how old were you when you started sailing?
Printed From: Yachts and Yachting Online
Category: General
Forum Name: Beginner questions
Forum Discription: Advice for those who are new to sailing
URL: http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9437
Printed Date: 12 Aug 25 at 6:53pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.665y - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: how old were you when you started sailing?
Posted By: r2d2
Subject: how old were you when you started sailing?
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 10:28am
Replies:
Posted By: bferry
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 10:30am
|
Thanks r2d2 ------------- Bernard Vareo 249 Miracle 2818 Malta |
Posted By: pondmonkey
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 10:46am
| 6 weeks old... Vivacity 20 at Thames Estuary Yacht Club |
Posted By: Max McCarthy
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 10:52am
|
6 years old, in a topper was my first experience sailing, I only really took it up when aged 9 though ------------- Vintage skol moth 3438 |
Posted By: bferry
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 10:58am
|
I had a taster in a Laser at the age of 25 on a lake in It’s fantastic to see the young kids at our club in their Oppies. I wonder how many kids actually carry on sailing when they get older. ------------- Bernard Vareo 249 Miracle 2818 Malta |
Posted By: Mister Nick
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 11:26am
|
Did a little bit of Sonata sailing when I was very young (I guess about 5 or 6), joined my local Sea Scout group and did lots of sailing with them and then got bought a Laser Pico which my dad taught me to race in. Carried on doing lots of sailing with my scout group and eventually moved into yacht racing when I was about 12. We then sold the Pico and bought an RS500 (which we still have now). Eventually, the owner of the yacht that I predominantly raced on sold her and bought something smaller, and dad ended up buying a J80 which we're now racing! (I'm now 16). I'm so glad I started sailing, I don't think it would be worth me waking up every morning unless I had the promise of a great weekend on the water to keep me going! ------------- |
Posted By: r2d2
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 11:47am
|
Wednesday afternoon sailing with the school in wayfarers, mirrors and toppers
actually I seem to remember detentions from the sports teacher were spent sanding the hull of his mirror
|
Posted By: patj
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 1:38pm
| Sailed on Brightlingsea boating lake as a child then motor cruisers and zodiacs until took up dinghy sailing aged 40+. Only really got into it when I joined a club after I'd divorced - the ex wasn't the joining-in type and regarded sailing clubs as snobby. |
Posted By: Roger
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 4:21pm
|
Dad stuck me in the front of his Yashting World Dayboat before I was out of nappies, sail up the Ribble at Fleetwood.
Racing from the age of about 10, I was fortunate the school had a couple of boats, and Cheshire Schools had use of Tatton Mere, so sailed and raced there most of the way through my teens.
|
Posted By: pondmonkey
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 4:24pm
what??? you mean yotting was allowed up north back then??? 
|
Posted By: Rupert
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 4:27pm
|
I was 9, having only sailed toy boats before that. Made sure my kids didn't start so late - the younger one was 6 weeks old, the older 3months, as the weather was cooler. A decade or so on, both a now good sailors and really enjoy mucking around in boats of any sort. ------------- Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686 |
Posted By: Roger
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 4:39pm
I'm sure a few missionaries came up from "Down South" to teach us how to do it...
|
Posted By: pondmonkey
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 4:47pm
 |
Posted By: awhapshott
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 6:21pm
|
10 days old, out into a Force 7 in a MGC 27! ------------- Laser 2 9212 - Cherub 2661 |
Posted By: jeffers
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 6:46pm
|
I was 13, my daughter started at 5 though in front of my Laser on light wind days. usually chasing floating toys around the lake. Now she wants to sail all on her own and is on our clubs cadet course next week. Hopefully she will get youth stage 1.... ------------- Paul ---------------------- D-Zero GBR 74 |
Posted By: craiggo
Date Posted: 29 May 12 at 7:59pm
|
I was 4yrs old at the front end of a Graduate sailing at Southport SC. My father used to make me crew in all temperatures, my only let off being when it blew up over a F4 then my Dad took out the heavy weather crew. I can remember crying because my hands were so cold and being told to stop complaining as I would be able to warm them up when the race finished and we could go back to the clubhouse!!!
My daughter was about 6months old, on her Grandfathers Hanse 300, and the other Grandfathers Achilles 24. She went out with me in an oppy at 18mths, and at 2 1/2 on a Dart 15 in a F4! At 3 1/2 she started at the front end of our Grad a couple of times until I broke it and now that she is 4 1/2 she loves being out in the Grad. I haven't taken part in a race with her yet (taking it easy at the moment) but may try later in the summer as I think it might give her something to focus on. |
Posted By: robinft
Date Posted: 30 May 12 at 9:24am
|
11. My father bought a Mirror dinghy kit for £69.19s11d and built it in our dining room.
------------- Laser number 9 |
Posted By: Scottish Scrutineer
Date Posted: 14 Aug 12 at 10:24pm
I was a very late starter, explains why I'm not very good.  ------------- Renny Thomson Dalgety Bay SC Laser 151250 |
Posted By: G.R.F.
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 9:12am
|
56, a pal loaned me a Musto Skiff, how difficult can it be I wondered.. On another note why does £69.19s 11d still seem expensive when typed in that old style monetary format? ------------- https://www.ease-distribution.com/" rel="nofollow - https://www.ease-distribution.com/ |
Posted By: robinft
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 9:40am
I guess it was as he bought it on hire purchase. ------------- Laser number 9 |
Posted By: ellistine
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 12:07pm
|
Lived in Weymouth all my live. Started sailing four years ago aged 34. Go figure. ------------- |
Posted By: Ruscoe
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 5:14pm
|
I was very young probably 2 or 3 in the front of my Dads Miracle 'Scallywag' not that you could call it sailing. My daughter was 4 when i bought her first boat and started racing this year at age 6. Unfortunately i have now broken the Graduate (similar problem to yours Paul) and its now on the Drive being fixed before being repainted/ cleaned up ready for next season (i know its only August) but now my Daughter is 7 i hope to actually get some proper club racing in next year. We have done a couple of club races and even won more then a couple. But next year is going to be the year. PS. Any Father/Child potentials out there you should look no further then the Graduate. It is the Perfect boat for this Combo. ------------- |
Posted By: Fraggle
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 5:39pm
|
Started at about age 11, basically when Dad decided I was big enough to be a useful Enterprise crew. Learnt to shout back after a year or 2 and parents booked me on a level 1&2 course and bought a topper (pink) for me and my younger brother to share. ------------- |
Posted By: Medway Maniac
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 5:56pm
|
Started at 14 thanks entirely to a self-less teacher who organised school sailing and a friend's mum who bullied me into going along for a try. Was hooked in less than ten seconds as third man in a GP14 in a F.4. Actually, not having anything to do as third man was a blessing - it allowed me to just hang on and absorb the moment - I always feel for newbies who are fighting with jib-sheets and a shouty helm, it must ruin the first-time experience. Would never happen today - no sailing at that school any more... ------------- http://www.wilsoniansc.org.uk" rel="nofollow - Wilsonian SC http://www.3000class.org.uk" rel="nofollow - 3000 Class |
Posted By: r2d2
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 8:40pm
| The poll results seem to say strongly that to get people sailing you need to give them the opportunity at a young age. It's a shame more schools don't offer the chance |
Posted By: craiggo
Date Posted: 15 Aug 12 at 10:28pm
|
Russ, bad news on the Grad front but I'm sure you'll get it fixed up pretty quickly.
We managed a 2nd a 1st and two 4ths last week with Izzy the 4yr old wonder crew. None of the other club members believed she was actually contributing until we sailed past and they saw her uncleating the jib going into the tacks and pulling it in 90% of the way once we were through it. As a result a load of 5-8yr olds suddenly wanted to race with their parents later in the week. |
Posted By: DFF
Date Posted: 27 Aug 12 at 3:16pm
|
If by some chance this is actually now a representative statistical distribution then it shows what you might expect, and also a great weakness IMHO of adult training! ( racing oriented that is) 1) even stevens on 0 to 10 year olds. Mum and Dad sail, you go with them. 2) 11-15: club "babysitting" in optimists etc while Mum and Dad sail with G&T's. 3) Dramatically fewer start sailing outside the early teen club clique This is not a suprise because the RYA and clubs put most effort into recruiting and training kids. Now I always sailed as a family from maybe aged 5 or before, but gave up after sea scouts. I got right back into racing aged 25 at the deep end on a 37ft regatta machine, foredeck no 2. I had to piece together my own development plan having gone beyond "competant crew" on my own, turning back to dinghies to do levels 1 to 4 eventually and now I have taken instructor I. I found that in my first two years most people at my local clubs thought I was pretty useless and often were outright rude! They even continued to have an attitude for several years, despite me returning home from ISORA and Solent racing on various well known boats, and various dinghy exploits - actually being not-too-bad as it happens after many events on a steep learning curve. So begining as an adult can be a hard way and this is partly due to you having to use holiday really to get on any courses or relying on patient racing helms, who are few on the ground. One night a week adult courses would be better IMHO. ------------- Crewing on a Melges 24, against my better judgement... |
Posted By: craiggo
Date Posted: 27 Aug 12 at 9:12pm
|
DFF, I suspect that you are pretty close to the truth there.
One thing that does stand out in your comments, and something I see on a regular basis, is that Adults have expectations. They expect well run courses, they expect 'development plans' and they don't seem to like the idea of learning by crewing. I personally hate development plans, I hate the formality they infer and I hate the way in which they mirror the stupidity and lack of common sense on offer in the workplace but putting that aside. Perhaps this is the culture difference that causes the divide between those taught young and those coming in as adults. It seems that many clubs are suffering from a divide between hardcore race fleets and those who have just learn't, and clubs are looking to find a way of pulling it all back together. What is missing for me is the desire for new sailors to want to crew with more experienced sailors. Pride appears to get in the way and they tend to buy this years latest plastic fad or a 40yr old GP for 50p and try to sail it often ignoring the good advice of experience people, getting frustrated that their crate doesn't perform and they have no one to get help from as there is nothing else like it on the water. One thing on the side of the yuuf is that they tend to listen to those that they aspire to be! Certainly an issue that many clubs and indeed the RYA are struggling with. |
Posted By: DFF
Date Posted: 29 Aug 12 at 10:08am
|
I think most clubs I've been a memeber of , have always struggled with fleet back enders and arrogant "win at all costs" types at either end of the scale. Time and resources are the issue, but an informal series of "tuesday" night sailing schools with an instructor present for either keel boats or dinghies for adults can often be just that- informal and unstructured. The alternative is using a weeks holiday on a course or even a whole precious weekend. My home club has a very good once a week for adults. plus option to join the friday regatta..but it is very sexually discriminating due to it being only for women. Some of us were going to turn up at the regatta weekend they have at the end of the course race in Burkahs and me in a kilt in protest ! ;-) It is very well organised and we have a dutch sailor who runs it fantastically. People in the UK work daft hours now. Bring back the 9 to 5 and evenings ! ------------- Crewing on a Melges 24, against my better judgement... |
Posted By: mainelyjw
Date Posted: 09 Nov 12 at 12:09pm
|
Hi Everyone- I learned how to sail on my own this year at age 57 after purchasing my 18 foot Renken in August. My friend Jeff a sailing captain in St. Thomas was going to give me sailing lessons, but was unable to do work. So I taught myself. At first I would take my sailboat and down to a local lake and launch and retrieve it with the outboard a few times before ever lifting the mast and sails. It helped me build up my confidence, so once I lifted the mainsail the first time on my next outing, I was somewhat familiar with my sailboat. From the first day of sailing to the last of this season was an adventure in itself, and yes I am hooked for life in this fantastic sport. If you would like to read more about how I learned how to sail and my experiences, please navigate on over to my blog at http://www.sailingbeginner.blogspot.com%20 - www.sailingbeginner.blogspot.com |