K.C., I must be getting my copy of the DSQ a bit before you then ("G" certainly comes before "W" in the alphabet - is that the reason?
)
I must admit I was inspired by reading these very same articles. Reading them in juxtaposition I was struck by some rather interesting conclusions.
Like you, I also live in a place that one could describe as a "sailing mecca". I do sail in several areas a few dozen miles apart. In one, I've definitely noticed an increase in the number of sails that are on the water on a nice afternoon. Not a large number, but quite a good percentage seem to be small boats launched from some nearby shore, not just bigger boats passing through. This is one of a few indicators that make me think I'm seeing a small uptick in small-boat interest.
The other place holds the weekly beer-can race. There, the number of small boats is fluctuating from week to week, but the pattern seems to be middle-aged guys (and occasional mixed crews) joining. Which leads me to thinking that it there's something to the idea of sailing as a "life-stage" sport, as opposed to "life-long". If there's something to that, why not embrace that if you are interested in increasing participation?
Locally, youth outreach made a big jump when a new community sailing program opened a few years ago. A bit out of the way for me to get involved or to experience trends first hand.
Then there's the one place where you can casually rent a sailboat. Am told that they have the "line around the block" every time there's a nice sailing weekend in summer. Seems to be the case that more people like to have multiple things going on in their lives, and boat ownership doesn't work for them. Also probably reflects the fact that more people live in the city again (which happens to be close) and couldn't keep a boat other than in a marina.
As for the DSA as an organization, the articles seemed to imply that they are fixed on only one mode of enjoying a DS when the signs are that this is a shrinking piece of the pie. Seems like if you can't make it to the Nationals or belong to one of the few fleets you don't really "belong"... The article by CCS shows how narrow that perspective is.
I see events like the Tx200 and the various Florida challenges as developments that bring back some excitement and adventure to small boat sailing. The other direction would be the skiffs, moths and other "fast" modern boats, but they don't necessarily fit the same "life-stage".