EDITOR’S LETTER
The cobbles of Middelburg and the low Dutch coast slipping astern, a spray-swept night before the dawn arrival in Suffolk’s River Alde, and the Contessa 32’s elegant lines as we rowed ashore are as vivid in my mind now as they were 30 years ago.
My first experience of yacht sailing was a North Sea crossing with my dad on a friend’s boat. It was one of the highlights of our father-son relationship and was also one of a handful of opportunities that ignited a life-long love of sailing for me.
It is encouraging, therefore, to read about Jaydon Owusu and Tyler Harriott’s (both 15) experiences of being welcomed by the sailing community (p64). Along with others from their London school, they’ve had the chance to restore boats rescued from the scrap heap, kit them out with donations from sailors and companies, and then to race them, with some of the crews now winning top-flight events.
What stands out is the importance of generosity from those who have the resources. I doubt many of us would sail today had someone not introduced us to sailing, whether in an old wooden dinghy, a Contessa 32 across the North Sea, or a sleek modern racer.
We can all share the delights of sailing with others by inviting non-sailing friends or their children on the water for an afternoon, taking less experienced crew on the longer passages, fostering club ties with a local youth group, or getting your company to sponsor a sailing project you think is worthy.
As a sport and a hobby, sailing is facing pressure like never before – from other watersports with lower entry barriers. The key to bringing on a new generation of sailors is to ask ourselves how we can make a difference with what have.