What Sparked your Lifetime Interest in Dinghies?

   I am interested in how posters got into dinghy racing, and were sufficiently enthused to carry on ...
My formative moments;

Started in a Mirror at Salcombe in early 70’s age 13 ... very enthusiastic lady Shirley Tyler ran evening training sessions off the beach.  I still race against several of the attendees, who still beat me!

Saw my first Laser planing up and down the harbour, looked brilliant, so joined an early wave of Laser sailors ... sailing for hours just for fun.

Team Racing at school in Fireflies.

Met a Merlin sailor in the boatpark when I was age 16 who needed a crew for Merlin Week, never been in one before ... capsized a dozed times ... but thought that this was the dogs b....cks.  Spud Rowsell and Jon Turner won in a gorgeous Smokers Satisfaction.

I should add that in all of those moments there was a different grown up who gave time and effort to encourage me to meet the challenge.

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davidyacht Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 29 Mar 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 1345	Post Options Post Reply Quote davidyacht Report Post Quote Reply Topic: What Sparked your Lifetime Interest in Dinghies? Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 9:56am
	I am interested in how posters got into dinghy racing, and were sufficiently enthused to carry on ... My formative moments; Started in a Mirror at Salcombe in early 70’s age 13 ... very enthusiastic lady Shirley Tyler ran evening training sessions off the beach. I still race against several of the attendees, who still beat me! Saw my first Laser planing up and down the harbour, looked brilliant, so joined an early wave of Laser sailors ... sailing for hours just for fun. Team Racing at school in Fireflies. Met a Merlin sailor in the boatpark when I was age 16 who needed a crew for Merlin Week, never been in one before ... capsized a dozed times ... but thought that this was the dogs b....cks. Spud Rowsell and Jon Turner won in a gorgeous Smokers Satisfaction. I should add that in all of those moments there was a different grown up who gave time and effort to encourage me to meet the challenge.
	Happily living in the past

423zero Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 08 Jan 15 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 3420	Post Options Post Reply Quote 423zero Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 10:57am
	My two main sports have always been cycling and kayaking, though I have been around dinghy sailing all my life, took up dinghy sailing has a main sport about 15 years ago, still do more cycling and kayaking though. Like Davidyacht have always had help and influence from enthusiastic sailors.

H2 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 26 Jul 17 Online Status: Offline Posts: 750	Post Options Post Reply Quote H2 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 11:49am
	As a kid I was bought up in tropical places following my dad around the world building airports, the only sport that remained constant was sailing probably because he loved it. Kids had toppers and he had a laser - best memory was being two up in his Laser on a manic wavy reach. Just brilliant! From that I got into RYA 420 squad as a teenager and then into Laser squads which got me hooked on competitive sailing. Kids came along which made it hard to compete at the same intensity so I just walked away for 15 years and came back three years ago and am loving using my increasing freedom to get back into things firstly at the club and more recently at the Great Lakes events.
	H2 #115 (sold) H2 145 OK 2082

craiggo Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 01 Apr 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1810	Post Options Post Reply Quote craiggo Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 12:17pm
	Started crewing for my Dad in Graduates at Southport SC in the early 80s and loved the tight racing. Didn't do any RYA stuff (courses or squads) and only really raced. Moved down to Bristol and my Dad didn't really enjoy CVLSC and we couldn't find a class that would suit us. My Dad bought a YW Dayboat to race at Thornbury SC but there weren't any other kids my age and I lost interest and went flying and gliding with ATC instead. In my first year of Uni I struggled to find an affordable sport to get into and my girlfriend at the time suggested I get back into sailing. Within weeks I was crewing at the Wilson trophy and haven't stopped since.
	OK 2129 RS200 411

Noah Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 29 Dec 04 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 611	Post Options Post Reply Quote Noah Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 1:10pm
	Family folklore has it that Dad was given an ultimatum to get off the golf course & find summat we could all do. How or why sailing was chosen I have no idea. Lots of research visiting clubs and the dinghy show (in a leisure centre near Cheshunt then). He bought - locally - a poorly home-built GP and we joined Broxbourne SC, where 9 classes were sailed on 2 gravel pits and there was a thriving Cadet Squadron, too. The bug bit & that was it. I was about 11, I think. Shlepped around the pits & the Crouch at Burnham and the west country until marriage etc came along, then quit for 20 odd years. The itch came back when Lawrie Smith was sailing Silk Cut(?) around the world in the Whitbread. Why? No idea, but that was the trigger. My heart said buy a 5o and join Hayling. My head said buy summat sensible & join Frensham. My head won. Oh yeah - Dad built my Cadet, rebuilt one for my brother and built a GP, too. Cold winter evenings in the garage 'helping'.
	Nick D-Zero 316

PeterG Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 12 Jan 08 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 822	Post Options Post Reply Quote PeterG Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 2:02pm
	Sailing with my dad in Cornwall back in the 50s when I was 6 or 7 in a non class clinker 12ft dinghy. Only got into racing later, in my teens when I got a Mirror.
	Peter Ex Cont 707 Ex Laser 189635 DY 59

Rupert Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 11 Aug 04 Location: Whitefriars sc Online Status: Offline Posts: 8956	Post Options Post Reply Quote Rupert Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 5:44pm
	Made toy boats from about the age of 4 to sail on Wimbledon common Then my brother started going to Tamesis to sail with his friend's dad (said friend hated it) when I was 9. Got a crewing job with an excellent helm in a Firefly, cadged rides in Merlins, 14s, crewed then helmed Cadets, went to Opens and Nats in various classes. My first time in a boat was racing. No idea what was going on. Often still don't, 43 years on. Still have a love/hate relationship with racing, too. Love it when I'm in the groove, feeling analytical. Hate it when the chimp brain takes over and it all feels crap. Oddly, the chimp sometimes gets better results, but I don't enjoy it at all. Edited by Rupert - 15 Feb 19 at 8:01pm
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

rb_stretch Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 23 Aug 10 Online Status: Offline Posts: 742	Post Options Post Reply Quote rb_stretch Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 7:52pm
	Introduced to dinghies at age 9, but wasn't that interested in racing, so pretty much gave up after a few years. Discovered windsurfing in my mid-teens which I did for 15 or so years, Eventually picked up dinghy sailing again at 30, which only lasted a few years of doing the open circuits before moving into keel boats. Finally returned to dinghy sailing in my forties, which I have now done for nearly 10 years. The reason it lasted this time was that I now sail regularly in local club (10 mins away) handicap races, which fits in better with the rest of life. So it seems that whenever I sailed with the need to travel it was always the total time commitment that undid it in the end.

zeon Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 20 Aug 16 Online Status: Offline Posts: 316	Post Options Post Reply Quote zeon Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 15 Feb 19 at 10:13pm
	Unlike most of you, never sailed as kid. Growing up, it was a sport I never had a interest in or even thought a average kid in a seventies comprehensive would ever have the chance to take part in. Then I met a women who was a keen sailor at at very down to earth club. We went out, we got married. After a year of watching and getting bored , I bought a cheap laser and the rest is history. I have sailed most weekends for the last 30 years. Still rubbish but still enjoy it .

sargesail Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 14 Jan 06 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1459	Post Options Post Reply Quote sargesail Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 16 Feb 19 at 2:45am
	Went once. Light airs. Given the helm to come alongside at Whitefriars. Utterly absorbed by it. Knew, then and there that it was my sport. Feeling really emotional now at what that moment has meant for me, my wife, my family. And brilliantly supported by so many great people along the way. Had the great privelege to join two of my childhood Graduate sailing heroes on the Pin end boat at my daughters first Opi Main Fleet event. They’re still my heroes....