I just followed Matthew’s Drascombe Facebook link and got this “You must log in to continue.” To me, that’s just as bad as the Drascombe Association insisting that I pay to be a member to see some of their more interesting articles, and that I have to log in to see the photos on their site. When I’ve done the latter, I often get a nannying-type message telling me that I’m daring to look at their site while not a member.
The advantage of this forum is that anyone can look at it, you don’t have to log in, learn the secret handshake or roll up your right trouser leg and *gasp* you can even look at the photos without being spied on.
The only reason for drawing parallels between the Drascombe Association story and the current situation over here was due to, in my opinion, mistakes being made by the DA in not starting a FB page and noting the opportunity existed here not to make the same mistake. It's disappointing, therefore, to read this post by a respected and long-standing member over here which is not just factually incorrect but involves being unfairly dismissive of our fellow sailors in the DA, many of whom share an affinity with both brands.
Just for the record, the DA has built up an enviable library of discussions through its forum, all of which are free to access by anyone - these are the equivalent of what I see on this forum, only the DA version has been going for longer and, as a consequence, has lots more content. Behind the membership wall, you get a plethora of additional resources, since membership is chiefly about receiving a quarterly journal, these days amounting to around 50 pages per copy and including a wealth of technical advice and sailing reports. Members also have access to pdfs of the entire library of magazines - around 140 of them. Recently, members also received a bonus publication providing a wealth of updated information about their boats, and in its thirty year history, the DA has done this on a number of other occasions. That's not bad for a sub which is less than most people would pay for their Friday night take away. I don't think membership would be of interest unless one happened to hold an interest in Drascombes. Their association, like this one, is run by volunteers doing their best when they could be out sailing, so let's not be condescending about the achievements of the DA. In many ways, there's lots in both brands for the other to admire. And, if they invite you to join, that's because it's in their interests to try and promote the brand and the Association.
In many ways, promoting the Swallow Yacht brand and the Swallowboat Association is what this thread is about. These days, a younger audience accesses the Internet in a variety of ways, FB being one such way. If we want someone to be around, one day, who values our boats when we finally hang up our oilskins, we would do well to keep the brand and the Association relevant to the younger generation.
