What Sparked your Lifetime Interest in Dinghies?

As with most ... my Dad. He was in the Navy and so had "experience"
He bought me a Sea Snark. I was 8yrs old. Yep, that polystyrene toy that was only safe sailing no more than 100yrds off the beach. However, I learnt a lot and the bug bit. Dad then bought us a Skipper 12 and we raced 1 other Skipper at Stokes Bay SC every Sunday and went home afterwards to a Mum-cooked Sunday Roast. (Yep, you can race a Skipper 12 - just slooowwly) How times have changed..

Then Dad found a 5o5, an old 1 - in the #1k numbers. This was in the early 70's. Boy, did we have some fun with that. I played every single day during the summer holidays in it. Then bought a #2k number 5o5 and had even greater fun. 

At school, I sailed Navy Montague Whalers, and Fireflies. Loved the Firefly, bombing around the River Stour in Suffolk.

From then on, I left home and sailed Laser 2's on the circuit (Delsey and Freixenet circuit)

But it was Dad, the Sea Snark and the Skipper that kicked it all off. Simple stuff, simple fun.

I had a place at Southampton Uni to do Yacht and Boat Design when I left school in 76,. But cocked my life up by going to work instead. Biggest regret ever. I could have designed the winning AC boat for Britain (in my dreams .... )  ;-)

Now I sail (badly) an Aero. 

Edited by ttc546 - 02 Mar 19 at 9:45am

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ttc546 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 15 Apr 05 Online Status: Offline Posts: 155	Post Options Post Reply Quote ttc546 Report Post Quote Reply Topic: What Sparked your Lifetime Interest in Dinghies? Posted: 02 Mar 19 at 9:36am
	As with most ... my Dad. He was in the Navy and so had "experience" He bought me a Sea Snark. I was 8yrs old. Yep, that polystyrene toy that was only safe sailing no more than 100yrds off the beach. However, I learnt a lot and the bug bit. Dad then bought us a Skipper 12 and we raced 1 other Skipper at Stokes Bay SC every Sunday and went home afterwards to a Mum-cooked Sunday Roast. (Yep, you can race a Skipper 12 - just slooowwly) How times have changed.. Then Dad found a 5o5, an old 1 - in the #1k numbers. This was in the early 70's. Boy, did we have some fun with that. I played every single day during the summer holidays in it. Then bought a #2k number 5o5 and had even greater fun. At school, I sailed Navy Montague Whalers, and Fireflies. Loved the Firefly, bombing around the River Stour in Suffolk. From then on, I left home and sailed Laser 2's on the circuit (Delsey and Freixenet circuit) But it was Dad, the Sea Snark and the Skipper that kicked it all off. Simple stuff, simple fun. I had a place at Southampton Uni to do Yacht and Boat Design when I left school in 76,. But cocked my life up by going to work instead. Biggest regret ever. I could have designed the winning AC boat for Britain (in my dreams .... ) ;-) Now I sail (badly) an Aero. Edited by ttc546 - 02 Mar 19 at 9:45am

Gfinch Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Groupie Joined: 09 Nov 09 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 67	Post Options Post Reply Quote Gfinch Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 28 Feb 19 at 8:05pm
	Dad had a small 21ft yacht on the orwell. Sent me off in our avon redstart tender with a 4hp engine, telling me to go around the green channel bouy and back. I carried on and went to the next channel bouy, realising that actually being on the water was great. We had a mirror and borrowed an oppy so went learnt in those. Did the occasional bit of sailing but always attended the junior sailing week at our club, social side over the actual racing was the real pull factor though. After one of the sailing weeks, one of the club laser regulars walked up to me and asked, why aren't you coming club racing each week? You'll learn a lot more and you'll get up through the fleet. Fast forward 10 years, I'm now 26 and live and breath sailing! Bought a N12 in 2015, taught my then girlfriend (now fiance, soon wife) to crew and we travel round doing the circuit and learning as we go. I still sail the laser in winter and the rare open. Might have a new N12 being built currently......
	3513, 3551 - National 12 136069 - Laser 32541 - Mirror 4501 - Laser 4000

giraffe Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 10 May 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 148	Post Options Post Reply Quote giraffe Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 19 at 9:29pm
	My father, who had never sailed, in a mirror dinghy at Salcombe about 1980. Still sailing now. And love Salcombe and visit every year.

Oatsandbeans Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Far too distracted from work Joined: 19 Sep 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 382	Post Options Post Reply Quote Oatsandbeans Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 19 at 9:16pm
	Like lots of others it was Dad (or step-dad ) that introduced me to sailing. He had a GP and took me for a sail when I was 13. It was OK but didn’t go any further until I found myself at a boarding school that was big on sports but unfortunately I was rubbish at them all. Then came the summer term and they asked who wanted to do sailing ( they had 6 GPs -my specialty!) so why not? As soon as the teachers knew I could “sail” I was out there with novices showing them how to do it ( luckily the teachers knew little about sailing and I managed to learn quickly ). It went from there to me being able to sail every day in the summer. That was it -and it has run through my life. I have done most sorts of sailing and when I was at a loss as what to do work wise I managed to fit my education (chemistry) with my love ( sailing) and make a life from composites. So what has sailing done for me -we quite a lot -and it was all from that sail in a plastic GP with my stepdad. I have an enormous amount to thank him for.

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: 27 Feb 19 at 7:57pm
	The book or the film, though? The book for me. Didn't see the film until about 15 years ago when our kids very young.
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686

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: 27 Feb 19 at 7:42pm
	+1 again. Not sure we need a modern version: my two and many of their friends inspired by it as is.

NickM99 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 26 Apr 14 Online Status: Offline Posts: 145	Post Options Post Reply Quote NickM99 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 19 at 6:08pm
	+1 forAuthur Ransome. We need a modern version to inspire kids to try sailing. Maybe a biopic of somebody like Ellen MacArthur?

weeping angel Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Newbie Joined: 07 Oct 15 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4	Post Options Post Reply Quote weeping angel Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 27 Feb 19 at 3:53pm
	11+ at Ardleigh and/then a Mirror at Brightlingsea, Sea Scouts and sailing Toppers and Flying Juniors (great boat sadly didn't take off in the UK) on the Essex Schools' Scheme (which was brilliant) in the late 70s - and a big dose of Arthur Ransome Edited by weeping angel - 27 Feb 19 at 3:55pm

Old bloke Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Posting king Joined: 03 Nov 17 Online Status: Offline Posts: 121	Post Options Post Reply Quote Old bloke Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 5:16pm
	Better drowned than duffers, if not duffers ,won't drown. Reasonable sentiment but prob best not use it as a risk assessment for the cadets

MerlinMags Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Visit Member's Homepage Admin Group Joined: 19 Mar 04 Location: UK, Guildford Online Status: Offline Posts: 588	Post Options Post Reply Quote MerlinMags Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 25 Feb 19 at 3:17pm
	Another solid Arthur Ransome fan here! Sadly the pestering took 4 or 5 long years before my parents acted. on second thoughts, maybe they were just waiting for ME to learn to swim...