All the best people started in Mirrors. Can't remember the sail number, but it was in February 1976 at Alnmouth in Northumberland in a boat belonging to my mate's father who was a Destroyer captain in the Navy. Don't remember much about the actual sailing, just that it was windy and VERY cold. How many of you lot were even born in 1976?

Neil

When I was little we had a family inflatable Zodiac, which was an ancestor of today's RIBs. So I started powerboating around age 5. Shocking, I know.

First time sailing was in a friend's Mirror in my teens. We sailed from Porthpean SC for several miles along the coast, and considering neither of us had much clue what we were doing, we were fortunate enough not to encounter any problems.

First time sailing alone was a few years later at Carlyon Bay, desperately trying to stay upright on a windsurfer long enough to get clear of the lee shore. Tried cruising around the same time but didn't like it all that much. Tried dinghy sailing, found it OK but preferred windsurfing. So I windsurfed for several years, then a growing interest in racing boards led me to wonder what other kinds of racing were like, which took me into keelboat racing and a little while later, dinghy racing.

Ok time to have a laugh... My first solo sail was in 2001, in the Topper we still have. I was pushed through the surf holding the mainsheet in one hand, the tiller extension in the other and told "Hold this, and this, and off you go!" Well, it worked to a certain extent (I was floating) until some helpful soul would come and shout obscure advice to me "Let out the outhaul... put a bit more kicker... sheet it... hike out... " Get LOST!  

The first time I went really sailing (vaguely knew what I was doing, felt in control most of the time, etc.) was this time last year, still in the Topper. Now I've got a Contender and I'm back to square one!!

Solo sail was an oppie at Bewl Valley in 1982...remember getting in the boat blacking out and then sitting there screaming for 5 minutes and it has been downhill all the way since then!

First sail at all was being wedged into the bottom of my parents fireball on a crocodile (seriously) infested lake in the middle of Kenya back in about 1978...

you do get around!

my first ever sail i remember was with 5 of us and the dog (and he wasn't small, i was tho...i think i fitted into the front bit under the fordeck... just.) in the mirror on a picnic adventure to puffin island. i absolutly hated the sailing but loved the getting to random beaches with no one on them and pretending we had just discovered them! then we upgraded to a wayfarer that we all used to race (not well at all) at windermere (still all 5 of us...no dog...i dont think =/ and go on picnic missions still.)  i still hated it then too, but i was only young and as soon as i hit the teens i saw the light and did up the old picnic mirror and started to race that on my own.  

anyhoo woffle over. i should go and find me some work to do...

3rd generation globetrotter, 3rd generation engineer - a complete family failing I'm afraid...

my first sail was perched on the side of a trimaran challenger when my dad joined a disabled sailing club

i then had a go in a topper on my own and haven't looked back (well only to wave at the people behind me in a race)

Dayboat sailing on the Tamar with a school friend and her dad who was a commodore in the Navy.

He was completely fearless and I remember tearing about with water pouring over the leeward side, being force fed egg mayo sandwiches between gybes and yelled at to pull ropes and get the centreboard up as we raced towards the mud (solid metal thing). We then tied up to a mooring in the middle of the river (rolling perilously in the wash of speedboats) while he had a cup of coffee and we bailed out the boat.

When we got home my mother asked if I'd enjoyed it, and once I'd managed to warm up enough to speak I think I said 'No'. Still, next summer I actually learnt to do it myself and I've been scaring the cr*p out of my sisters ever since (both now officially on 'spinnaker strike' since approx 1995). 

I started in a gunter rig Fairey Duckling in Chichester Harbour - 2 years of crewing tought me very little as the first time I took it out solo, aged 10, I completely failed to understand why the boat would not go back to the club (into the wind) and had to be rescued by a rowing boat. 

Then my father stripped it down to minimum weight and fitted it with things like shroud adjusters(!) and the top part of a Moth mast and we got to be able to beat Mirrors for years, occasionally without our handicap, before moving up to a Firefly.

Now mostly at the back of an Osprey, sometimes in a Contender (when my husband is otherwise occupied) and with leanings towards a Cherub.

the first time i went sailing (that i can remember anyway) i was about 3 or 4 and my dad was working in Hong Kong for several year and so we lived there. he had bought himself a dinghy that was a bit shorter than a wayfarer but nowhere near as heavy. anyway we were sailing round the bay and he his boss in his brand new yacht and said something along the lines of race you to the harbour. we went into a shallow place cos of the tide then capsized (think there was a gust but not sure)at the age of 3 or 4 i was rescued by the Hong Kong version of the RNLI. not realy rescued but lifted into their RIB while dad righted the boat.

the 2nd time i can remember was on a sigma 33 (hired for the day) on a sailing holiday in turkey. was very boring for a 5 year old.

my first solo sail must have been in an oppy in benfleet creek in essex during the cadet week. that was much more fun.

Grad in a F1 (-) at Whitefriars Sailing Club.

I was hooked instantly.

My first time sailing was two up in a zepher, on a skanky river. Neither of us had a clue what was going on, and to add to our fear, we were sailing close to a weir(which may as well have been the end of the world as far as we were concerned!) To avoid our almost inevitable death, I cryed loads, and pretended to be sea sick, the instructor towed us back to the pontoon, and I didnt sail again for ages.

Eventually caught the bug though!

1991?

age 4?

hmmmphhh no point rubbing it in...