Hey Baydog, check this out.
Colie Sails, based in beautiful downtown Point Pleasant, NJ, is now advertising on their website that they have RS Aeros for sale.
That's just down the road from you.
Oh shit, now I've mentioned it on my blog, some of my other readers in NJ are probably going to be going to Colie Sails to buy RS Aeros too. Then all those sailors' friends will see how much fun they are having in their RS Aeros and before you know what's happened all the cool kids (of all ages) on Barnegat Bay will be sailing RS Aeros and there will be RS Aero regattas up and down the Jersey Shore and somewhere like Brant Beach Yacht Club will be running the RS Aero Atlantic Coasts and there will be 70 boats entered...
Move fast Baydog. You need to head down there today and buy an RS Aero before they are all sold out. Even better, give Clay Johnson a call and reserve your RS Aero right now.
Let me know when you have your RS Aero and I promise I will come to New Jersey and sail with you.
This could be you Baydog
Wait, is that a girl?
28 comments:
That IS a girl, not that there's anything wrong with sailing like a girl.......Evidently the optimal weight for sailing an RS Aero is somewhere between 120 and 200 pounds, which would have ruled me out when I was a sophomore in High School. Lovely boat, that Aero, but made for a much leaner sailor like you, Tillerman! I do believe there may be an interest on the Bay for them, if Clay is promoting them. Stay tuned
Too bad Baydog. I was so looking forward to blasting around the bay with you in our RS Aeros.
If that's what it takes for you to come sail on Barnegat Bay, then I hope they become popular soon!
Well, I could be tempted by other things...
Softshells
Yum!
Dare I say BayBitch?
Go Colie! But a word of caution. At 2 boats a day RS will never reach a time when a buyer can be sure of getting the product promptly. I think I have the first Aero in Jersey, and it took eight months to get delivered. Can't wait to have someone to sail with, but I know I may have to wait.
Not sure I need an RS, but I'm game for sailing with Baydog and a sampling of whatever he's cooking up that day.
To be fair Jay, when the RS Aero was launched last year, RS Sailing announced that orders placed at that time in the US would be fulfilled in May 2015. And that's exactly what happened for those of us, like you and me, who placed orders early enough to be allocated boats in the first 10 boats shipped to the east coast.
One of the sailors at our RS Aero Regatta last weekend decided early this summer that he wanted to buy an RS Aero, and after a little frustration in his being unable to get a prompt delivery from his local RS Sailing distributor, RS Sailing arranged to ship a boat rom the mid-west to him and he got his boat in July.
And in discussions with a couple of potential RS aero buyers in the last few weeks I discovered that the dealer in CT had two brand new RS Aeros in stock and they could have had immediate delivery if they had decided to buy.
The rate of production is not really the issue. What really matters is that dealers are prepared to take the risk to order boats from RS Sailing even if they are not all pre-sold to customers.
I believe the nearest other RS Aero to you is at Sebago Canoe Club in Brooklyn. They have a regatta, the Sebago Cup, this weekend. Go over there and race.
Or even better, Jay, host an RS Aero Regatta on one of the inland lakes in North Jersey next year. If you build it, they will come!
First of all, May was not what I was told, but who cares now? I couldn't have sailed it in the winter anyhow.
According to my source, http://sailboatdata.com, the average annual rate of production for the most popular small boats has been: Sunfish - 4615, Laser International - 2333, Optimist - 5882 for a yearly total of 10889. The current Aero production rate is 730, or 6.7% of the average demand over the past 40-60 years. I may be even more optimistic about the Aero than you, perhaps because my specialty is technology, not racing, and based on performance I don't see any reason for anyone to buy Sunfish or Laser, and I think at least half the market for the Optimist should go for the Aero 5.
I am not in the regatta business, but, believe it or not, I have actually considered buying a fleet of Aeros so I can take professional level HD video of the best of the racing and recreational games we developed over the past 18 years. Maybe Colie will solve my problem less expensively.
Jay, you definitely should buy a fleet of RS Aeros. I am sure Clay would give you a good discount on orders of 12 or more. Looking forward to seeing the video!
None of our racing games require more than six boats. How about you talking your club members into getting Aero's, and I will shoot the videos on your lake. Actually I could go to England where large fleets already exist, and save myself a few bucks. They play the pirate race at South Cerney, but I don't think they have Aeros yet.
Jay, we are doing our best to persuade more club members at Massapoag YC to buy Aeros. We currently have 3 Aeros actively racing with the Laser fleet. The Aeros have been getting a lot of interest at the club. Almost every time I rig the boat somebody comes over and starts asking me questions about it. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a few more Aeros at the club next year.
You are welcome to come and shoot some "professional level HD video" of the RS Aeros racing at MYC. But we are not in the recreational games business.
I'm looking for my next boat. It won't be an RS, but certainly you, Baydog, and all FOB - friends of Baydog - will be welcome to come over for a ride (one or two at a time). Will be a long shipping time, so it will be a while yet.
What kind of boat are you thinking of Pandabonium? According to this map on the RS Aero Class website there is at least one RS Aero already in Japan. Just saying.
I want a bit more room than the RS Aero affords - enough for K and perhaps a couple of guests. The boat I'm looking at is the Laser Performance Bahia.
Panda, I'm very interested in the Bahia as well. It looks like a fun blend of a sporty boat you could sail single handed if you want, but also could race with one or two crew, and then also daysail with 4 to 5 people.
Somebody needs to start a Laser Bahia sailing blog. What would be a good name for it?
"Baybay blog" - sorry about that. Bahia is Espanol for Bay. my2fish - my thoughts exactly about the Bahia. Gives one lots of options. For me it would also save the 2700 yen (about $22.50) winch launching fee I now pay every time I go sailing.
...as if one ever buys a boat to save money. ;)
I have two RS Aeros in stock and ready to go at Colie Sails right now. Act quickly though because I'm getting antsy and may take one for a test sail next week! Also working on Colie Sails covers for the Aero too!
Changed my mind. Bluesette has a lot years left in her. More than I have yen ;)
Baydog, you might want to give Clay a call this weekend....
Great news Clay. I would definitely be in the market for an RS Aero top cover from Colie Sails.
RS Aero is probably beyond my means, but I did look at them at Albert Park (Melbourne, Australia) the other weekend when long time Laser sailor suggested that this is what Laser sailors had wanted for years.
I like Laser, and my daughter likes hers.
Mine has a USA sail with Clay Johnson's name on its a cover. Thanks Clay.
As a long time Laser sailor myself I do understand that sentiment. The RS Aero does take the "Laser experience" and translate it to another level - faster, more responsive, more exciting - dare I even say more comfortable?
On the other hand, strangely enough, I am finding that I am enjoying sailing my Laser even more now that I have an RS Aero too. And I think sailing the RS Aero is even improving my Laser sailing skills. Looks like I will be sailing both boats for the foreseeable future.
Jay, would it be possible to email me... Todd@RSSailing.com
I'f like to work with you through your concerns.
If you're looking for a Aero in New Jersey Clay is your man! I'm sure it won't be long until it catches on down there.
As explained above, the delay in supply of boats was a result of lack of inbound supply from our distributor. We have solved this issue with this distributor but have decided to move on an have recently appointed a new distributor to ensure we do not leave customers wanting Aeros with no supply.
On the production end, we can make more than 2 boats a week. Not sure where those numbers come from and you admitted your not in this business. Numbers have crashed since 2007 and while those numbers may have been believable then, since then guessing with some information I have:
Sunfish: Less than 1K per year
Lasers: Around 2K worldwide sounds believable but just barely
Optis: There are probably 4-500 sold throughout the U.S. per year. Being one of the biggest Opti countries I find nearly 6K worldwide to be a lot.
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