Sailing’s health starts at home

Our grass-roots racing is the most important foundation of the sport, and where we sail and what we sail is what matters most. Story by Dave Powlison for Sailing World:

When I was recently prompted about what I love about our sport, my first thought was to write about a few of the cooler sailing destinations I’ve experienced over the years: Bermuda, Hawaii, Antigua, and Mexico come to mind. But I’ve also enjoyed my share of grassroots regattas, small inland regattas at places such as Indian Lake, Ohio; Lake Massapoag in Massachusetts; and Branched Oak Lake in Nebraska.

This sport can be experienced on so many levels, in so many places and in so many different boats, and while it’s easy to find ourselves hankering for something bigger and better, I’ve come to accept that it’s perfectly fine to keep it small, or as you might say, “keep it real.”

I’m betting that a sizable number of people who race are quite content doing just that. Weekend after weekend, we keep coming back for more. I was recently reminded of this while rigging my new ILCA dinghy at Colorado’s Union Sailing Club, when the owner of the boat next to me arrives, Martin Holmgren, a Scandinavian transplant with racing experience at a number of venues around the world. – Full report