Trial Run: Recruiting, training, transitioning recreational sailors to enjoy the challenges of Sunfish racing
Submitted by Mark Kastel
Participation in sailboat racing, especially small boats, is down nationally. And there seem to be pockets where it’s down even more than average.
When I was a kid, in the 1960s and 70s, the Sunfish was the primary Junior boat on Lake Michigan. While there are some valuable junior programs in Sunfish around the country, they don’t seem to be bringing enough new sailors in to replace old duffers like me or others who might be forced to retire in the next decade. If we want to continue to race these small boats, we need to widen the circle.
So in mid-July, I launched an experiment.
Other than a local Facebook page (which serves as a “newsfeed,” as newspapers have died on the vine), I don’t really do social media ---- with the exception of about a half dozen Sunfish pages.
Most Sunfish owners sail recreationally and have never raced. There are 5000 members of the Sunfish class Facebook group and, while there's certainly a lot of overlap, 44,000 members on a number of other Facebook affinity groups (Sunfish Marketplace, Sunfish Repair Group, For the Love of Sunfish Sailing, and the Snark, Sunfish and Phantom Group). Most of these folks do not currently race.
My thesis, which we tested in Ohio last July after doing a bit of social media outreach, was this: A little additional training (online over the winter, at regattas, and one-on-one mentoring), could provide some current recreational sailors with enough comfort and confidence to join us in fleet racing or at regattas.
I partnered with the Hueston Woods Sailing Association, near Oxford, Ohio, to provide a training on July 12 and 13, before their annual Camptown Races Regatta. I promoted it on the five aforementioned Facebook pages and offered a training workshop all day Saturday, as well as a shorter session for club members who would only be at the club for their Sunday afternoon regatta. Saturday included a few hours on shore covering three primary areas: basic rules, basic tactics for getting around the racecourse (reading shifts, etc.), and, lastly, how to make a Sunfish go fast. We also spent some time on the water.
As sailors arrived on both Saturday and Sunday, I inspected boats individually, with my trusty tape measure, to make sure they were tuned properly. We also drained and weighed each one (even one of the top sailors who swore his boat never took on water had some in there and it had picked up a few pounds — worthy of the effort to dry out).
After the onshore training on Saturday, we spent about 2 ½ hours on the water, with about 10 practice starts and five short practice races. I raced with the group, talking to them around the course, and circled back to the tail-end folks for individual coaching after I finished.
We had eight boats on the water: four out-of-town participants and four club members. Although this was geared for beginning racers, a few intermediate locals participated too.
Mike Stratton, a very competent sailor and local fleet spark plug, was invaluable on the committee boat with a PA system, coaching as well.
The next morning, I conducted an additional 1.5 hour chalk talk. This was geared more towards the intermediate-level club members who showed up to race in the afternoon regatta. There were about 15 participants that morning.
At the skipper's meeting, I encouraged those of us who know how to race already to take the newbies under our wings for the balance of the weekend, helping with guidance and integrating them into our circle of friends.
The new racers included: a military aviator from Dayton, Ohio, who had owned his family Sunfish since he was a kid but never raced (it’s not the first time I’ve seen somebody who flies do very well and he finished in the middle of the fleet during the regatta); a sailor from Louisville who had just begun fleet racing and seemed to really enjoy himself; and a long time Snipe crew from Indianapolis who has just begun a Sunfish fleet (which will sponsor a regatta in Indy next year) who was attending her first regatta. (Two weeks later she attended her second regatta in Culver, Indiana.) It was also her first time ever towing a trailer!
I considered the weekend to be a great success. It was a long way for me to travel, from the West Coast of Wisconsin, for just a one-day regatta (although I have always really enjoyed sailing at this club, especially when they have sponsored regional championships). But this was the perfect pairing: one day of training and a friendly one-day informal regatta. This would be a good model for the rest of the country, although the option of exclusively doing a training on a weekend or encouraging folks to come early to a two-day regatta would work as well.
With our small regattas in the Midwest usually comprising 7-20 boats (once in a while pushing 30), if we succeed in adding just a couple new active participants every year, we would be accomplishing something material.
Any experienced racing sailor around the country could put on a similar program. All the club needs to provide is a whiteboard and markers. The trainer can take care of everything else. In addition, if the club could supply one competent sailor and a committee boat, that would be ideal.
If successful, we might end up adding a half dozen additional sailors every year in every region to the roster of active participants. Some will continue to come to regattas and might join one of the existing clubs/fleets.
I plan to set up a Zoom meeting to “train the trainers” over the winter. In the meantime, if you would like to try this in your region, please feel free to reach out. I’d be happy to review your agenda and help with the publicity.
I’m also hoping that we can offer a training series, aimed at our target constituency, on Zoom over the winter.
Below, please find the original promotion for the event we held in Ohio.
LOVE YOUR SUNFISH?
Free Training: Introduction to Racing
Racing your Sunfish would open up a whole new world of fun on the water. It will improve your seamanship skills, give you a chance to sail on various lakes and oceans, and you will meet a lot of new friends who share your enthusiasm for the boat. I say that racing sailboats is like combining chess and athletics. The challenge is addictive!
Saturday, July 12/13 Hueston Woods State Park, College Corner, OH
The Hueston Sailing Association is sponsoring a training for folks who know how to sail but have never raced on Saturday afternoon, July 12 and/or Sunday morning, July 13. There will also be instruction appropriate for sailors who have raced and are at the intermediate level. This will not include basic sailing instruction. You need to know how to sail.
But if you know how to sail, we will give you an understanding of the basic rules, elementary tactics to help you get around the race course quickly, and tips on how to set up your boat for maximum speed.
After the training, you will be ready to participate in the Camptown Races Regatta, Sunday afternoon, also sponsored by HSA.
We guarantee you will learn a lot, make new friends, and have fun on and off the water. Both the training and regatta are free of charge.
If you live in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, or any of the adjacent states, it will be worth your drive to launch your Sunfish racing career. I will be joined by very experienced local sailors in conducting the training, and lots of individualized help will be available. The link above for the regatta includes options for camping and lodging, as well as email addresses for “local knowledge.”
HSA is one of the best and most active Sunfish fleets in the country. They get anywhere from 12-20 boats out for their local regattas. You will be immersed in Sunfish culture.
RSVPs ARE REQUIRED. We want to custom tailor the schedule and education depending on who is interested in participating. There will be a lot of one-on-one help and mentoring and, if the weather conditions are right, some practice starts and other coaching on the water.
This is an experiment. We’ve never tried this format before. The goal is to give people confidence who have never raced. This will give you the skills necessary to participate in local fleet racing if there’s a club near where you live, or to hit the road and participate in regattas that are held almost every weekend all over the country: https://www.sunfishclass.org/2025june
See you on the water!
Mark Kastel, Sunfish 7500
La Crosse Sailing Club, La Crosse, Wisconsin
PHOTO CAPTION: Major Hall, my first sailing instructor in the 1960s at Winnetka Yacht Club. He would soon go on to become the Sunfish North American Champion. Note the boats in the background with original rudders and the fact that no one’s boat was too good to just pull up on the beach.
