beginners needing advice

I learnt to sail at South Cerney. There are several lakes but I learnt at SCSC's Cadet Sqn, using real Cadets before moving onto crewing Scorpions until I got my own boat. The man who ran the Cadets is doubtless dead by now (it's 30 years ago and he was 60-something even then - sailed a Seafly) but the Cadet Sqn is great. If SCSC had kept it's youth thing still going then that is without doubt the best way for your boys to go.

Otherwise, cannot fault the advice of andymck.

My Dad was in the same shoes as yourself in 1980. Learn't to sail then bought a Miracle. Cracking boat for a beginner. However, there was only one other at SCSC (Komoshun - odd I can remember the boat's name but the name of the Cadet man escapes me) and that was only rarely sailed so he spent most of his time at the back of a handicap fleet. If he had got himself an Albacore he would have been one of many and enjoyed himself better. I stayed with the Cadets, racing against 5-8 others and am still sailing today. He got frustrated at being the only Miracle and gave up.

The moral (of my tale at least) is that choosing the the theoretically perfect boat doesn't always provide the perfect solution when placed in the context of the Sailing Club.

Actually, I remember South Cerney as being quite large for a gravel pit but then I was 10 and about 4'8" at the time so my memory may be skewed.

Don - that was his name! Glad I remembered, it would have p'd me off otherwise.

Originally posted by bluegeorge I think it would be really easy for us to get caught up in the excitment of buying our first boat and get it completly wrong.

I've seen some *horrendous* family rows about "the first scratch" with brand new boats. Much better that someone else should have done the damage already on your first boat:-) Keep the "first new boat" extra excitement for a way down the road...

Thnk a bit about how you are going to sail too... If its going to be you and one youngster at a time then of the boats listed on the South Cerney website I have a lot of time for the RS Feva in its XL package. If they will be sailing together without parent then if the website is any guide at all the Cadet is the one to pick. But there's also a lot to be said for an old Topper for each of you:-)

What I always advise is to get a feel for what its like pulling the boats round your club's dinghy park. Especially consider if the youngsters are cold and tired, you've sent them off to the shower and you're pulling it back to its berth on your own!

Edited by JimC

Bluegeorge, With all of the boats listed you should be fine at south cerney, its a small sheltered lake, so i would very much doubt you will find them to much.  A laser 2000 is a good shout.  Very robust, loads of room for you to grow into (in terms of ability) and they have excellent residule values

Good luck with the sailing, as always the more you put in the more you will
get hooked.

Andy

AndyMck is absolutely right.

Find a club, crew or borrow boats for a while, determine what the active classes at the club are and select the one that most closely fits the bill. Talk to the owners and class association, and get advice on buying second hand. Only buy when you are completely sure that you will make use of it.

As mentioned by others here, there are too many boats in dinghy compounds that were bought brand new by people new to the sport that have been sailed twice in the last 10 years, and its funny how these boats tend to be those labelled as family racer/cruiser !! ie. Topper Sport 14 & 16, etc. etc.

Paul