Getting Started - Part 1

Never has there been a better time to take up sailing. Summer is coming, and the sport in the UK is riding on the crest of a wave. The amazing interest in the sport has been created by the all-conquering Olympic Team, who finished in Sydney not only as top sailing nation, but also the most successful British sport. On top of this Ellen MacArthur has captured the world's imagination with her record-breaking voyage around the world in the Vendee Globe race. And if all this does not make any sense, just read the news pages and get ready to start the sport of sailing.

In the next two months I will give you tips on getting started, what sort of sailing clubs to join, what boats are great fun and what equipment you will need to think about buying. We may even give you an insight into getting started in your first race, but first things first. Where should your first stop be? Well that’s quite easy, as it is with an organisation called the Royal Yachting Association or RYA.

The RYA governs the sport of sailing in the UK, and they have a teaching scheme to help get newcomers started. Not surprisingly you start off at Level 1. Now the important thing to note is that you need a school that is recognised by the RYA to teach to their methods. This guarantees standards of safety, tuition from RYA-qualified instructors and quality equipment, as all the schools are inspected on a regular basis. Now there are three basic choices:

1. RYA recognised schools in the UK, see the Sailing School Directory. 2. RYA recognised sailing clubs that incorporate an official RYA school. See our Sailing Club Directory; or go abroad with a holiday company that is RYA recognised, see Holiday Section.

The RYA Level 1 can be taught in single-handers (such as the Laser Pico) or larger dinghies with an instructor and some fellow pupils (such as Laser Stratos or Wayfarer). The choice depends mainly on your environment and your confidence. I believe that you learn much faster by the single-handed method, as you are responsible for the boat all the time, while the larger boats have an instructor present and you also take it in turns to carry out the tasks. You decide, because you must feel safe in order to progress as quickly as possible.

For most schools you will only need a change of clothes and some soft shoes, like old gym shoes. If it is cold they will be able to hire you a wetsuit and all schools will provide you with a buoyancy aid. In the next section we will look at what subjects you will be covering on the Level 1 course, so check out the directories for a school or club in your area or dream of that summer holiday with sailing every day.