For those that don't know, since moving to London I have found a
love for sailing... in particular dingy sailing. So on the 9/10 of
May I ventured out to my local club http://www.dwsc.co.uk/ (Datchet -
About 50 min train ride from London, 5 mins from heathrow). On
arrival I was met by the club secretary, who then introduced me to
the other course attendees; John a MET police officer who wants to
start sailing with his son, Paul a Marketing contractor who knows how
to sail yatchs but wants to get into dingy sailing as it is a little
cheaper. We were then introduced to our instructor Sam. Sam is
studying electronics at uni, but has decided that he much prefers a
career in sailing.
Day 1
Sam advices us of the basics of sailing... basically the fact that
you cant sail directly into the wind. We then when and grabbed our
kit (wetsuit, buoyancy aid, splash vest, and booties) and
was introduced to our boat... A topper topaz – great boat for
beginners as they are easy to right and are unbreakable. We then
attached the sail, boom and rudder before heading out on the water.
We were told to just reach (sailing across the wind) back and forth
just to understand the wind. Surprisingly I picked this up quickly
and was able to generate some good speed.
Back to classroom for some
more theory... this time tacking (turning to boat with the bow of the
boat towards the wind). We then headed out on the water to put this
into practise. The hardest parts of tacking is realigning the rudder
after the tack and battling with the tiller extension. For the
remainder of the day the process was the same... some theory followed
by the practical. I finished the day feeling confident with my new
acquired skills.
Day 2
Much the same as Day 1,
however the wind had done a full 180 degree shift and its strength
had disappeared. It is much harder to sail in light winds as the
position of the boat is crucial. We extended our basic reach course
to include a down and up wind leg, surprisingly the topaz is actually
quickest when reaching and slowest going downwind.
Follow this course I will be
heading to the Level 2 course on the 22/23 may. Completion of this
course allows me to hire boats. (it basically like a licence).
