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There are a lot of douchebags in the sailing community.. most of them coming from inherited money.
I'm not following how you would know this, being new to the sport. These folks do exist, but they are a very small fraction. I find 99% of the community, of all sizes and shapes, to be friendly and open. In fact, the actual owners are usually sailors and can relate to any other sailor, of any other kind, with a common interest. We had a modestly famous billionaire down the pier from us years back. He was in his 80s and had a full time crew manage his 90ish foot yacht. He loved leaning on this lifelines and talking about sailing to anyone that walked by. In fact, if there is any common denominator, boaters will all talk your head off, especially if you have something you need to get done. :)

Most often, I find the jerks are the 20 yr old kids that are out sailing or racing Mom and Dad's boat, because their brains haven't fully formed. Mom and Dad are fine, even if they're third generation money. I would think anyone that in the marina, with a chip on their shoulder, thinking anyone with a nice boat was a d-bag, would get the cold shoulder.
 
Discussion starter · #42 ·
I'm not following how you would know this, being new to the sport. These folks do exist, but they are a very small fraction. I find 99% of the community, of all sizes and shapes, to be friendly and open. In fact, the actual owners are usually sailors and can relate to any other sailor, of any other kind, with a common interest. We had a modestly famous billionaire down the pier from us years back. He was in his 80s and had a full time crew manage his 90ish foot yacht. He loved leaning on this lifelines and talking about sailing to anyone that walked by. In fact, if there is any common denominator, boaters will all talk your head off, especially if you have something you need to get done. :)

Most often, I find the jerks are the 20 yr old kids that are out sailing or racing Mom and Dad's boat, because their brains haven't fully formed. Mom and Dad are fine, even if they're third generation money. I would think anyone that in the marina, with a chip on their shoulder, thinking anyone with a nice boat was a d-bag, would get the cold shoulder.
Ive lived around harbors a bit and ive been inhabiting sailing and boatbuilding forums literally since they were created. When i was young i wanted to handbuild a Herreschoff and read one of his books that made me fall in love with old world building and exploration.. only to find that a segment of boat owners would turn their noses up at him.. and others. Im not saying "rich people bad"...ive found people are people. But theres very definitely a segment of the yachting community who think it should be reserved for upperclass wasps . The kind of people who'd call their lawyers if a ferroboat rented the slip beside them :p Im a (bad) guitarist also and.. theres definitely a segment of these people there as well though most of us generally laugh at the obnoxious ones ("You cant play guitar if you dont have a $12000 1967 fender with bumblebee caps blabla"). I find this community VERY refreshing. People who actually know what theyre talking about and give great advice. This thread has fairly radically changed my plans for one thing
 
Sailing is pretty "white" and has an segment of rich people in snotty clubs... I have no interaction with them. Most of the sailors are pretty laid back and friendly. But money can and often does make someone a snob.
Race is another issues and I see very few of any race but white... and a few Hispanics... but much less than the percentage in the general population in the NY metro area. How to explain this? economics or racism or a bit of both?
 
Discussion starter · #44 ·
Sailing is pretty "white" and has an segment of rich people in snotty clubs... I have no interaction with them. Most of the sailors are pretty laid back and friendly. But money can and often does make someone a snob.
Race is another issues and I see very few of any race but white... and a few Hispanics... but much less than the percentage in the general population in the NY metro area. How to explain this? economics or racism or a bit of both?
Culture and tradition mostly i think honestly. In america i mean. I dont think you'll find a lot of kansas white farmboys who are sailors .. or hillbilly's (im a hillbilly i can say that hah). People who live here in the mountains of north carolina vacation at the beach.. a LOT.. but if you suggested one of them buy a sailboat even to sail on the lakes (we have a lot) theyd look at you like youre crazy
 
sailing involves skills and a financial commitment... going to the beach does not.... it's completely passive.
 
Sailing is pretty "white" and has an segment of rich people in snotty clubs... I have no interaction with them. Most of the sailors are pretty laid back and friendly. But money can and often does make someone a snob.
Race is another issues and I see very few of any race but white... and a few Hispanics... but much less than the percentage in the general population in the NY metro area. How to explain this? economics or racism or a bit of both?
I am sorry, I have to reply as I have not seen this in a sailing thread. My only comment is. The NBA is mostly black, but much less than the percentage in the general population to the areas they have teams. How do you explain this. Is it racism?
 
I am sorry, I have to reply as I have not seen this in a sailing thread. My only comment is. The NBA is mostly black, but much less than the percentage in the general population to the areas they have teams. How do you explain this. Is it racism?
I would explain it as blacks are producing a lot of tall men who are skilled at basket ball. Basketball is sport young blacks seem to like to play. I don't know the stats and how it compares to white youth. My schools were public in the suburbs and had no minorities... but there was basketball.

I do know that there were color barriers in sports like baseball.

There may be a number of reasons why blacks and minorities are not into sailing... I can't say if there is some sort of unspoken color barrier. I can't explain it but only guess at why this is the case. I can only report what I see on the water.
 
Discussion starter · #48 ·
I would explain it as blacks are producing a lot of tall men who are skilled at basket ball. Basketball is sport young blacks seem to like to play. I don't know the stats and how it compares to white youth. My schools were public in the suburbs and had no minorities... but there was basketball.

I do know that there were color barriers in sports like baseball.

There may be a number of reasons why blacks and minorities are not into sailing... I can't say if there is some sort of unspoken color barrier. I can't explain it but only guess at why this is the case. I can only report what I see on the water.
There were HUGE color barriers in all sports including basketball some of which were recent. UK had a pure white team due to it's head coach , while being a brilliant coaach, being a rabid racist. Etc etc etc

As far as the comment about the beach the point was theres no culture within 100 miles of where i live of any kind of sailing. And we have MASSIVe lakes with a tradition of motor boats. So anyone born in this area is very unlikely to sail. Whereas if you live in say daytona the odds are a lot higher. As to the financial requirement owning a high end yacht or something in the 40 foot range is expensive. Owning a little trailer sailor or a 32' sailboat isnt.. theyre cheap
 
I guess it is all in how people perceive the same thing. I may be naive in my view but I don't immediately assume the worst in peoples motives. I guess we could say the same thing about hockey, snow skiing and such that draw a different demographic. As someone mentioned not many inner city folks are exposed to the water any more than someone living in lynchburg Virginia or Kansas. I have asked black friends to come sailing with us and the usual answer is they don't like the water or a boat that doesn't stay flat. But I have had white friends tell me the same thing. Expense is probably another. If I lived where there was a lot of money or required a lot of money to have a boat it would keep me out too. You can get a slip on the lower Chesapeake for $150 per month. I can afford that but I probably could not afford a slip in New York City or some other upper class areas like Morgan Freeman could. So my perception is money and opportunities of the area determine a lot of what people do. I work in factories where many different ethic groups work together, we make the same money, live in the same middle class areas, go to the same Christmas parties but have different hobbies and interest. Dennis
 
Agreed. It's mostly about economics, between the haves and havenots, and the classes these differences lead to. Owning and maintaining a cruising-size boat is no small financial feat. Of course there are the few poor people (like me ;)) that manage it, but mostly it's the domain of richer folk. And in North America, rich mostly means Caucasian.

Any group of people can, and will, produce in-group vs out-group attitudes. It's part of our tribal nature. This translates into snobbery at the rich level. Poorer classes have their own forms of in-group attitudes which also exclude others. As I say, it's just part of being human.
 
Segregation had a big impact on blacks entering water sports. I know that in my community in the Midwest, swimming pools were white only until the late 60s and early 70s. Even afterward, in our town, many neighborhoods started private swim clubs, so they wouldn't have to swim with black people. There was a small public pool built in the predominantly black neighborhood in our town, but it didn't offer any swim lessons for a long time.

A lot of black people I know, 50 years old or older, did not have access to pools or swimming lessons, and never learned to swim. So the parents of that generation, if their kids know how to swim, it was because they had the foresight to take their kids to a pool, a place that makes them very nervous to be around, so their kids could gain that skill.

If you don't know how to swim, watersports and water are not your friend. Here in the Midwest, I know black people of all ages who like to fish, but don't know how to swim. They will go out in a flat bottom boat on flat water, on a lake, but nothing with current or waves, and they wear a life jacket.

Many of us white people were introduced to boating and other water sports, because we grew up in boating families. Most black people, 40 years old and younger, if they know how to swim, and if they are into boating and other water sports, it's usually a break from their family tradition.
 
There are a lot of douchebags in the sailing community.. most of them coming from inherited money.
I've not found that to be true, but I don't keep my boat in Sausalito or Hilton Head Island. I searched for the least expensive marina I could find.

I have found sailing people to be great. But then again I'm in a marina that doesn't have a lot of 60 foot multi stateroom sailing yachts. It seems to me, that sailing requires people to put forth some effort and actually learn some skills.

I have observed, that any hobby that requires some learning, training, and has different levels of certification, tends to weed out the lazy people who just want to throw down some money and go out and do it. That describes many motor boaters. It doesn't take any skill or training to push a throttle forward and cut in front of everybody else in the harbor. Most Sailors have spent the time to learn a set of skills, and most seem to enjoy sharing those skills with newcomers and novices.
 
Take a look at some of the popular youtube folks. They have all done a what does it cost to live on a sailboat. Just search for cost or something within their channel. As everyone has said it all depends. Eating well seems to be one of the higher cost along with maintenance. The more complicated your systems the more it cost to keep it going. You will see where some live in poverty and some live pretty good.(off other peoples money). Search as below and watch till you are bored.

Sailing Yacht Florence, cost
Sailing Good, Bad Ugly, cost
Sailing Delos, cost
Tula's endless Summer, cost
Sailing Ruby Rose, cost
Sailing Fair Isle, cost
Sailing Nandji, cost
also
Wind Hippie, 29 yr old lady solo on 27 ft boat, year 5 of circumnav.
 
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