Sunday, August 09, 2015

Blighty's Booming Boating!

"Ben's bloody brilliant!" booms Buff.

Ok, enough alliteration, but it is good news for boating as it appears that its not just cycling thats had a boost in the last few years.

According to the Telegraph "between 2010 and 2014 the number of people who took part in boating activities went up from 2.75 to 3.5 million."

In addition, the "number of craft, including yachts, canoes, dinghys and windsurfers, owned in Britain has also gone up, from 1.1m in 2011 to 1.2m in 2014" (thanks to Chris we can now add at least one to those numbers).

Is it the post-Olympics glow or is it Ben Ainslie's America's Cup challenge or new cool ways of getting out on the water (such as the foiling Moth, above, from the ACWS, or of course the RS Aero) or warmer weather or ...

Jolly good news any way you look at it.

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4 comments:

  1. Tillerman11:43 am

    That's great news. I suspect the favorable publicity about the Olympics and the America's Cup is helping.

    Here in the USA I suspect the average man in the street couldn't even name one American 2012 Olympics sailing medallist. Oh wait. Maybe that's because there weren't any?

    And who can get excited about an American America's Cup team when the skipper and most of the crew aren't American and the defending American syndicate have decided to run the races in a foreign country?

    Go Blighty!!!

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  2. Bursledon Blogger3:30 pm

    Good news for Cowes but Round the Island race way down in numbers this year - just over 1500 v's the 1800plus in previous year's. At grass roots level can't help noticing that most of the local sailing clubs are struggling for new and most importantly young members

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  3. JP4:13 pm

    There must be some bits of boating that are doing better than others - I wouldn't be surprised if the young 'uns are doing kayaking and windsurfing rather than the cruising sailors that would enter round the island.

    It must be helpful that Ben Ainslie is so widely recognised and a winner - a bit like Lewis Hamilton is for F1.

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  4. Chris Partridge7:24 am

    Rowing is booming - we had four newbies at Langstone yesterday including two teenagers. Gig rowing is expanding rapidly and the St Ayles Skiff is a phenomenon. People want to get fitter.

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