Did the first couple of days of my RYA level 1 and 2 at the weekend. Great fun, but my god theres a lot to try and remember and learn. Spent most of the time with a sheet around my feet / arms / neck and a tiller extension up my arse, whilst trying to work out if I was tacking or gybing on a port or starboard tack. – I can feel a new hobby on the horizon.

My eldest two both sail, at the moment its no more expensive than taking them to football on a Saturday morning but if they ever wanted their own kit it looks expensive even by cycling standards. They dragged me around the ranks of parked dinghies at the club they go to the other week and even though I don’t sail or know what I was looking at the inner kit freak in me was desperate to get out. Although my eldest managed to give himself mild concussion a while back after he head butted the boom when he messed up a gybe when it was squally, the landings are usually a lot softer than MTBing

Welcome…

It starts with a Laser, and before you know it, you’re eyeing up RS700s

It’s my main hobby alongside cycling – they compliment each other fairly well as there’s a lot of leg strength and endurance required and if it’s too calm to sail it’s great for bike riding.

It takes a long time to get good at sailing- I’ve been going to our national championships for 16 years and only got my first top 20 last year. But now I’ve got it it’s just like riding a bike – I’ve not sailed at all this year as my dad, who helms, has heart trouble and I suspect I’ll pick up where I left off once we get out again.

Glad you enjoyed it. There is a lot to remember to do it well. Always best to think back to first principles. Fundamentally the first thing newbies tend to do it think about all the strings and terminology when your first objective is always to know where the wind is coming from and looking (and recognising the visual clues) for if it is about to change.

New hobby…….the tricky next step once you can go where you want when you want and stay the right way up (and sort out your shizzle when you don’t) is why? Why are you bobbing around? You might want to become a racer which is great. If that’s your thing. If not it’s a slightly trickier question to answer depending on the geography of where you sail – adventure, journeying, advancing drinking platform. Bobbing around in line of sight of where you launched for the hell of it ‘can’ become a little dull once you can do it without a lot of thought. And depending where you are you ‘might’ find the folk that you race with a little grating. Sailing clubs are great though and most are pretty cheap considering what you get and not as frightfully middle class as people perceive. I’d say it is far more community minded than the equivalent mountain biking collective. You can be part of two communities – your sailing club and also the national association of the class of boat you sail.

I used to sail back in the late 60s to the mid 70s when Windsurfing took over my life and there were a lot of relatively cheap older wooden boats you could spend a winter stripping down and revarnishing and have a pleasant boat for well under £100.
I looked at prices recently and was gobsmacked. Toppers and Lasers really do hold their value don’t they. And the modern performance dinghies are staggering. Unlike a Santa Cruz however you will get a reasonable chunk of money back after 5 years.
A mate in Swanage is getting into foiling Moths (no Perchy, not swatting the little flying buggers). They look insane, I’d love to try one.

Even Lasers are foiling now!

It starts with a Laser

Topper for me, then GP14 and National 12

Often wondered if I could still remember what to do…

In all my rambling I forgot to say how much bloody fun the sport is! Because it is.
I started when we came home from the Boat Show after ordering a Mirror Dinghy kit. Built in the spring, sailed it all summer and a year later Dad had bought a GP14 for him and mum, I had a second OK and we built an Optimist for my brother.
And Tim and I both still spend time on the water. Him in offshore racers and a dinghy at Frensham and me still on Windsurfers.
Its a hobby for life. Well 52 years of mine anyway. 😎

I began in a Topper as well, if I’m being honest. I just classify my ‘proper’ sailing from when I got in to Lasers.

Merlin Rockets, Salcombe Yawls, Wayfarers, whatever. Sailed loads! Never tried a foiling Moth though, but want to!

We did some time in a Comet and Wayfarer (i think) with the instructor and couple of other students before being let loose in a Pico. The Pico felt so cramped and unstable, especially with the wind being a bit gusty. Managed to campsize it twice, by basically rolling out the back of it when the wind died.

My old hobby …
Learnt in a Firefly, taught for two years as an RYA instructor …. have sailed Lasers, toppers , Wayfarers (obviously) , Graduates, International Moths, Jollyboats, Enterprises, Lark … and then I got the windsurfing bug ( ’79 Saundersfoot Beach) …
Bother owns a big boats , so occasionally do that … but it always seems a bit pedestrian. I live right by the sea, and keep on eyeing up various RS boats, and then realise I am 59 ….

started in a mirror, then a GP14, a small yacht and now race occasionally on a Mumm30. (not this one)

MrMoofo. When you mention Jolly boat, do you mean the ones the Navy use, or the one Uffa Fox designed? If the latter we had one, which on some points of sail was quicker than a Boss…

Used to emjoy sailing as a kid, optimists then toppers primarily. Being out at sea in a topper on a beam reach and surfing the swells was great fun. Did a bit of racing but didnt have the concentration really, prefered the adrenaline of just going vast on the verge of control 🙂

All family cloudnine sail..
Our 10 and 8 year old in RS Teras..
Me and Mrs cloudnine in a vago.. but on the lookout to get an RS500.
I’ve barely swung my leg over a bike this year due to sailing distractions.. mainly driving daughters to events and regattas.
I’m now skint.

Yep, Toppers are fun downwind in wave but not so much fun ‘uphill’. A bit like biking really, you earn your ride down.
Edit: Until they start putting motors on boats.

YetiDave,
It was the one that the West Wales Sailing School had … it was basically an non- clinker Osprey / mega firefly. Indeed Uffa Fox …
Very quick on a close reach out on the bay and around the mark of the army firing range … 🙂

Uffa Fox Notes

http://www.uffafox.com/jollyboat-newbuild.htm
this was it

Although my eldest managed to give himself mild concussion a while back after he head butted the boom when he messed up a gybe when it was squally, the landings are usually a lot softer than MTBing

Wait until he slips off a trapeze and lands one leg either side of the stay.

Toppers then 420s in the estuaries of Scotland for me before a trip to Lowestoft then realising the whole thing is a ballache unless you live by the beach. Tides don’t dictate saling times and you can afford your own boats.

Great fun in a howling gale less fun holding onto a bouy with a death grip to stop yourself travelling further backwards as the tay tide trumps the pitiful wind.

I used to love sailing the laser, got back what I paid for it and used it most weekends and a couple of evenings per week.

One of the best feelings is getting it planing and beating your mates, tried racing but never really understood the rules….

Had loads of boats since but I reckon the most fun I have Had is in kayaks and the laser.

My eldest two both sail, at the moment its no more expensive than taking them to football on a Saturday morning but if they ever wanted their own kit it looks expensive even by cycling standards.

It’s probably cheaper, in the mid-term anyway. With most classes being one designs of varying strictness there’s not much to incentivise spending on new kit. If you buy a Laser, other than a MSB/Rooster sail for club racing and making sure all the ropes work properly there isn’t really much to either go wrong. A new one off the production line is faster, but it’s marginal, and filling chips and scratches, and fairing the hull is time consuming, but almost free.

It starts with a Laser, and before you know it, you’re eyeing up RS700s

Topper
Laser
Tempest(!)

In this case…

I do miss a good sail…

Tempest!? Old school heavyweight! Like a water going Tornado!i once looked under the decks of the Hunt/Warren boat and I’ve never seen so many ropes doing god knows what.

So how much does a 420 cost these days then?

Toppers and Wayfarers at school. (Gateway drug). Some competitive 420 crewing before I had a Fireball. That was a whole heap of fun in a blow and testing in light air.

Hey,

Started out crewing cadets, then national 12s followed by Merlin rockets finally fireballs. My father’s was a part-time boatbuilder and built Merlin’s. I still sail now but windsurfers. Crew my father’s westerly yacht occasionally when I can’t think of an excuse;) Favourite boat bar none is a fireball awesome boat and stupid speeds when planing. They have a fleet of fireballs still here in Portishead.

BR
JeZ

I did my level 1 in Greece last year, we had a quick go in a Wayfarer that nearly sunk as the instructor was a newby and we were all sitting too far back with no wind to get the bailers working, rescue boat came out to take a few of us off! We then spent the rest of the course in Harleys. Last two days I took out a Laser, so much fun and although a lot more ‘tippy’ I found them much easier as the deck is nice and flat when you want to hang off the side, whereas the Hartley you had to sit on the edge.

Going back this year but I think we might give the windsurfers a go, and its a bit full on time wise to do windsurfers and dinghy level 2 in the same week. Originally came back with the intention to do my level 2 at a local club but I don’t really have the time, and lovely Mediterranean waters are a bit different to a UK lake/coastal sailing in March!

i once looked under the decks of the Hunt/Warren boat and I’ve never seen so many ropes doing god knows what

I could pull one rope and rake the mast about 4′ backwards, while still under full tension and me on the trapeze 😎
The helm had a downhaul and backstay adjustment that was so powerful you could almost open the leach instead of playing mainsheet…
Get it wrong and you inverted 30′ of mast though…
Get it right and that thing flew off the wind. 50m2 between two of you. 😱😜😎

Ahhhh…. boats and sailing! I’m not sure if this is going to work but I’ll try and stick a photo on here from Flickr of my two lovelies… if the photo doesn’t appear I won’t be spending the rest of the evening trying to figure out why!

[url=https://flic.kr/p/27WsMPi]P1040974[/url] by Tim Betts, on Flickr

Oh! Whoopppeee doo! BB code works! Here they are. They absorb every spare waking and sleeping minute of my life, classic wooden Broads River Cruisers.

The one with the yellow sails I have known since I was an egg, bought by my mother from a hire fleet in 1955. Over the last 15years I have completely refurbished her and she’s now just routine paint and varnish. The other one belonged to my Uncle who has given her to me as he is now too old and unwell to use her.

Sometimes, I kinda hanker after a small plastic sailing dinghy, but then I work or sail these two and I feel blessed 😁🙏💗

Jezzep, ever do Rocket Week down in South Devon?

They are lovely.

Mine was all in plastic boats. Learnt in a laser Stratos (massive thing!) then lazers (a bit) RS400 (fun but too big for Mrsbits and then RS200’s an awful lot where my mass made upwind and high wi d asking a scream. Never had more violent arguments with Mrsbits though…. looking forward to my 6 year old getting big enough to give it a crack!

I also had the pleasure of looking after two of these on Loch Tay. We usually had the loch to ourselves, in all seasons.

“Which way did you go up the beat then?”

🤷‍♂️

I learned to sail dinghies around 6 years ago. Then I went to the RYA dinghy show at Alexandra Palace and got talking to those nice people at the GP14 class association stand who told how great the boats are and within a couple of months I bought my own one. It was quite a learning curve doing the maintenance required to get it up to scratch, but in a way, it adds more to the joy of ownership. However, in the short term this can be avoided if you are able to afford a fairly new dinghy. Sailing Dinghies are generally sold for racing. However they can be cruised in rivers, estuaries and even on the sea, as long as you know what you are doing (and preferably sail in company). Unlike larger boats they can be towed by most normal cars to where you want to sail, rather than having to moor them in a marina somewhere. This means I can keep my dinghy at the local lake but still sail in interesting places. I only wish I had taken this up when the kids were young, but at least I got them started as teens.

Used to race Seaflys in Norn Iron when I was a younger lad. Me dad bought one and we’d sail most Sundays

Great fun!

I learnt to sail in a Lazer with my Dad in the late 70’s, then had a 30 year lay off. For quite a few years now we’ve had a Topper to play around in when it’s too windy to waterski. Toppers are great fun for bungling amateurs as it only required a recollection of the very basics to be able to have a great time. The small size and simplicity means you and the kidz can do it all fairly safely and in control.

Enterprises for me when I was a teenager. I was lucky enough to be a member of Mounts Bay sailing club so my regular racing venue was St Michael’s Mount!

Jezzep, ever do Rocket Week down in South Devon?

Only moved here 8 months ago, but may give it a try. I’ve been a tad bit busy rebuilding the house that needed a fair bit of work on it.

I used to race one of these, I was hooked after seeing the Internal 14s racing a World Cup stage in Beer (Devon).