Sailing Dinghies

Sailing somehow manages to be many sports in one, which is perhaps why it has such broad appeal. On a calm sunny day it is as serene and elegant a sport as you could wish for, if lying back and watching the cat's paws of wind toying with a sail can honestly be called a sport. At the other extreme a racing dinghy, heeled hard over and scudding through the spray with you hanging off it hooked up to a trapeze, can be every bit as white knuckle as white-water sports.

Dinghies come in all shapes and sizes from Lasers and other racers that look more like windsurfing boards than boats to the reassuringly wide-bottomed and matronly wooden. Wayfarers. Many beach resorts also now offer one-man catamarans for first-timers and learners. The more stable (and lower performance) boats are more reassuring for beginners but in general whatever type of dinghy you choose it is a very easy sport to get going on.

Most introductory courses start with a brief introduction to the parts of the boat, the rigging and a few basic nautical terms before launching into the control of sail and steering by means of the tiller and the sheets (the ropes that control sails). After that you're off, learning to turn with the wind behind you (gybe) or to zigzag across the face of it (tack) so that you can complete a triangular course.

We don't (yet) have compulsory licences for sailing so it's up to you how much or little tuition you want to take though I would strongly recommend the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) dinghy sailing course in the UK and its equivalents worldwide for the mix of a little theory and a lot of practical application. A couple of weekends - or three or four days on the beach - is all you need to come away with a little certification and a big dollop of confidence.

Sailing takes no time to learn and years to master, so you can be up and running in an hour or so and sailing happily for the rest of your life. You may be content to simply noodle around in circles, reliving children's stories from your youth, or you may want to speed things up a bit by starting to race. Racing is commonly seen as the best way of learning in a hurry. It takes a bit of commonsense so as not to get in the way of others, but most clubs are more than happy to encourage beginners to have a go. There is no quicker way of gaining boat-handling skills and recognising those fine touches that distinguish the master mariners from those merely messing about (perfectly noble ambition though that is).

Never let anyone try to convince you that dinghy sailing isn't real sailing, or is somehow inferior to racing in forty-metre monsters. For many purists dinghy sailing is the only real deal due to the way that even the slightest detail of your boat handling will affect the craft's performance. It offers an understanding of wave and water and requires a delicacy of touch that can sometimes be lacking in larger boats. A love of dinghies has inspired people to perform all manner of extreme feats and epic journeys in craft little larger than a bathtub.


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