Challenges confront sailboat market

Even as the economy recovers from the recession and its lingering effects, “sailing faces pressure from aging baby boomers turning toward powerboats and millennials enjoying broader leisure options,” the South Florida Sun Sentinel of Fort Lauderdale reported, citing industry leaders. According to U.S. Census Bureau data and industry research, the number of U.S. residents who sail has been more or less flat for a decade, “with about 3.5 million to 4 million people” sailing at least once a year and 1.2 million doing so at least seven times a year, the paper reported. The trend comes despite an increase in the U.S. population and a growing propensity for affluent Americans to seek “special experiences” such as sailing, the paper quotes Sailing World magazine publisher Sally Helme.