When I tell non-sailing friends how much fun you can have on the water, they typically reply: 'Sailing, isn't that for rich people?'
'NO!' I've lost count of the number of times I've debunked that myth. It's true, owning a boat can be costly, even when you maintain it yourself, but there are many ways to sail for free or low cost, which is what I've done for most of my life. Even now, as a member of two sailing clubs, I spend less annually on boating than I do on my kids' football subscriptions. At PBO, our mission is to get you on the water as affordably as possible. If you don't own a boat, are thinking of selling yours or even trying a new kind of sailing, here are ways you can do it.
What type of boat?
The first thing to consider is do you prefer to sail a big boat or small? There's a world of difference between the two. Dinghies capsize, yachts usually don't. You wear a wetsuit on the former, and oilskins on the latter. Then you have keelboats which, with a weighted keel, are somewhere in between.
Dinghies are fast, fun and unforgiving - you learn quickly when one false move tips you overboard, yet you can sail cruising yachts badly your whole life and never even know it. Yachts and motorboats offer a lifestyle that dinghies can't; an opportunity to do long passages and see new places, sleep and live aboard. But, if you want maximum fun for the least amount of cost and effort, a small boat triumphs every time, and there's a great camaraderie to be found at local clubs.
Then there are boating opportunities that fit none of these categories... such as tall ships, lifeboat crew, charities and East Coast smacks. My advice? Try them all!
1. RYA taster day
Denne historien er fra Summer 2024-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra Summer 2024-utgaven av Practical Boat Owner.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Orca sink yacht in Strait of Gibraltar
Spain's maritime rescue service, Salvamento Maritimo, has reported that a 15m (49ft) yacht sank in Moroccan waters in the Strait of Gibraltar following interaction with a pod of orca.
No kill cord or lifejackets were worn during fatal powerboat crash
A kill cord and lifejacket are useless unless worn-that's the warning from the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB), following its investigation into a powerboat crash that killed a 32-year-old woman and five-year-old girl on 2 October 2022.
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Sail the Atlantic with strangers
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IZIBoat: simple sailing
Rupert Holmes sails an innovative catamaran design intended to widen participation in sailing among those with little time to get on the water in more conventional craft
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Boats for restoring under £20,000
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-35ft sail and power boats to look for when aiming to undertake a restoration on a budget
Seaworthy dinghies for less than £500
For low cost traditionally-styled GRP trailer-sailers, consider the Foreland and the Otter available at bargain basement prices
Playing with coloured sails
Maintaining an hourglass-shaped balloon and ratcheting up the log numbers