Encouraging your child
to get into dinghy sailing

written by former Olympic dinghy sailor, Christian Brewer

Children sailing small boats near a shore with a building labeled

I was lucky enough to have a dad who took up sailing, albeit later in life. He had been a successful trial biker, but successive injuries put paid to his continuing. His first sailing boat was a motor sailor. Then, when I was 8, he teamed up with two other friends and purchased a retired 1960s Fastnet race boat. That purchase marked the start of my sailing journey, which progressed to me sailing my own, old but well-loved, National 12 dinghy.

Illustration of a sailboat on water with two children sailing inside.

Greater access to sailing schools

Back in the ’70s, learning opportunities for young sailors were sparse. Whilst sailing schools existed, they were far away, mostly on the South Coast and not easily accessible. So, for me, the local sailing club became my focus for learning how to sail my own boat alongside other cadets. It also provided plenty of opportunities to crew for, and learn from, older club members.

Today, things are different – and much better. I’m so pleased that there are now over 300 sailing schools across the UK – giving young people access to experience this amazing sport. Our club sailing school attracts some 40 children each Friday evening, learning to sail in single handed and two-person boats. We didn’t have this level of opportunity and teaching when I started, which certainly bodes well for a wealth of potential future Olympians coming up the ranks! As with most clubs around the UK, the catchment is no longer limited to the children of club members; families with no prior sailing experience are coming along, and more people are getting on the water than ever before.

Sailing teaches us skills that stand us in good stead for adult life. For me, it boosted my confidence and taught me responsibility, planning and execution. And to top it off, I had a great time socially. When you sail, so many factors come into play – co-ordination, balance, agility, fitness and adaptability. No two days on the water are ever the same – which keeps you on your toes and coming back for more! What can be better than sailing on open waters and using all your senses, and being at one with nature?

From learning to racing

Once your child has learned the basics of dinghy sailing, you might consider introducing them to racing—a natural next step that builds on their skills and knowledge. Racing takes sailing to a new level, requiring a unique mix of technical skill, mental focus, and determination.

Racing harnesses everything we have learnt from the sailing school environment and puts our skill and knowledge to the test. It takes sailing to the next level and requires a special motivation to win in competition. It’s not just about having the latest kit and knowing how to use it. To do well at racing takes a certain skill set, above and beyond the skills you need to just have a fun time sailing your dinghy.

It certainly helps you learn how to prepare, both physically and mentally. Being as physically fit as you are able will enable you to concentrate on the race and not on aches and pains. Sailing alone won’t provide enough physical training – you’ll need to join a gym or do your own training to really see a difference. Mentally, you need to be really focused on getting the best out of yourself and your equipment. ‘It’s not the boat it’s the sailor’ is a phrase that comes to mind. The determined sailor with old kit will always beat the lesser focused sailor with the best kit; it’s a mind game.

A child sailing a small sailboat with a tilted triangular sail marked

Illustration of a child sailing a small ILCA boat, wearing a life jacket, with a single sail on calm water.

It’s important to keep broadening your technical knowledge – you can always learn more. You’ll need to learn about wind forecasting and know the tidal streams in the area where you are racing inside out. Be that at your home club or the circuit venues. Learn from your class tuning guides, learn how to take measurements and write them down for reference. In my Tornado campaign I used to have a little black book with all my rig settings for given sail configurations and wind conditions. Have a good understanding of sail shape and how to adjust settings for given wind and sea states.

For some people, solo dinghy racing doesn’t offer the same appeal that two-man dinghy sailing does. If this is the case, it’s important to make sure that you sail with someone with whom you share common goals. Make sure your goals are achievable for both of you, whether it be competing in a club series or attending regattas away from home, it’s all about managing your expectations.

As with so many things in life, it’s important to learn from your mistakes – I still make mistakes, but I have learnt how to come back from them – perseverance counts for a lot. Don’t forget that your competition will probably make mistakes too, but the fewer mistakes you make, the further up the leaderboard you go.

Sportsmanship is equally important. It’s not just about doing your best personally; it’s also about doing your best by others. The best sportsman or woman will always be gracious in winning and magnanimous in defeat. I get great delight in sharing my knowledge as it brings up the standard within our own fleet and makes for better racing, it builds camaraderie which is so important, and it is fun!

Learning to dinghy sail and race gives us a lifelong toolkit. It teaches us attributes that will count towards our professional lives – how to set achievable goals, how to work to the best of our ability, and importantly, how to take knocks and come back even stronger. All whilst making lifelong associations along the way. So, whether your child sails for fun, competition, or both, they will reap the benefits beyond the water for the rest of their lives.

A man in a red sailing suit is sitting in a small sailboat on a lake, surrounded by other sailboats on a clear day.

Christian Brewer is a member of Whitstable Yacht Club and a former Olympic Squad and British Sailing Team member in the Tornado class.

He has won fifteen National and one European Championship in catamarans and in One Design keel boats.

A former sailmaker and charter yacht sales manager, Christian has sailed extensively in Europe, the Caribbean, Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Why insure your boat with HK-J?

Boat insurance, shipshaped around you

Useful Links

Haven Knox-Johnston is a trading name of Howden UK Brokers Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority No. 307663. Registered in England and Wales under company registration number 02831010. Registered Office: One Creechurch Place, London, EC3A 5AF. Calls may be monitored and recorded for quality assurance purposes.

Encouraging your childto get into dinghy sailing

Greater access to sailing schools

From learning to racing

For enquiries, call us:

Get a dinghy insurance quote in less than 30 seconds:

Related News

Why insure your boat with HK-J?

Encouraging your child
to get into dinghy sailing