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10 Tips to be a better dinghy sailor

10 tips to be a better dinghy sailor

written by former Olympic dinghy sailor, Christian Brewer

Tips for lifelong dinghy sailing success

Here are my top ten tips to help you get the most out of your dinghy sailing, be it racing or free sailing. Sailing is a unique sport, we never stop learning and no two days on the water are ever the same. It’s also a sport with no age limit, so we keep on learning!

1. Physical fitness

Dinghy sailing exercises nearly every muscle in your body but sailing once or twice a week alone is not enough to maintain a peak level of fitness.

I concentrate on my core strength through a mix of aerobic and static training exercises twice a week on top of my sailing time. The benefit of this regime is less burning and aching in my thigh muscles when hiking, greater physical strength to pull in the sails and less backache/muscle ache post sailing.

Physical strength gives you the luxury of being able to concentrate fully on your boat handling and tactics, rather than being distracted by the screaming of your muscles.

Illustration of a person in a jumpsuit, as if prepared for dinghy maintenance, in a monochrome style, with one arm extended forward.

2. Comfy kit

For spring sailing on my laser/ILCA I wear two thin top layers under a long john wetsuit, paired with my hiking pants and fleece lined splash top with a snug neck seal. Moving onto summer, I drop the long john and opt for a non lined splash top. Check out the latest PFD designs, I like the ones that do not catch the boom when I tack. We have some great companies here in the UK that make dinghy clothing, such as Rooster, Gill, Zhik, Gul, Crewsaver and Musto – to name only a few! So if you’re having trouble choosing your kit, speak to one of their technical clothing experts to get some expert advice.

3. Volunteer

How does this help make you a better dinghy sailor you may ask? Well, understanding the workings of the Race team can greatly enhance your experience on the water, it gives you an appreciation of what is involved in running a race. Our club runs a Race Officer training course on the first race weekend in mid March where our volunteers have the chance to refresh their knowledge. We concentrate on how to set a course to suit the weather conditions, communicate with the safety boat team and manage the race support team. By taking a level 2 Powerboat training course, you can also volunteer to drive a club rescue boat, whose responsibilities include laying marks and assisting competitors who have capsized, which is always easier when you have an appreciation of what is involved when you capsize!

A person windsurfing on the ocean, skillfully balancing as waves crash, perhaps taking a break from dinghy maintenance.

4. Training opportunities

Look out for training courses being run either at your own club or through your class association. Knowledge is key to getting the best performance out of yourself and your boat, so give yourself an achievable goal this season. Sign up for your next level of RYA training but do this early as courses sell out quickly. Look out for RYA Race Training courses, these take you to the next level once you have completed your level three training course.

5. Buddy up

Look out for opportunities to learn from the top dinghy racers in your club. I have taken a couple of Laser sailors under my wing, we go out on the water an hour or so before the start of our racing and practice in company; I advise on their technique and upwind trim for the given sea state and tide conditions and we discuss wind strength and likely conditions we might experience during the race. Downwind, again, I advise on technique and downwind trim with some practice gybes thrown in. The start line is usually in place at the end of our practice session and we discuss the favoured end and likely scenario for the first beat.

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

6. Learn the rules

The latest racing rules came out in July 2024 and are valid to 2028. Make sure to download your copy and study the changes to obstruction and proper course rules. I have been surprised by the number of competitors who still seem unable to comprehend the three boat length rule when rounding a mark, it is a lot further out than you think, mark it out with a tape measure and try to visualize it. I make a point of letting fellow competitors around me know when we are at the three boat length limit, when the mark rounding rules come into play.

7. Up your DIY skills

Check your dinghy each and every time you go sailing and check for wear, chafe and breakages, the last thing you want is to have your race or cruise curtailed through lack of maintenance. I recommend that you get a basic understanding of carrying out gel repairs to your foils and hull – there are many helpful guides online. Water ingress into the substrate will cause damage over time so it is best to make the repairs early to ensure it doesn’t get any worse. Check your rigging for chafe or missing pins and cast your eye over the stitching on your sails, especially around the batten pockets. I always carry a short length of string and a couple of split rings in my lifejacket, just in case.

Cartoon penguin holding a wrench stands next to a toolbox.

A teacher and child stand under flags, including one for

8. Study weather & tides

Having access to up to date weather forecasting and tidal predictions is really easy and freely available online, my favourite weather site is yr.no, others include Windguru or the Met Office.

Assessing wind strength and tidal direction will give you an idea of what sea state to expect. Typically, when the wind direction opposes tidal direction, the sea state will be rough; wind with tide will give a smoother sea state. You can use your knowledge of the tide conditions to sail the fastest course to a mark. The most direct route is one sailed at an angle to the tide that keeps the next mark in line with a fixed reference point on the land.

9. Basic navigation

Having an understanding of collision regulations and rules of the road gives us more confidence when navigating in restricted waters and with other larger vessels. The rules are pretty similar to racing rules although be aware that some vessels are restricted in their ability to manoeuvre so may need a wide berth. Learn too the buoyage system and understand channel markers, which normally indicate the deepest water, where the tide will run fastest.

Cartoon penguin sitting in an armchair, sipping coffee, reading

10. Be a good sport

Getting involved in club activities and sharing your knowledge with others brings about a great sense of camaraderie and respect from fellow competitors. On the water, we all want to win but sometimes we may be in the wrong, it’s how we handle our resolve or errors that earns us respect. Paul Elvstrom, the multiple Gold medal winner who I had the honour of meeting at the Tornado Worlds in 1983, once quoted: “You haven’t won the race if in winning the race you have lost the respect of your competitors.” This famous quote is the essence of dinghy sailing. Play hard, play fair and be gracious in defeat is my mantra.

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.

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

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