I have recently bought an RS400 as a first ever dinghy. I'm very inexperianced in sailing anything other than windsurf boards, and my crew is not much better either, coming down from large yachts. I'm worried that I'm going to cause some serious injury to either one of us, or to other water users and really don't want to do so.

So, I'm looking for some instruction. I'm prepared to pay, and want to get on with it ASAP. A couple of full days would (I think) get me pretty competent at handling safely. So What does anyone suggest? I'm based in Bath, so there is my local club, Chew, but there is a waiting list to join the waiting list (no joke, there really is!) or there is pretty much anywhere between Weymouth and Portsmouth on the south coast. Weymouth is the obvious place, but there will be no instuctors back until late spring, and I really don't want to wait that long.

Anyone who owns sa 400 and wants to earn some money at the weekend, then I'm sure we could come to an arrangement!!

Join the RS class asscoiation and they will be able to put in touch with one of the 40 odd coaches that they have trained up. Usually the association prefer to teach in groups as the learning scope of all attending increases but I'm sure they will point you in the right direction. They have on-line boat coaching including tacking, Gybing, windward and leeward mark rounding plus boat set up. You can play these over abe over again to study what yo bother should be doing.

Failing that ask the RYA of instructors in your area and pay one of them for a weekend of coaching to get you started on the basics.  Did you not think of doing a basic dinghy course prior to the capital outlay? A course won't have to be on a 400. Any boat will do as the principles are the same, the 400 will just be a bit quicker and more sensitve to boat trim. Then later on do some training on the 400 to hone the techniques that are 400 specific. 

Have fun

Yep, did the RYA level 1/2 course, but that was in October and feels like quite some time ago,. I have been unable to get into another dinghy since then, and for someone of my age (29, so past the youth squads by quite some way!) and with no contacts in sailing its almost impossible to get someone to simply go out for the day so I can be sure I can handle the boat without risking life and limb. Rigging it is fine, tuning I obviously have no idea. The local RYA centres have closed down their training until late spring (Weymouth being a prime example) and most of the instructors seem to have gone abroad for the winter (who can blame them!!) so unless I wait until spring, I'm a bit stuck.

Personally I would happily just launch and carve my way through any fleet that happened to be out at Weymouth on the day, but with the crew being my other half, and in posession of the sanity chip, I've been told I should probably make sure I can sail safely first…...

On the other hand, the water will be warmer by spring, and maybe those centres are closed for a reason. If your other half is less committed than you are, you might put them off for good trying to learn at this time of water, with the swimming sessions this is likely to involve. Maybe best to keep it fun at a warmer time of year. Just a thought. 

Well, I'm still happily windsurfing and on the south coast, I honestly believe the water never gets too cold. As long as the air temp is above 8c, its normally fine. With sailing I expect to be able to go a little colder as I can actually wear hat, gloves and boots! The other half has all the equipment (drysuit, thermals etc) and has spent enough time on yachts to know how cold it can be.

So water temp won't put us off, just he lack of instructors!!

Unless you both have a very good sense of humour, and decent dryuits...I'd wait. The 400 isn't the hardest boat to sail, but if you're learning then a swim is more than likely, and in the winter that can rapidly turn unpleasant.

Probably the best next step would be to get some high performance sailing DVDs so you can get your head around asymmetric sailing (did you do that on your course?) and then take yourselves off to Menorca sailing as soon as they open in May and get some quality instruction in warmer waters...they have 400s there.

Not a lot of yachting this time of year either, come to that. Because it is cold, damp and miserable.

By the way, I used to sail with my wife. Note the tense. My advice, keep it fun.

Now that's a bloody good idea. I'll post on the RS400 newsgroup and see what i can do.

Other than that, it seems I'm mad to try to get into sailing until the spring....?

Guess windsurfing will have to do until then.

Hi Wes,

If you are wanting some professional coaching then you could get in touch with Jon Emmett:

http://www.jonemmettsailing.co.uk/ - http://www.jonemmettsailing.co.uk/

I am sure that he could help with 'one to one' coaching. Also, he is based in the south (East Grinstead) albeit it is quite a distance from where you are in Bath. I hope that this helps.

Ian   (Yorkshire Dales S.C.)

Wes,  I sail at Chew and can offer you some teaching down at Chew, might have to speak to the Principal Instructor first, but im sure you can come down and sail as a guest if not.I can teach up to sailing with spinnakers with my principals authority but otherwise just the basics. PM me if your interested and i'll see what i can do.

Yep - started to meet those guys now. I've joined BCYC, went for my first sail there last Saturday (who needs wind!!) and hoping to get out again this weekend.

Cheers for the heads up tho.