What could we do with US$ 150 million to advance sailing globally


There were two pieces of interesting information today, and here is a very imperfect attempt to contrast them.

First, Sir Ben Ainslie was able to attract some 150 million US$ for his campaign for the 2021 America’s Cup - an event that may reach the unprecedented cost of 1 billion $ if the other teams are as successful as his.

https://www.sailingillustrated.com/single-post/2018/04/26/AC-Breaking-Ben-Ainslies-AC-team-scores-150-million-fresh-start-investment-from-INEOS-old-sponsors-and-backers-out-Ainslie-Simmer-Holroyd-Macbeth-Scott-remain

Second, a new little foiling boat - the Skeeta.
https://www.facebook.com/yachtingworldmagazine/videos/1704904262926172/

So let’s compare ... (the of course incomparable)  …

From the Open Bic experience, it’s clear that, if mass produced, a boat like the Skeeta could cost something like US$5000, and probably less. (their current asking price is way higher - about US$18,500)  (the Wazsp is actually cheaper, at US$ 10,500 (price found on the Wazsp website) - which may cast doubt about the future of the Skeeta)

For reference, the Open Bic (without foils) is listed at US$3,299.95, retail price.

So let’s compare this US$ 5,000 tentative figure with the US$ 150 million of the Sir Ben Ainslie campaign.

US$150 million / US$5,000 = 30,000

Yep, you could have easily 30,000 boats available for the price of a single America’s Cup campaign.

Now with say 150 countries that could be interested in promoting sailing for youth, that would allow to provide 200 units of a single handed dinghy per country.

With mass production, that number could be even significantly higher.

And if you consider the budget of the other campaigns, one could easily reach 1,000 boats for each of these 150 countries!

And of course, in terms of sailing time, the America’s Cup boats are expected to sail just a few days, maximum a few weeks. (if the recent past is an indication of the future)

While those dinghies, if they have a robust design, would provide years of quality sailing time for thousands of youth sailors across the globe.

In terms of knowing who are the best sailors, America's Cup is not really helpful, as a lot depends on the boat.  Better put all the sailors in Lasers to find out :)

And in terms of fun - well from my experience, it's mostly the same whatever the boat. It depends mostly on the people, not much on the boat.

Voilà - a bit of perspective …


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