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Saving Sailing: The Story of Choices, Families, Time Commitments, and How We Can Create a Better Future
Saving Sailing is an appealing blueprint for the revival of family sailing -- and other quality uses of free time for rewarding lifelong pastimes. Participation in sailing is declining in America, down more than 40% since 1997 and 70% since 1979. In this provocative book, researcher and avid sailor Nicholas Hayes explains why. The book shows how pressures on free time have increased, and how, in response, many Americans have turned to extremes of spectator or highly structured activities . . . and away from lifelong, family-based, multi-generational recreation. Saving Sailing builds a case for choosing how to spend free time better, using it for quality experiences with families and friends through rewarding pastimes like sailing. The main challenge, the author suggests, is to develop an active system of mentoring, especially between generations. The lessons are broader than sailing, with useful ideas for all parents, for anyone seeking to strengthen the social fabric of American communities, and for those involved in programming for youth and adult activities.
239 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 2, 2021
I spent most of my teenage summers in the 1970s sailing but have sailed only occasionally ever since. While sailing remains appealing to me, and I now have the time and resources to sail, I continue not sailing and don't really know why.
It turns out there are a lot of people like me. The popularity of sailing is down something like 70% since the 1970s.
I thought this book might explain (1) why the popularity of sailing is down and (2) how we can turn the trend around.
The book does a reasonable job on #1. I like the (vaguely confusing) concept of Time Choices and Time Charters. Time Choices are a higher level commitment (think sailing or singing in a choir.) Time Charters are basically time fillers; ways of passing time that don't require much commitment or effort but none-the-less consume lots of time (think watching TV, eating out, browsing the internet.) There are a lot Time Charters out there; in fact so many that you can go a whole life without committing to a Time Choice. The author mentions lots of other barriers to sailing that all seem relevant and true (distance/time from the sailing club, family calendar alignment, etc.). Interestingly he doesn't mention a handful of things that somewhat turned me off sailing eventually. (Too much cheating in Laser races. Too many races where we were essentially drifting. Too much overhead (travel, maintenance, other delays.) An ever-evolving (unreliable) community of other sailors.)
The book does not do a great job on #2. The author makes the case that sailing is worthwhile and that it would thrive if we could better set up and maintain a mentorship or apprenticeship system for aspiring sailors to allow them to learn the magic of sailing, but that seems a little bit like wishful thinking.
Personally I think sailing's biggest problem is marketing. Sailing boomed in the '60s and '70s, despite its same demands and hassles, when life was simpler and the Kennedies were pictured sailing as a family. The America's Cup is the only sailing you ever see or hear about now and it is as different from club sailing as flying a kite and flying a jet fighter, so does not paint a picture that encourages mere mortals to take up sailing. The 2- to 5-year learning curve is intimidating too.
In summary...a fine book that does not really live up to its title (Saving Sailing) but does live up to its promise to make the case for making better free time usage choices with family and friends through lifetime pastimes like sailing.
It turns out there are a lot of people like me. The popularity of sailing is down something like 70% since the 1970s.
I thought this book might explain (1) why the popularity of sailing is down and (2) how we can turn the trend around.
The book does a reasonable job on #1. I like the (vaguely confusing) concept of Time Choices and Time Charters. Time Choices are a higher level commitment (think sailing or singing in a choir.) Time Charters are basically time fillers; ways of passing time that don't require much commitment or effort but none-the-less consume lots of time (think watching TV, eating out, browsing the internet.) There are a lot Time Charters out there; in fact so many that you can go a whole life without committing to a Time Choice. The author mentions lots of other barriers to sailing that all seem relevant and true (distance/time from the sailing club, family calendar alignment, etc.). Interestingly he doesn't mention a handful of things that somewhat turned me off sailing eventually. (Too much cheating in Laser races. Too many races where we were essentially drifting. Too much overhead (travel, maintenance, other delays.) An ever-evolving (unreliable) community of other sailors.)
The book does not do a great job on #2. The author makes the case that sailing is worthwhile and that it would thrive if we could better set up and maintain a mentorship or apprenticeship system for aspiring sailors to allow them to learn the magic of sailing, but that seems a little bit like wishful thinking.
Personally I think sailing's biggest problem is marketing. Sailing boomed in the '60s and '70s, despite its same demands and hassles, when life was simpler and the Kennedies were pictured sailing as a family. The America's Cup is the only sailing you ever see or hear about now and it is as different from club sailing as flying a kite and flying a jet fighter, so does not paint a picture that encourages mere mortals to take up sailing. The 2- to 5-year learning curve is intimidating too.
In summary...a fine book that does not really live up to its title (Saving Sailing) but does live up to its promise to make the case for making better free time usage choices with family and friends through lifetime pastimes like sailing.
March 28, 2010
Nicholas D. Hayes is a friend of mine from my Camp Minikani years; and there is a Minikani reference in this. The book is all about the preservation of free time and family time.... I recomend this book not because Nick is a friend, but because this is an important book for our times.
August 1, 2012
Fantastic read for any parent.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews