$ailing
How much does it really cost?
With the recent article on the Forbes Magazine website saying that Yacht Racing was one of the most expensive sports in the world, I began to wonder what my sailing career has cost me. Well, not so much me personally, but my sponsors. I should explain that my sponsors are actually my parents. Good ol Mummy and Daddy!
After reading the article on the website, I asked the question…
“Mummy and Daddy, how much did my sailing cost you over a 12 month period”.
They just looked at me. Like I had asked the most horrid question of all time. I didn’t think they new the answer, until Mum hollered “$35,000 was the most expensive year. And that was just YOU, not your brother.”
HOLY $$$HIT!!!
After I got over the initial shock and picked myself up from the floor, I began crunching numbers. I couldn’t believe my parents had spent that amount of money on sailing for me.
This is what I came up with:
- Brand new Flying Eleven inc. Sails ($15,000)
- Brand new Manly Junior inc. Sails ($11,000)
- Flights from Sydney to Hobart to Melbourne to Perth ($2,000)
- Entry Fees ($500)
- New sailing gear for the colder Tasmanian climate ($500)
- Accommodation ($4,000)
- Food and stuff ($1,000)
- Fuel for drive from Perth to Grafton ($1,000)
And there you have it – a grand total of $35,000 (Australian Dollars)
All I really did as a kid was sail (in between regional softball, national ballet, fishing, duck shooting and sausage making).
BUT…
Is this excessive?
Could it be considered a waste?
Do you think that was too much money to spend of a kid going sailing?
The following year wasn’t so bad because I landed a grant from the NSW Sporting Government. It wasn’t much, but it sure helped in getting me to various events. Real sponsorship could have been an option, but the class rules for both fleets I raced did not allow for sponsorship. It was considered a kids sport. (But a bloody expensive one at that).
Now that I’m an independent adult making my own money, I’m planning on taking up chess…
