Also, who the hell cares about sailing? And insofar as someone might, does being a sailor make one an athlete? Is the performance of an olympic sailor related in any way to his physicality, or is it a matter of his expertise with instruments and objects?
Please allow me to defend my only "sport" hobby
1. It is a race with a clear winner.
2. It involves physical strength, endurance, and intelligence at levels much higher than other sports.
3. It doesn't involve motors or (at most levels) technical wizardry that isn't apparent to the spectator.*
4. It can be as simple or as complex as you like. It can be a team sport or solo competition.
5. No two races are ever the same, the field of play itself is changing constantly and adaptation is mandatory.
6. It is the most "eco" of sports. Not only is it non-polluting or otherwise damaging to the environment, but just watching a race brings awareness of nature.
I submit 3 videos for review.
1. Simple, solo competition. The boat brand-new is $7k. Anyone can do it, and there are races from the local to Olympic level. Significant strength and strategy are required.
Laser
2. Small team competition. The boat is $40k. It requires complete understanding of all thy physics/forces involved, significant strength, and a mess of skill. IMHO my favorite type if sailing.
49er (sorry for the music)
3. Large team competition. Boats range from $12k (mine) to
whatever you want. Ellison is rumored to have put $300-$400 million into a single regatta. Crews range from 2-4 (mine) to over 100. On larger boats, not everyone needs to be in shape. A tactician might just talk the whole time, but you will need a few bruisers to move the heavy stuff around.
America's Cup
*There are "open" or "semi-open" races, where you design and build the fastest boat within some guidelines, and that helps boat development. But all Olympic and most general races are based on a single design of boat built by a single company.