to set the date up for the following year with a promise of full support. Unfortunately, Fast and Fun ended before we could set up the second event.

I have been concerned with the lack of new catamaran sailors especially families with kids for a long time. We have a strong multihull fleet going at the club now, but no real way to pull new families with kids. The wave is the perfect entry boat. It is just going to take some time and a couple of people willing to buy a boat to make this work.

We also set up the Fast and Fun programs in Seattle, as noted in the US SAILING Fast and Fun webpage reports. The first year, we contacted all the intercity groups possible, and did have pretty good response. About 10% of the groups contacted, did bring kids to participate. The second year, the turn out was better.

Getting people on the water, and letting them have the tiller is the key. Our Volunteer skippers are instructed to have the people drive as soon as they can, and to make sure all on board get a turn. Our people have just as much fun as the guests, and are quick to volunteer for the next event.

Building a program, and getting the people involved is another story. Check out my article in the Jan. Hotline for more details. Hobie 101 and 102, open to all Cats and levels of sailors has also given our local area a boost. Many new sailors were at our Splash Regatta last weekend in Kirkland, WA.

As to how you can get the Waves, check out the link http://www.sailsandpoint.org and click on community, sponsors and friends, read about our first wave donation. All five Waves in our program were donated, with no capital funds used to purchase the boats. Our local Hobie Dealer, Hobie Cats Northwest passed thru the boats at cost. Wave #3 was donated by a private party, Jim Glynn, #4 was given by Northwest Multihull Association, (mostly the large multihull sailors), and
#5 was pruchased from funds gained by selling other donated boats that were not used in our program.

You can build a program, it just takes a lot of dedicated volunteers.

Caleb Tarleton, Sail Sand Point, and US SAILING Multihull Council

I congratulate you for getting this started again. I think it will be great to get the families back into the fold.

Later,
Dan

OK,
This boat is the perfect example of "less is more." We have had the boat out two weekends with friends who don't all sail. Everyone has taken a ride or been given a two minute "orientation" of the boat and where to point it when sailing out in order to make it back. I help them off the beach and then they are on their own.

One friend who took it out said "I have been looking for an activity that I can do with my family (wife and two young children) and this looks like it is it." He had never sailed prior to this. He and another friend took the boat out and sailed further and further down wind, so we jumped in the chase boat to see if they were ok, they said yes that they were looking for a little more wind further from shore. I guess the search for more wind starts early. They made it back to the beach without any problem.

My niece, who is ten, has been sailing the boat with friends for the last few weekends. When the adults see a young kid sailing without any problems, it lowers any inhibition they may have been feeling about trying something that they would have to "learn."

Another great thing is that Grampa has started to take the grandchildren out sailing again. He would never take out the H-20 with a group of kids, but he took out a group of four small kids on the wave without a thought. This boat is just the right speed for him.

If you own a Tiger, 20, 18 or even a 16, you need to buy a Wave to lend to your non-sailing friends. I will keep you posted on who actually steps up to the plate and buys a Wave.