Golf was for centuries an elitist sport with a very few notable talented "commoners" hewing hand made wooden clubs and winning closeted tournaments. To make it attractive to Joe & Jane Doe equipment became mass produced with steel shafts and public courses opened by municipalities, as well as private clubs springing up with dues that were reachable by the middle class. Sailing followed this model, it seems to me, until recently. Brewer Yacht yards is a good example of a public yacht club. Yet,the newer boats, American Cup and Ocean sailboat races have so little to do with every day sailing the the sport is going to decline, in my view. Of course it doesn't help that you need a coastline leaving out all of middle America. My son married a gal from Iowa. They know all about golf and tennis and farming. When he mentions sailing it is as if he was talking about the luge as a sport. On the other hand they travel to go skiing, so go figure. Yes, there is no point to this post