where did you learn to sail.

[BullyB]

My dad showed myself and brother how to sail. We started with Optimists and then Lasers.
We were members of a small sailing club in Derbyshire and they put us all through our RYA qualifications up to dinghy sailing instructor. To repay, we used to teach at the RYA school.

My dad still sails 505's (5.5m long) but I moved to slightly bigger boats

[telford_mike]

tonycordon said:

telford_mike said:

I learned on Cadets at a school sailing centre at Chasewater in Staffordshire when I was about 12.

Converted to yachts a few years ago, just bought a share in a Bavaria 34 in Greece

I do think dinghies are the best way to learn the basics of sailing, but it's easier on a yacht as everything happens so much more slowly.

So did I!( Chasewater that is) I don't know which era you enjoyed, but mine was early 60's I do remember 'My name's Simpkins...Call me sir' as the guy who ran the school.
We had a great time, but I didn't really follow up on a good start.

Early 70s for me. Remember sleeping in a tent as there wasn't enough room in the dorms for all us kids. Guy running the place was certainly a tyrant, mind you he needed to be to keep our lot under control. I didn't sail again until I bought a Laser when I was in my 30s. Nowadays dinghies are just too much like hard work - I need a boat with a fridge full of beer and a bimini!

[Quinny]

Frensham Ponds.. ah they were good days

GP14's, Enterprise, and others I can't remember...

[brickwall]

Completely agree that it's best to learn on dinghies first.

I spent a week on a school trip on Lake Biscarrosse age 11 learning on a topper, then a week on Derwentwater every year until I was 14. Then many many weeks in Seaview.

Yachts: Ionian as a kid, then all over the Med since then.

[MBBlat]

Brother D said:

I would love to carry on doing dingy sailing but am way too old. (Well past 30 with a bad back).

At mid 40's I'm one of the younger dart helms at my club, even the musto skiff guys seem to be in their 30'3 & 40's.
As for the bad back, as long as you stay away from Lasers you will be fine.

Back to topic - learnt to sail in a mirror dingy my dad built in his garage. Moved onto Toppers then a Laser 2. Raced 420's at school.

[the_lone_wolf]

Learned by joining a racing crew after nothing more than a few hours in a Drascombe Lugger - learn fast, grind hard...

Probably completed more manoeuvres in three seasons than some cruisers have in their whole lives...

[Kneetrembler]

Bembridge Harbour sailing Scows,then ASC'S and Gig's, after that then moved onto sailing on Square Riggers,then back down to Scods etc etc

[Marcellus]

I learnt on a basin of the regents canal at angel islington in optomists and tabors when i was 9

The down to bewl water with a topper, enterprise and gp14.

Stopped when i was 18.

Finlly started agin at the age of 4, and am DI, and SI qualified and racing Lasers (badly)!

[schmalex]

I learned on Cadets when I was about 10. Moved to Toppers and then Lasers where I competed internationally for a couple of years. I then moved to 470's in a bid to go to the '92 Olympics, but came 4th in the trials in the summer of '91

At the same time, I moved into keelboats and found I was rather fast offshore and ended up winning JOG Junior Champion in 1991, RORC class 3 and Fastnet (IMS2 and CHS2) in 1992. We were also lucky enough to win RORC class 3 in 1993 & 1994.

After that, I kind of focused on inshore stuff and worked a few campaigns through the '90's whilst I was at University and starting work. Nowadays, I do a bit of 2 handed and fully crewed round the cans stuff, but am nowhere near as quick as I used to be and don't get out anywhere near as often as I would like.

[dirty boy]

Almost the usual, although I learnt in a Waveney (#2) with my Grandfather. It was a one design keel boat built in the early 1920's, I think there's a sizeable fleet still racing to this day.



I 'think' it may have been 86 I was bought Optimist K3322 (See below, my old man in his Merlin chasing me down!)

Did a lot, won a lot, managed to get my name on most things Then some little chap called Nick Asher came on the scene and stole my thunder (he's a two time world champion now so fair play.)



I sailed a Mirror as crew with a couple of mates if it didn't interfere with my racing, then I got too big and sailed the Merlin with Dad, did the Silver Tiller, also with my old Physics teacher. Then I found girls and miss boats a lot.

I would often scrounge crewing jobs on all sorts, but gave up completely, and haven't set foot in sailing boat since 2000.

Never mind.

[dirty boy]

MBBlat said:

Brother D said:

I would love to carry on doing dingy sailing but am way too old. (Well past 30 with a bad back).

At mid 40's I'm one of the younger dart helms at my club, even the musto skiff guys seem to be in their 30'3 & 40's.
As for the bad back, as long as you stay away from Lasers you will be fine.

Back to topic - learnt to sail in a mirror dingy my dad built in his garage. Moved onto Toppers then a Laser 2. Raced 420's at school.

When I sailed, there was a chap called Alan Guisborne who was sailing a green laser well into his 60s. Appropriately it was named

"Green Coffin"

[Cyder]

I learnt in Oppies and then crewed in GP14's for while before moving on to crewing in Mirror's before helming one, raced the Mirror's all over the country and competed in a number of National and Inland Championships along with regional competitions.

Once I outgrew the Mirror we got a RS200 and campaigned that for a while competing in a couple of Nationals again before I went to Uni. Kept it for a couple of years and recently sold it as it's just not being used enough.

Hoping once we buy a house (looks like early next year) I'll be able to save up to buy another boat.

[chrisga]

Learnt when I was 8 when my Dad negotiated a ride for us in a mirror dinghy with a chap he met while camping on the edge of Coniston Water. Proper swallows and amazons. We were hooked. Dad bought a mirror to sail on the local river when we got home and it kind of snowballed from there really.

For various reasons over the last few years from being very involved in my club, my interest has waned somewhat though I occasionally get out for a blast as I still have both my boats.

[tokyo_mb]

Ardleigh reservoir near Colchester, on Toppers, Enterprises and Wayfarers.

Graduated to a GRP Scorpion and a wooden International 14 (the latter which I am about to work on over this winter to get back in the water next year - at least 25 years since its last outing).

[scotty_d]

From my father, was on the water from a very young age learning "the ropes" on his yachts, had a few dingys over the years, 440, lasers, topper, enterprise, to name a few. I had a half share in a yacht around 4 years ago, sold out now have a little bayliner as its quick and easy for our needs.

I do fancy a wet deck dingy again.

Edited by scotty_d on Friday 7th November 04:31

[XJSJohn]

Riff Raff said:

telford_mike said:

I do think dinghies are the best way to learn the basics of sailing, but it's easier on a yacht as everything happens so much more slowly.

Sometimes it happens a bit quick on a keel boat.....



Famous photo of Silk II taken by Beken of Cowes.

been there, done that ..... buried my SJ35 up to the mast step a few times, had the rudder clear out of the water a few times (its 1.3meters draft) and slapped the top of the wast in the oggin a few times, racing in the tropics includes tropical storms

I started by mucking about as a kid because my dad was into boats, but he never raced. I got bored of that so started crewing on dinghy's .... then started asking (pestering) the owners of the keelboats that raced. Stuck on the bow first, then became a lanky late teens so moved to the mast (long arms means the spin goes up fast), then moved on to Nav/ tactician and helm. Now the proud owner of a racing wreak!!

edit - as to that picture, fantastic shot of how to make an X Yacht stop fast .... as i remember there was a squall warning that went out on the radio from Race Com to say that it was going to get breezy at calshot ... 2 minutes later and Silk's skipper thought he was a U Boat commander!!!

Edited by XJSJohn on Friday 7th November 05:22

[Riff Raff]

XJSJohn said:

Riff Raff said:

telford_mike said:

I do think dinghies are the best way to learn the basics of sailing, but it's easier on a yacht as everything happens so much more slowly.

Sometimes it happens a bit quick on a keel boat.....



Famous photo of Silk II taken by Beken of Cowes.

been there, done that ..... buried my SJ35 up to the mast step a few times, had the rudder clear out of the water a few times (its 1.3meters draft) and slapped the top of the wast in the oggin a few times, racing in the tropics includes tropical storms

I started by mucking about as a kid because my dad was into boats, but he never raced. I got bored of that so started crewing on dinghy's .... then started asking (pestering) the owners of the keelboats that raced. Stuck on the bow first, then became a lanky late teens so moved to the mast (long arms means the spin goes up fast), then moved on to Nav/ tactician and helm. Now the proud owner of a racing wreak!!

edit - as to that picture, fantastic shot of how to make an X Yacht stop fast .... as i remember there was a squall warning that went out on the radio from Race Com to say that it was going to get breezy at calshot ... 2 minutes later and Silk's skipper thought he was a U Boat commander!!!

Edited by XJSJohn on Friday 7th November 05:22

There are a couple of versions of that photo. The one I posted above has had the colour balance fiddled about wit to make it look more dramatic weather wise. I have another version of the photo on the wall of my office, which is more true to life I think, with the water that greeny blue colour that you so often seem to get in the Solent.

[schmalex]

The bowman was on the bow at the time that they pitchpoled, as they had literally just popped the kite before the squall came through, so he was busy gathering the #3 on to the foredeck.

I was racing an Mumm 36 that day and it was bloody windy generally, averaging around 30kts TWS across the race course if I remember correctly. The squall came through at around 45 - 50kts TWS and caused a lot of carnage.

It is a great photo, though. A big to Beken!

[popeyewhite]

Learnt to sail a Mirror dinghy on a small lake near Winsford. Highlight of my maritime jollies was nearly getting sunk during the Fastnet off Anglesey many years ago. I wasn't in a Mirror, obviously.

[Norwegian Blue]

Toppers on Ardingly reservoir as a kid, plus driving motorboats and tenders. Dropped it until my twenties, then one each of Neilson, Mark Warner and Sunsail holidays with dinghy sailing and windsurfing included, then bought an old shed of a dinghy. Since done bareboat charter, day skipper, and more dinghies in the Med. Now sprogged up, boatless and missing it.

Plenty of unfashionable bargains out there (our 2-hander was £800) but I wouldn't fancy going through the early falling-in stages somewhere as cold as Cardiff. Med'd be much better, and you can always sit on the beach if you hate it. Single-handers will teach sail and boat trim the fastest, then 2-handers will teach multiple sails and teamwork.

Plenty of people do go straight to keelboats, but the ones I know never seem to fill me with confidence in their abilities.