I think it's alive and well, and living in hundreds of local fleets and clubs, and in the hearts of thousands of individual beachcat sailors who aren't affiliated with any group. Today the "Hobie way of life" may or may not include any actual Hobies, but the life is the same.

My viewpoint of all this is mainly that most anything that raises awareness of our sport will help recruit new participants. I'm looking forward to the day when ESPN's SportsCenter routinely includes a sailing wrap-up. I get tired of trying to explain what a catamaran is, when talking about my weekend plans.