sometimes risky. Are you concerned that the sport is being sold under false perceptions?

Nicholas Hayes: Sailing is most certainly being marketed incorrectly in many places: Compare it to soccer or video gaming, and it takes on the thin veneer of a something only for kids. Or dumb it down for adults, and it loses its grand allure. The fact is that good sailing is hard, but it is almost always worth it. That said, I like to distinguish between easy and accessible at the point of entry. I don’t think we should call it easy, but we can say that it is within reach, because it is (at community sailing centers and clubs all over the country).... and we should challenge each other and our friends to try it, and to then get better at it. Let me add: I don’t think anyone

should be “sold” on sailing. I think it should be presented as an option, and a great one, given its grand benefits (freedom, experience and friendship), and then the person should decide for themselves. Saving Sailing won’t happen by

making it popular. It will happen when people chose to do it well and for a

long time, and when they share their contagious, authentic enthusiasm for it with others along the way. Often, it will start with a simple invitation: “Hey, you want to go sailing?”

US SAILING: You mentioned that the perception of the sport is that it is expensive, which is negative in today’s economic climate. How do we begin to change that perception?

Nicholas Hayes: I point out that newcomers don’t see cost as an issue 95% of the time, and I’ve found ample supply of low-cost sailing, so I don’t think we need to worry about it much. We should instead focus on adjusting program calendars to sync more cleanly with a family schedule. When we get timing right, start kids earlier, and don’t ask families to split up, we’ll find more demand than most programs can handle.

US SAILING: Do you believe that sailing is the ultimate family sport if organized and run the right way? If so, why?

Nicholas Hayes: I do, and I know

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many sailors who concur. It’s hard to imagine a grandma, son and grandson all playing soccer together, but it’s easy to find them playing together on a sailboat. There are many examples of this happening now all over the country. Some might suggest that I am

suggesting a “cultural shift” -- a change in the way that Americans and American families think and interact. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. When a mom, dad and 6-year-old daughter sail together, they are doing it as the result of having made some fairly simple, but very important choices and commitments. As they keep doing it, they influence and include others. Over time, their choices add up to something bigger -- better friendships, more open communication, a stronger family dynamic -- and we can start to see the sparks of a cultural shift started at the grassroots. I can’t think of a better place for this to begin than on a sailboat, where problem solving, cooperation, concern for others and fun are there in ample supply. And the cost of entry is so low and the support networks (like the folks at NSPS) are so strong. •

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