Anybody’s DC a sailor?

[Harken53rig]

We have just finished first season of sailing and DS loves it. I’m a bit scared of future time commitment and cost, but I suppose that is the same if you get very involved in any sport. We are clueless- DH and I have never been near a sail, a year in and I’ve only just realised that a mainsheet is a rope..

Any news from dinghy crew welcome!

DC2 is very into sailing and has been going for nearly 18 months. It's not something I ever did so I've been learning the ropes (quite literally!) alongside my DC. So far, we've found it very friendly and welcoming, even to complete novices, although I appreciate that we may have been lucky with the club DC sails at.

At the moment, DC2 sails once a week from April to November but has recently got into racing and is keen on taking part in some of the winter events as well as regional ones that the RYA put on. I think about three weeks of the summer holiday were taken up by sailing activities of one sort or another but the cost wasn't outrageous e.g. £10 to take part in a 4 day thing, £120 to do a 3 day course which led to a qualification. Costs in general are far more reasonable than I'd first feared. There is plenty of secondhand kit available as well as some excellent reductions through watersports websites at this time of year. You'll spend more money if you decide to buy a boat but again, there are plenty of secondhand ones out there and sailing parents seem happy to help newbies find something suitable.

Sailing isn't something I'd ever imagined my DC doing but it's turning out to be an excellent way of creating balance in what is an urban, state-educated childhood.