Dinghy Sailing Magazine NEWS!!
Team Dinghy Sailing Magazine at the Dinghy
Show.
WOW! What a weekend! After the rather doom laden show last year,
when all seemed to be a tale of woe, the RYA Volvo Dinghy Show this
year had a real buzz about it. Saturday in particular was manic,
was it just me that thought that Sunday was a littl easier. The new
initiative of letting kids in free gave the Sunday a real 'family'
feel, with painted faced youngsters being seen all over the
show.
Many thanks to Mike Rice of Fotoboat for this great shot of
some of the Dinghy Sailing Magazine Team clearly enjoying the
Show. From L-R, Sue Harper is half hidden behind the desk as
she was still working (someone had too!) then Sally Campbell, David
Henshall, then a right pair of Petes, Editor Pete Vincent and the
usually rapid Pete Barton standing still just long enough to get
his photo taken!
So what were the real eye catching moments at Alexander Palace.
Overall, it had to be the feeling of buoyancy, a real sensation
that dinghy sailing has changed tacks and is back on the
upswing. This was never more noticeable than on the Speed Sails
stand. Listening to Andy 'Taxi' Davis and Jim Hunt, both of whom
were still trying to catch their breath after a frantic 48 hours
one could easily pick up on their optimism. So many people
were passing the stand with hailed messages of "well
done" and "good luck" that if this translates into new
business then the revitalised Speed will regain their position as a
leading force to be reckoned with on the dinghy racing
scene.
The new Editorial Team for Dinghy Sailing Magazine were also
fired up with the atmosphere of the show! Both Pete Vincent and
Sally Campbell were really buoyed by the number of positive
comments they received and wanted to extend their thanks back to
the many subscribers and readers of DSM who made their way to the
stand, often just to say 'hello'! Pete says that he came away from
the show with some great ideas for future articles that he hopes
will make the magazine an even better read! Sally meanwhile, being
more organised, kept a notebook to store all the good ideas she was
given, suffice to say that today the notebook AND her inbox are
full!
Sally also picked up on the real diversity of the show, from the
Tideway to the Vesta Sail Rocket project!Nor was it just the boats
where this spread of interest was more apparent, for the people
that we all met ranged from a very young lad who was still finding
his sea legs (or his dinghy legs) to a 70 year old sailor who had
just built his own boat! At DSM we share their infectious
enthusiasm (see the Adam Bowers note below!) and love of the water
and cannot wait for the sun to shine for more than a day at a time
and the temperature to creep up a degree or two!
The 'Voice of the Show' just had to be the Adam
Bowers tuning presentation...he wasn't just good, at times his
enthusiasm was inspiring and almost evangelical! He certainly
got my attention with his very thought provoking yet
informative look at sail setting.
Boat wise.....to me it was a dead heat between the new ICON
and the RS 100, both of which looked fantastic and drew the
crowds in big numbers. Both of these boats will be figuring
shortly in the Magazine, as will a much fuller report on the
show.
There were a few downsides, the parking is still something that
bedevils the Alexander Palace location, with some of the
parking Marshalls needing a little customer service training! For a
'sport' that should be promoting the advantages of healthy living,
much of the available snack food was at the 'fast food' end of the
healthy scale!! Mind you, many of the visitors had burnt off a few
calories either climbing up the slope from the carpark, or else
when standing in the queues to get in!
The last word on the 2010 RYA Dinghy Show has to go to the
Publisher of Dinghy Sailing Magazine, Claire Read! As an 'old hand'
who has been an integral part of a number of Dinghy Shows, Claire
enjoyed the camaraderie that ran strongly between all the
exhibitors. Like Pete and Sally, she loved to meet the readers of
the magazine, from those, like herself, who knew the show format
well, to the first timers who were struggling not to be confused by
all the sights on display! It was Claire who noted the increase in
the foreign visitors, including one from India, who had come here
to 'check out' the UK dinghy scene!
Claire, Pete, Sally and all at Dinghy Sailing Magazine
would like to share the message with all readers (and not just
those lucky enough to attend the show)
- Good Sailing!
The DSM Team!
Singles Bar
David Henshall concludes (for now - more to come later!!)
his look at the single handers. This month the focus is on some of
the boats that fail to fit into any one genre, yet attract support
in the form of dedicated sailors.
The new advertising Rules
explained
John Doerr gets to grips with the rules of advertising, whilst
Pete Vincent investigates what they mean for sailing sponsors and
explores the issues affecting businesses involved with sailing
sponsorship.
Boat Test
Rob Wilson tests the new Hobie Wild Cat.
Youth Scene
Our first report from Josh and Tom, including all the news
from the Cadet Worlds in Argentina.
Drysuits
Ever wondered why your drysuit does what it does, or been
bemused by the technical terms? Jackie Gebhard from Trident
explains the technology.
Beacon Club
Exe Sailing Club has been uniquely successful in producing
champions. We take a close look at why
this is.
Live the dream
Keen dinghy sailors, Paul and Caroline Fisk and their two
young children set sail for warmer climes in their Beneteau First
305 in March 2009, but has it all been plain sailing?
Pulling the
trigger
Jon Emmett continues his coaching series with top tips on making
your boat move from a standstill.
Plus
What was new at the boat show,
including first impressions of the RS100 and of course By The
Lee from Mark Rushall and Flat Out by
Pete Barton
All in the latest issue of
Dinghy Sailing Magazine:
On sale in newsagents now - just look for a
cover showing a chilled (in more ways that one!) Andy
Smith and Tim Needham, on their way to victory in the 2010
Bloody Mary.
DINGHY SAILING MAGAZINE: - Our Mission statement
and committment to you.
We are passionate about the terrific sport of dinghy sailing and
the people involved in it, who we think deserve and want a voice,
in a magazine dedicated to their love. This is an amazing sport and
at times we are not loud enough about just how unique we are. For
example, can you name another sport that the whole family can
compete in at exactly the same time, regardless of age, sex, size
or ability? Dinghy sailing seems to attract people of a particular
friendly trusting nature. Having a dispute about water rights at a
mark usually means you have gained a friend for life. Another
wonderful part of our sport is how diverse it is. Dinghy
Sailing is a broad church and part of our challenge is to mirror
this. Yes, we will feature the Olympic classes, but we also want to
reach out and talk to or on behalf of the person who is a core club
racer who may race 3-4 times a month at their club, the bed rock of
our sport, as well as the people who don't race, but who sail their
dinghy regularly and the people new to sailing desperate for
guidance and help. Hopefully you will see that we will be talking
more about the boats you are sailing, the clubs you sail at and
issues that impact on you.
We have been fortunate to have been members of some really great
sailing clubs, Paignton, Exe, Penarth, Burghfield and Bristol
Corinthian, gaining massively from being part of such vibrant and
friendly clubs. They have given us a good social base, a great many
friends, and a sense of community as well as outstanding sailing.
In the last 10 years we have been to events at over 250 sailing
clubs and had a ball. We nail our colours firmly to our flagstaff.
Our Sailing Clubs are the envy of the world and do not get the
credit they deserve. All credit to them and the people who help run
them, long may they thrive and boy, will we fight for them!
At the same time they can be some of the most infuriating places on
this planet, we have nearly lost the will to live in some club
committee meetings! So many Clubs seem to believe they are caught
in a special time bubble and do not have to react to social
changes. It is not "this is how we run sailing you have to change
to suit us" it is "how do we have to change to attract more people
and more importantly retain them in our Club".
Similarly we are huge fans of Class Associations having between
us held every post possible in such organisations; they most
certainly do not get the recognition they deserve! We come from the
school of thought that thinks that an active boat owner who is not
a member of their Class Association is a lower life form, because
there is a direct link between a Class being successful, the value
of your boat and a thriving vibrant Class Association.
Yet within these last two paragraphs there lies both great
strengths and weaknesses for the sport, which DSM has to reflect.
The sheer diversity of the waters we are willing to sail on, the
geographic density of our Clubs, the huge diversity of boat types
we sail and the speed at which the boats evolve is a major strength
that produces International Champions. Real strength in depth means
that there is a Club local to almost everyone in the country, which
allows everyone to take part in sailing at the level that suits
them and keeps the UK at the cutting edge of sailing. The same
factors are also a weakness. It could be argued there are too many
Clubs in many areas, producing weak Clubs without the resources to
thrive. It may well also be argued that there are too many classes,
which dilutes support and presents a very confusing picture to
sailors new to the sport and trying to find their way.
The statement that there are too many classes will spark great
debate because there are many wide ranging views. There are many
diverse opinions (the very reason why there are so many classes),
many strongly held that you can hear at any sailing club bar.
However, those views are all expressed with the common purpose of
enjoying the sport. It is this diversity and yet common passion for
the sport that makes it so special. So we as a magazine should not
be afraid to reflect this diversity of opinion on many matters; by
no stretch of the imagination are we or our regular contributors
saying we are right. We would not be so presumptuous to tell you
what is right and we are not expecting you to agree with everything
we say. Rather, if we can provide thought provoking content that
challenges you to think about issues in the sport, which inspires
discussion, perhaps sparking positive debate in committee meetings
and facilitates change for the best then we may have achieved
something.
The above paragraphs may sound like a call to arms, and we make
no apology for that, but we are also conscious that our sport is
also full of characters as diverse as the boats they sail and the
Clubs they belong to. There are a disproportionate number
with a strong sense of fun and a nice line in irreverence;
hopefully we can also reflect this in the magazine. Humour and good
natured banter run right through the sport and we hope this will
come out in our content as well. There are those that dedicate
their time to being the best they possibly can be, sailing
alongside the happy-go-lucky, who rock up for the weekend for a
jolly good blast both on and off the water. Not to be
forgotten, those who tend to their boat as if she were a newborn
baby, or a vintage Rolls Royce, taking care over every last
detail. Whether you fall into one of these obvious groups,
whether you are one of sailing's eccentrics that cannot be defined
or whether you just love sailing, we are keen to make our magazine
relevant to you.
Our new youth correspondents, Josh Flack and Tom Brophy, promise
to provide a new 'edge' to the Youth Scene, gaining access to
behind the scenes action that is barred to us 'grown-ups'! We
also want to acknowledge the experience and dedication of our
regular contributors, competitors like Mark Rushall and Pete
Barton, who are so respected in the wider sailing world. Also we
acknowledge enthusiasts like Roger Barnes and Graham Forshaw, whose
passion for sailing is clear to all and of course John Doerr and
David Henshall, who share their depth of experience and tackle the
most complex issues, putting the technical details into a format
that we can all understand.
Last but not least, what of our wonderful marine industry?
From the hobbyist, who can't quite remember when an interest turned
into a business and finds it hard to define when he is at work and
when he is at play, to the polished National and International
companies. We know that you all want to reach your core customers
and we aim to help you do that, not just by promoting your
products, but by talking to you and finding out more about you and
what you do. Boat and product testing can be a minefield for a
magazine not wishing to upset an advertiser. However, our readers
are shrewd people and they can spot a sycophantic meaningless
review when they see one. Advertisers want to advertise because
people read our magazine and to do this such features have to have
credibility.
Don't leave it up to us!
What would you like to see more or less
of? When we say this is our magazine, we don't mean that it's
Pete and Sally's! We mean it's ours - you and us, the dinghy
sailors of the UK. With such features 'from the bar stool', we will
also give you your own platform to discuss matters close to your
heart.
We know what we want to include - our ideas list will keep us
going for at least 5 years - but we can only include what you want
if you tell us what that is!
Email your thoughts and ideas to pete@petevincent.co.uk