RS Tera

   So at my clubs annual club week, last week, my 6yr old daughter had a couple of goes in an Oppie and loved it, managing to tack & gybe and sail up and down the narrow inlet where all our cruisers are moored, all on her own. She is now incredibly keen and wants to sign up for Oppie training at one of our local inland clubs. 

The main issue I have is that Oppies just dont work in the strong tides at our club and clearly a Topper is going to be too much for a 6yr old, so I'm wondering how a TERA would work. 

Are there any TERA sailors on here who could comment?

Cheers

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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 Topic: RS Tera Posted: 12 Aug 14 at 10:56pm
	So at my clubs annual club week, last week, my 6yr old daughter had a couple of goes in an Oppie and loved it, managing to tack & gybe and sail up and down the narrow inlet where all our cruisers are moored, all on her own. She is now incredibly keen and wants to sign up for Oppie training at one of our local inland clubs. The main issue I have is that Oppies just dont work in the strong tides at our club and clearly a Topper is going to be too much for a 6yr old, so I'm wondering how a TERA would work. Are there any TERA sailors on here who could comment? Cheers

GarethT Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 21 Apr 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 714	Post Options Post Reply Quote GarethT Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 12 Aug 14 at 11:10pm
	At that age I think a tera might be a bit of a handful. I know at our club a lot of the smaller sailors struggled to get back into the tera after a capsize, and they do capsize more than an oppie. Teras do seem great once they're bigger, but I think they're closer to a topper than an oppie size wise.

gordon1277 Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 24 Mar 10 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 665	Post Options Post Reply Quote gordon1277 Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Aug 14 at 1:21pm
	Dont forget they now do a 4.2rig for the Topper. this could be an option. Good getting her out there. Why not buy a Fever and ask her to crew for you for a couple of years.
	Gordon Lossc

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: 13 Aug 14 at 5:44pm
	Thanks Gordon. My daughter already crews for me in our Graduate, but I'm happy for her to develop her helming in something smaller and more manageable. She also has friends who are doing Oppie training but they currently go to Frampton SC as Oppies are too slow to work in the tide at our home club. My current thinking is to try and join Framptons Oppie training next year and have the Tera for sailing at our home club when she doesn't want to crew for me. I can then either sail with the wife, my son or take my 700 out! Tera with sport rig (dacron) is my thinking. My daughter is pretty big for her age and doesn't look out of place amongst 8-9yr olds. I'm keen to get a demo in a Tera and if successful she may persuade some of her friends to get the same. I'm interested to know how other 7yr olds have got on with Teras. Gareth comments suggest they are a touch too challenging at that age? Edited by craiggo - 13 Aug 14 at 5:45pm

GarethT Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 21 Apr 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 714	Post Options Post Reply Quote GarethT Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Aug 14 at 7:27pm
	From what I've seen at our club, I'd say that learning in a tera for kids younger than school year 6 is a bit of a handful. Those that learnt first in an optimist can probably cope a bit sooner. This is just my observations though - my kids learnt in optimists from about 4 years old. If anyone can give you feedback on their own children's Tera experiences it's probably worth more than my view.

NickA Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 30 Mar 05 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 784	Post Options Post Reply Quote NickA Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Aug 14 at 8:12pm
	Isn't the Tera RS's copy of the Pico? Defo more topper sized / powered than oppie replacement. Topper Taz? Think you can even drop an oppie rig in one of those ... but no idea if they're any good. I opted my (twin) sons out of the RYA "pathway" classes by buying a pico instead of two oppies / toppers. Wins and losses ... in the pathway classes you get better race training and don't feel left out at mixed events (eg NSSA) where everyone else is in a different boat. Outside the pathway classes, you get to sail a decent boat! The best (and probably happiest) young sailors at my club started with their dad in a K-6, sailed a vario together and now have a 29er, they race against the grownups and ignore the kids club!
	Javelin 558 Contender 2574

winging it Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 22 Mar 07 Online Status: Offline Posts: 3958	Post Options Post Reply Quote winging it Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Aug 14 at 8:32pm
	All of the six and seven year olds I have had on courses have been very happy in oppies, and I am very sure none of them would have coped all that well in a Tera. The Tera is just that bit bigger and more powerful than an oppie; it's just too much of a handful. If the oppie doesn't work in the tide because it's too slow the Tera won't work either because she won't be able to sail it well enough. Six is still pretty young to be thinking of her going solo, most don't start until at least seven or eight. I would let her stick with crewing in something like a pico, grad, mirror etc then bring the helming in later, maybe with just the occasional trip in a borrowed or club oppie.
	the same, but different...

Bootscooter Send Private Message Find Member's Posts Really should get out more Joined: 15 May 07 Location: United Kingdom Online Status: Offline Posts: 1094	Post Options Post Reply Quote Bootscooter Report Post Quote Reply Posted: 13 Aug 14 at 8:49pm
	I like Oppies, but can understand your tidal issues. I like Teras (much smaller than a Pico BTW) but they can be challenging in both power and tippyness. I like Topper 4.2 rigs for the smaller ones, but the topper is a lot of boat for a little'un to lug around ashore. Best answer.... have a go - I bet there's loads around that'd be happy to let you trial. Another point of view is that perhaps the venue isn't suitable for a solo 6 yr old if the world's best selling kids boat isn't right for it...

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: 13 Aug 14 at 9:10pm
	Thanks for your comments guys very much appreciated. She'll be 7 in February and I dont envisage getting anything until next summer at the earliest. I have only seen the Tera at the Dinghy show (never on the water) so without trying it out its difficult for me to determine its suitability. RS blurb suggests it would be fine but your collective knowledge is far more useful than RS marketing brochures! I fully intend to get her out for a go to see what she thinks, and her friends who are generally 9 or nearly 10 will I'm sure be interested in also having a play. Id just like to also point out, Im not pushing her into racing a youth class, Im not even pushing her into racing as she can do that crewing in our Grad, Im just looking to give her a boat to have a bit of fun in initially and if she gets keen on racing it then so be it. I never did the whole squad thing as a kid even though I've been racing since I was 4 and certainly have no desire to push her in the squad direction unless she specifically asks.

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: 14 Aug 14 at 11:42am
	I'd agree that the Tera might be a bit much at that age - better once they are 9 or 10. How about a Bug?
	Firefly 2324, Puffin 229, Minisail 3446 Mirror 70686