Ehman Family Blog

THE PENGUIN PRINCIPLE

Guest editorial today in...

...Scuttlebutt that is already drawing letters of support and derision from far and near:

THE PENGUIN PRINCIPLE - Tom Ehman

Is it more than a coincidence that since we as a sport started pushing kids into singlehanded boats like the Opti and Laser, instead of encouraging them to sail multi-handed through those same pre- and early-teen years with their parents or others in "family classes" such as the Lightning, Rebel, Snipe, Flying Scot, Lido 14, Thistle, Blue Jay, Scows and -- yes -- the Penguin, the sport has been contracting, or at least not growing the way it did in the 60 and 70s?
Obviously, there are other factors at play here, but I remember at age 8 or 9 our club running a junior program for us in an awful little boat called the Tag-Along Clipper -- a 1960's Michigan version of the Opti or Sabot -- and being made to race alone against other kids. OK, most of us were decent sailors by then, having crewed for our parents in Snipes, Rebels and Lightnings on our lake. But after all these years, Mr Dickson's letter reminds me how much we disliked sailing the Tag-Alongs, and that we much preferred sailing and racing together on the faster, more responsive and more social "big" boats. And now that I think about it, our 12 year-old daughter had an Opti from early on but never liked sailing it or the Sunfish, etc; she is, however, enthusiastic about crewing with her grandmother and myself in a Flying Scot and has taken a new liking to the sport.
Recently in 'Butt a couple of the Johnstone kids have written warmly along the same social, family-participation lines, and I think back to what Bob and Mary did that resulted in all four (and others like them) becoming enthusiastic lifelong, lifestyle sailors -- and none of them grew up sailing Optis.
No doubt some kids thrive on Opti sailing, and the hard working leaders of that class like Robert and Helen Mary Wilkes (will they ever talk to me again?) have helped produce current and recent Olympians. But at what expense to overall participation in the sport? I am not a psychologist, but different personalities probably take to different kinds of sailing, and maybe Opti-style single-handed sailing appeals only to a small percentage of kids? What happens to the others?
Optis may be the right "junior league" for some future grand prix sailors like Robert Scheidt and Ben Ainslie, but is there a Penguin Principle? Do kids who grow up sailing with their families and friends on bigger, multi-handed boats tend to enjoy more and stay in the sport over those in Opti and similar programs?

The double-handed Penguin.

Nice anecdotal support from noted yachting journalist, Magnus Wheatley (GBR), who sent this email today after reading my bit in 'Butt:

I couldn't help but agree with you today in Scuttlebutt as I have two nieces (aged 12 and 9) who obviously have one dead keen sailing Uncle, a pair of grandparents who virtually live on their boat and two parents who would give anything for them to be decent sailors and members of the Royal Lymington Yacht Club. However no matter how hard we tried to put them in Opti's on the Lymington River they just wouldn't take to the sport.
Eventually out of desperation I suggested that they simply go with two or three school friends in a Lymington scow where they can muck around, socialise and most importantly of all get away from the guy with the loud halo on the club pontoon trying to get everyone to race. The girls can now just potter up the river, take in the summer air, enjoy the views and the wildlife, go wading in the mud and generally have an absolute ball. And you know what? Both have asked for dinghies from their grandparents for Christmas! Not the latest 'Winner' hulled Opti with the Fredricksen ratchet block and Quantum sail but a nice traditional wooden hulled clinker built scow that they have plans to paint in every colour of the rainbow before the new season.

I would hazard a guess that they both will become proficient sailors by the time they're 16, certainly not Olympians or even club race winners but they will thoroughly enjoy the sport and remain in it. If that proves true then I can see them crewing one of the cruiser racers out of Lymington into their late teens probably to try and impress a prospective boyfriend and taking full advantage of the apres sail scene in the bar afterwards on a Sunday...And the Junior Sailing Programme will have done its job!

There is just so much club and parent pressure to "produce the next generation" that kids like my nieces just get ignored. The club takes one look at the family history and seems to think that just because their Uncle is a yachting journo and their grandfather a Solent legend that they will follow in their footsteps. Mention the AC to the girls and they completely glaze over so it's horses for courses and thankfully, by gentle encouragement, they have found their own path into our fantastic sport.