You. Yes you. You are the problem. It's all your fault.
What me? What problem?
The decline of the boating industry. It's all your fault.
Me? Why me?
Because you're sitting in front of a computer and according to Thom Dammrich, president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, the reason why his members aren't selling so many boats these days is all because of computers.
Yes those damn computers. Instead of going out for a blast around the bay you're sitting in front of a computer reading mindless blogs while the marine manufacturing industry is going down the drain and it's all your fault. At least that's what our Thom is reported as saying at SignOnSanDiego.com today. Or words to that effect. Kind of.
I guess it's a theory. I'm tempted to list all the ways in which computers support and enhance the sport of sailing and why anyone in Mr Dammrich's position should be finding even more ways to leverage the power of computers and the Internet to promote the sport of sailing and incidentally his members' businesses.
But no. I'll leave it up to you dear reader. As it's all your fault in the first place. Tell Mr Dammrich what you think of his opinion in the comments to this post. Knock yourself out.
Oh, and by the way, if you were going to chose someone to promote an activity that is often seen (unfairly of course) as a pursuit of the idle wealthy classes, don't you think you would find someone with a better name than Damn Rich?
Thanks to Anon north of 49 for the heads up on this one.
4 comments:
You filed this in the right place Tillerman. "Utter Nonsense".
People are no longer wasting fuel driving to different showrooms to check out the latest and greatest boat, in return meaning that are cutting down the amount of harmful gases that are already pumped into our atmosphere.
Instead, people are now surfing the net in an effort to find the perfect boat for them, which when advertised on the net, is a huge amount more than what you would find if limited to the means of a car and a road.
People are still buying boats, however now they have more to choose from, meaning that sellers and people in the marine industry need to also change with the times and advertise their product in new and exciting ways to ensure they are always in the forefront of the buyers nose.
I believe that the internet and computers have brought the marine world closer together. If it wasn't for a computer, I would never have come across Tillerman, his insights or his wisdom.
Ok, so maybe I am going on a little, but I have the honest belief that computers/internet has strengthened the marine industry because now we are more open to it with the power of cyber communication.
That's my 18 cents worth.
Right on og. My sentiments exactly.
I might add that if it weren't for computers and blogging and this blog in particular, I would just be drifting around on a MacGregor, rather than spending lots of money on racing and making racing boats better so they can go faster. So for me, computers have increased my boating activity. That's all to Tillerman's credit.
I might also add that the fuel-cost thing doesn't really hold water either. Since I've gotten into boats that seldom even have motors stuck on the back, that's not a factor.
OTOH, the author of the referenced article does seem to factor fuel costs (for fueling the boat rather than for getting to the boating venue) as a reason for the decline in boating. This leads me to infer that he deals with boats that consume quantities of fuel. I must therefore conclude that he is not a sailor.
For me, it's not about want, but about money. I'm trying to save up every penny for about 2-3 grand to get myself an I14. About now I have 1 thousand, and with the internship hunt for the summer going to hell, I'll be lucky to crack 2 thousand dollars.
I'd love to be sailing right now. I just have nothing to do it with.
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