wondering which boat to get next year

Possibly it would be on the sea. Mind you, the winner of the 1st race at Cotswold, where the wind was gusting from 5 mph to 20 with no warning in random directions, weighs in at less than a knat's whisker, as the sail is pretty good at being depowered. Certainly worth having a go in all of these boats - a fun pastime in its own right, as well as helping to decide which boat.

It would be worth joining the Toppers if they had good fleet racing, but otherwise it would just be a step sideways.
The Byte is a nice little boat, and you will get wet while learning, but I'm sure it would be fun.

Hi Claire,

You say there are Toppers at yuor club?  Join them!  You are the right size, they are much simpler (and more indestructable) than most alternatives and if you really don't like it you'll be able to sell on in a week for no loss.  There are also open meetings galore if you ever feel like sailing in a bigger fleet.  The Byte is quite twitchy from memory.

Edited by Peaky

I would suggest you draw up a shortlist of boats and then have a sail in each one. If there are none at your club contact the class association as they may be able to put you in touch with a friendly boat owner who will let you have a go.

Were I your weight I would probably choose the Byte CII. I had a go in one a while back and liked it but at 85kg I am waaaay too heavy.

You may also want to consider what other wingle handers are sailed where you sail as this will help you in getting to grips with the boat.

Thank you for your replies. I like the look of the Byte cII a lot ! I was a bit put off initially as I looked at the list of clubs that had them on their website and I thought they were mostly inland, so I wondered if they werent so good on the sea, but then looking again plenty of people have them on the sea too.

I had a look for the Splash after Jack Sparrows suggestion and I did quite like it, but there dont seem to be many around any more...

Claire