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covmutley yoube just missed RYA training down Cardiff bay yacht club but they usualy do one a few months after.
I'll be doing the training down Cardiff bay yacht club when I get chance. Only downside is no training for catamarans but not to much of an issue.
Currently in Cardiff bay yacht club with my brother but may swap to Cardiff yacht club when the boat goes and we get a dinghy or cat.
I'll be doing the training down Cardiff bay yacht club when I get chance. Only downside is no training for catamarans but not to much of an issue.
Currently in Cardiff bay yacht club with my brother but may swap to Cardiff yacht club when the boat goes and we get a dinghy or cat.
Brilliant hobby.
Join a club and do the courses through there. It will be cheaper and more social.
There will be club boats available initially. Of you can get the kids crewing for experienced helms racing they will learn a lot.
The wayfarer is a brilliant boat, bit as others have said I would be tempted to get something wetter! There may be pressure from the children to get a fleet of toppers before long! Sailing doesn't have to be expensive. Join some of the Facebook groups, people are often selling very cheaply or giving boats needing a bit of work away.
Join a club and do the courses through there. It will be cheaper and more social.
There will be club boats available initially. Of you can get the kids crewing for experienced helms racing they will learn a lot.
The wayfarer is a brilliant boat, bit as others have said I would be tempted to get something wetter! There may be pressure from the children to get a fleet of toppers before long! Sailing doesn't have to be expensive. Join some of the Facebook groups, people are often selling very cheaply or giving boats needing a bit of work away.
An update....
It has taken some time admittedly, but I am now at the tail end of a 6 week evening course (level 1) at local RYA club.
I have been learning in a wayfarer, my daughter in a topper and son in an oppie. We are all enjoying it. Last night was week 5 of 6 and was particularly good!
I went out in an RS Feva for the first time, with main sail only. Promptly capsized it as i was sat too far back and just couldn't steer it. Once I sat well forward and could steer, I got to grips with it more and it was great fun. My daughter is older than most kids there and is pretty much having 1 to 1 tuition and so getting on well. My son is happy playing games sailing to secret islands and beaches- I have no idea where they are, but he comes back to the pontoon in the end!
We are all keen to carry on so will have to work out what to do after the last session next week. I suspect for me, i will do the level 2 and look to join the club.
It has taken some time admittedly, but I am now at the tail end of a 6 week evening course (level 1) at local RYA club.
I have been learning in a wayfarer, my daughter in a topper and son in an oppie. We are all enjoying it. Last night was week 5 of 6 and was particularly good!
I went out in an RS Feva for the first time, with main sail only. Promptly capsized it as i was sat too far back and just couldn't steer it. Once I sat well forward and could steer, I got to grips with it more and it was great fun. My daughter is older than most kids there and is pretty much having 1 to 1 tuition and so getting on well. My son is happy playing games sailing to secret islands and beaches- I have no idea where they are, but he comes back to the pontoon in the end!
We are all keen to carry on so will have to work out what to do after the last session next week. I suspect for me, i will do the level 2 and look to join the club.
Having had an accident a couple of years ago, I can say with total confidence that I wouldn't be here now had I not been wearing a life jacket.
I am sure you and your family wear one. Hope so.
I have become a bit of a bore about the subject and can't pass a thread by without saying 'always wear one'.
I am sure you and your family wear one. Hope so.
I have become a bit of a bore about the subject and can't pass a thread by without saying 'always wear one'.
Nice one OP, will add a bit of advice in similar vein to earlier comment. Don't fall into the trap some do of only going out when there is a decent wind. By decent wind don't mean blowing a hooligan but don't avoid those days where others say ah there's hardly any wind, not going out for a drifting match.
Obviously not a dead calm day, but when there is little wind it's amazing to learn under control just how important sail shape and trim is, just what you can achieve by weight position in boat, currents, spotting eddies, little swirls in the wind, shifts and so on. Before long you'll have someone asking how you are able to get it going like that with no wind. They'll think there is no wind, you will know better. Even on a dead calm day if there is a current, then apparent wind means light air experts rule.
Obviously not a dead calm day, but when there is little wind it's amazing to learn under control just how important sail shape and trim is, just what you can achieve by weight position in boat, currents, spotting eddies, little swirls in the wind, shifts and so on. Before long you'll have someone asking how you are able to get it going like that with no wind. They'll think there is no wind, you will know better. Even on a dead calm day if there is a current, then apparent wind means light air experts rule.
Club wont let you even set foot on the pontoon without bouyancy. Kids wear helmets too.
I think one of the good things of doing it over 6 weeks rather than a weekend has been the different wind conditions. One evening the direction shifted almost 90 degrees. It made me think hard!!
I think one of the good things of doing it over 6 weeks rather than a weekend has been the different wind conditions. One evening the direction shifted almost 90 degrees. It made me think hard!!
Edited by covmutley on Wednesday 18th July 12:33
Great plan, go for it.
I started sailing at the age of about 8-9 with my parents in a Mirror (how mum learnt) and from about 11 got access to sailing at high school in a Topper, which was just about soon enough not to loose interest in pooting around with parents 'in a wardrobe' as I heard it described.
Family holiday moved from North France to a fortnight Salcombe (again, where mum went as a child) which was a haven for great sailing well before it was a trendy yuppy town, School sailed in evenings on an inland lake which rarely windy enough to be exciting but good fun as a young teen messing around in your own boat, basic courses, dry capsizes, tuition from a keen teacher with option to do RYA training on summer weekends which I did a few times. They also had some tired GP14's and Wayfarers.
We had a Topper Topaz as a two person boat as a family, very forgiving to sail, cheap and bomb proof for a modern hull, lots of fun as kids. We had the 'race' spec which is the mid-spec option (larger sail on the smaller mast) with the option of adding a spinnaker (which we had and used, but was a pain to rig). The mirror was used with an outboard to get around the harbour and over to the beach the boat was stored on.
My sister got quite into it and sailed a late plywood National 12 at Liegh and Lowton club (bolton way) with my cousin, but being an older single botton (non self draining) hull design it was not much fun the one year we took the boat to salcome estuary.
Later I moved on to using my uncle's RS200 of him at maybe 16-18yo, more powerful and a lot of fun, but you need a reasonable skill and weight to enjoy it and not end up bruised and scared. I am now 30yo and its borderline on my knees, which is why my uncle stopped sailing it., but still a hoot one week a year.
I paid £200 for the RS last year, its 15 yo and the sails are shot, but its a great fun non the less. Like track day cars, boats are not expensive, but if you want to be competitive (in x years time) then you want a race car, which adds a zero or two even if its the same base car!
Daniel
I started sailing at the age of about 8-9 with my parents in a Mirror (how mum learnt) and from about 11 got access to sailing at high school in a Topper, which was just about soon enough not to loose interest in pooting around with parents 'in a wardrobe' as I heard it described.
Family holiday moved from North France to a fortnight Salcombe (again, where mum went as a child) which was a haven for great sailing well before it was a trendy yuppy town, School sailed in evenings on an inland lake which rarely windy enough to be exciting but good fun as a young teen messing around in your own boat, basic courses, dry capsizes, tuition from a keen teacher with option to do RYA training on summer weekends which I did a few times. They also had some tired GP14's and Wayfarers.
We had a Topper Topaz as a two person boat as a family, very forgiving to sail, cheap and bomb proof for a modern hull, lots of fun as kids. We had the 'race' spec which is the mid-spec option (larger sail on the smaller mast) with the option of adding a spinnaker (which we had and used, but was a pain to rig). The mirror was used with an outboard to get around the harbour and over to the beach the boat was stored on.
My sister got quite into it and sailed a late plywood National 12 at Liegh and Lowton club (bolton way) with my cousin, but being an older single botton (non self draining) hull design it was not much fun the one year we took the boat to salcome estuary.
Later I moved on to using my uncle's RS200 of him at maybe 16-18yo, more powerful and a lot of fun, but you need a reasonable skill and weight to enjoy it and not end up bruised and scared. I am now 30yo and its borderline on my knees, which is why my uncle stopped sailing it., but still a hoot one week a year.
I paid £200 for the RS last year, its 15 yo and the sails are shot, but its a great fun non the less. Like track day cars, boats are not expensive, but if you want to be competitive (in x years time) then you want a race car, which adds a zero or two even if its the same base car!
Daniel
dhutch said:
Great plan, go for it. Boat wise the Topper is I think still current, a bit of an odd-one-out for learning as it remains 'transom main' where all modern boats are 'centre main' which is where the main rope for the main sail comes in, having it in a different places changes how you tack quite a bit, but nothing you cant adapt to.
Not any more, centre main is std on the circuit now.Glad the OP and family are enjoying their new thing.
Re buoyancy aids (not 'life jackets' - different thing) my club also did not allow anyone even near the water without one. Consider also taking a sailing knife - some sailing accidents are caused by getting tangled in bits of string.
Re buoyancy aids (not 'life jackets' - different thing) my club also did not allow anyone even near the water without one. Consider also taking a sailing knife - some sailing accidents are caused by getting tangled in bits of string.
Marcellus said:
Not any more, centre main is std on the circuit now.
They do a centre main topper? Fair enough.covmutley said:
Thanks Dhutch, it is really useful to know how people have progressed, especially given that I come from a starting point of knowing sweet FA!
Obviously the wider internet is useful, but at the same time full of opposing opinions.
Yeah absolutely. Obviously the wider internet is useful, but at the same time full of opposing opinions.
I terms of a family and a friendly experience there is a lot to be said for a two person boat, where one steers and controls the main sail (the helm), basically as you would a single handed boat, and the other (the 'crew') sits up front and controls the jib (smaller sail) which can be a great way to teach those new to sailing a flavour of the boat. You can then swap places while still being in the boat to direct or just give confidence.
However in terms of learning from mistakes and having some freedom to do so a suitable robust and forgiving boat like a Topper (or the much smaller Optimist) is great, especially if you are in a club environment where there is an inflatable buzzing around as a support boat to get you out of trouble. The topper sail can also be furled round the mast to 'reef' it in heavier winds when learning. You can pick up a working Topper for £400-600 which is cheap for a whole hobby, and as per the name you can put it on a roof rack even, there are so many they are as much a commodity item as a 10yo fiesta. Else you will pay about the same the trailer as the boat. If you ever get keen on being race competitive you can always sell it again.
At one point we would take three boats down (two on a trailer with twin ladder racks, one on the car) and my uncal would bring another two with his family. Pair of mirrors for getting about, mum might sail one sometimes, various people messing around in the topper/topaz, then later I moved on to the RS, dad who has never been a big sailor quite got into going off on the topper. Sometimes if it was heavy and I wanted a mess about I went back to the topaz.
The topper and topaz have been sold and I only sail occasionally now, and although I did my RYA 2 (before the re-scored it all) and some summer regatta season races as a teenage and super amateur hobby sailor, but I love it still. A few days in the boat during one week a year is enough to remind me how to do it and its worth almost nothing. Hands above the car in the (parents) garage, and other than hitting your head on it from time to time its fine. One day they might ask why its not in my garage but for now I am keeping stum!
Buoyancy aid is what you want, some padding all round, no collar to get in the way/snagged, keeps you afloat and a bit protected from impacts.
Lift jacket has more/all padding on the front and a collar, no good in a small boat, but will keep you face up if not conscious.
As said, typically these days they put younger sailors in a helmet to protect them from the boom, this post dates my sailing experience.
If your in a modern boat in other than sunny conditions a wetsuit isnt a bad idea and are not a lot, most larger outlets have a big used section.
Wet boots are £20 a pop and then only thing to wear in any dingy, get ones with a zip such as the Gull offering.
Super quick hunt finds:
https://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/boat.phtm...
https://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/boat.phtm...
https://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/boat.phtm...
https://sailingdinghies.apolloduck.co.uk/boat.phtm...
Daniel
The helmet for kids is a good idea.
My oldest child's first solo sailing experience (aged about 8) involved him sailing away in his Oppy, when a gust hit and he was blown at vast speed away from everyone else, did an uncontrolled gybe, got whacked in the head by the boom, immediately followed by another uncontrolled gybe, this time the boom whacked him in the face.
He was towed back to the dock covered in blood, gave me a look, and has never been enthusiastic about sailing again.
My oldest child's first solo sailing experience (aged about 8) involved him sailing away in his Oppy, when a gust hit and he was blown at vast speed away from everyone else, did an uncontrolled gybe, got whacked in the head by the boom, immediately followed by another uncontrolled gybe, this time the boom whacked him in the face.
He was towed back to the dock covered in blood, gave me a look, and has never been enthusiastic about sailing again.
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