1.Make sure you start on bigger kit as this will make the start of the winging journey much less painful. For example, when deciding on a board to start your journey as a Beginner the sensible formula is Weight + 40L. So, if you are 80kg I would suggest getting at least a 120L board. As this will provide stability which is your friend. The second-hand market is massive, especially on Facebook groups as people are often downsizing kit as they progress 2.Always wear a helmet no matter your ability. The are some sharp and solid elements to the kit that are worth avoiding if possible. Make sure y ..read more

A good few years ago, I was cycling to work when a car overtook me and then turned left along side me. I flew over the car and hit the Tarmac and destroyed my right knee. To cut a long story short I could not walk without crutches so sailing was a no no. At the time we had an RS 200 so it was put to bed in the Garage. Janet, my wife and lifetime crew said we should sell the boat and take up fishing. That was like some one stabbing me in the heart! I know I am not Ben Ainsley but we enjoyed the sport and had done so for nearly thirty years. Perhaps at 63 I should have hung my boots up but hey ..read more

After experiencing some crazy winds at the weekend, I realised that it was time to change my rudder pull down rope. Not because the rope is too stretchy, but because it has no stretch at all. The downhaul rope had not cleated properly as I left the shore. I was aware that the rudder had moved up during the first beat which was quite an encouragement to keep the boat especially flat, but did make it hard to handle in the extreme conditions. You should have seen me trying to pull the rudder down and re cleat it in 25-30 knots on the run! Not really ideal, especially in the crazy destruction derb ..read more

If you are a keen topper sailor then this tip might just be for you! Do you struggle keeping the boat flat or upright going upwind in high winds? If you do then I think that this tip will great help to your topper sailing. When I started racing in my topper in strong winds I always found that my boat hated me and always wanted me wet somehow. So apart from using lots of Cunningham (to keep the fullness near the mast) and vang (to flatten the sail) tension I learnt this very good tip from my Eastern Area Development Squad, which helped me keep the boat flat going upwind. The tip was; to pull ..read more

I have been shown current flow diagrams that sailors use to show strength and direction. They are generally confusing - especially for me. However, I have developed a set of rules for sailing and coaching on the South Coast that have stood me in good stead for 20 years. They are simple and require the sailor to use their observance at the same time to look for the changes that will influence the decision making. Understanding the current flow at a South Coast Venue such as Stokes Bay is a key part in understanding tidal flow and tide at other coastal venues such as Hayling Island. You can wor ..read more

How you recover your boat safely with an onshore breeze depends on the type of boat you sail. As a Stokes Bay sailor, I had to quickly learn the 'Coming Ashore in an Onshore Breeze NVQ' in my Laser and more recently I have been discussing with the expert Skiff sailors how they handle coming ashore with their perhaps slightly more fragile skiffs as we still feel we have to work on our technique in our Rooster 4000 to pass that NVQ when it is significantly windy. The key to a successful recovery, whatever the boat, is to remove all power from the sails and point the bow at the beach. Removing a ..read more

Unzipping the Rooster Digital Downloaded zip file on a Macbook/OSX You should have a web page & email like the below screen snap, when you have ordered your Rooster Boat Whisper Digital Download online: Click on the download button. It will then download a Zip file into the Downloads folder on your MacBook. Then open your FINDER application on the Mac, and in the downloads folder,  will be a file named (in this example):  Rooster _BW_combo_set.zip (its a windows 10 zip file). Now download and install the free App UNARCHIVER for the Mac found here : https ..read more

Rachel Goetting SailWinter and Pandemic Sailing Fitness Tips and Balance Trainingorcise LLC. With winter just around the corner and the world still amid a global pandemic, how are you staying in sailing shape? Winter is a great time to put the fitness training in to boost your sailing performance on the water. Our simple tips will help you start or keep working out all winter long. You will also find a 15-minute Sailing Balance Training video. No equipment is needed for this training, making it an excellent workout while spending more time at home with the pandemic. Tip #1: Make a Plan If yo ..read more

I have been teaching sailing for 9 years in total and I have really enjoyed my time I have spent instructing. I first received my RYA Assistant Instructor at my local sailing club, encouraging me to help out on start sailing course and improver sessions. I then achieved my RYA Dinghy Instructor after my five-day course learning the structure and basics of the RYA method. After six years of being a RYA Dinghy Instructor I signed up for my RYA Senior Instructor which I passed in April this year. I have taught at many different centres across the country including several trips abroad to teach at ..read more

16 knots sea breeze and we were allowed to go out to play at Lee on Solent Sailing Club. I plugged in my speed puck to get some numbers and help us focus on our training. I was keen to see how windy we could cope with our light wind gybe technique. The process involves ensuring the boat is flat level and balanced, then easing the mainsheet and re cleating. This generates enough windward heel to start the gybe. Then I can focus on un-cleating the wing wang, pushing hard on my feet to keep the boat turning, whilst Sarah also remains committed to the windward side (this keeps the boat turning ..read more