 
The following hyperlinks lead to UK sailing schools and clubs. For international information, please click here.
Start Sailing
You can make sailing what you want it to be – relaxing or high-adrenaline, sociable or secluded, on sheltered inland waters or on the open sea. Sailing is one of the most rewarding, healthy, outdoor activities you can take part in.
Sailing teaches youngsters self-reliance, inspires confidence and sociability. Sailing offers families the opportunity to have fun together, or to grab single-handed escapism from time to time!
Sailing Courses
The best way to start sailing in an RS is to take a course at an RYA-approved RS Academy. If there is not an RS Academy in your locality yet, try one of the many RYA-approved sailing schools throughout the UK.
Sailing Clubs
You may wish to join a sailing club, where you’ll also often find training courses, racing, and a social scene. Sailing club fees are generally considerably less expensive than many sports clubs. To find your local sailing club, click here.
Sailing Boats
Youngsters, adults, and families – there is an RS for you, and there is no finer choice! Our award-winning designs set new standards in user friendliness, fun, and low maintenance. Browse the dinghies in the All Purpose Boats, Performance Dinghies and Skiffs, and Performance Keelboats sections on the Home Page of our website. We usually have used RS boats available, which have been checked in our workshop and issued with a guarantee, for your peace of mind. Along with the RS Academies, many sailing schools and clubs use RS boats, so you can select a course in the boat of your choice!
Top Tips When Choosing a Boat:
· Choose a boat to suit the most frequent use – e.g. if you primarily want to sail with an adult and two children in the boat, but may very occasionally sail with several adults, buy a boat that is ideal for the former rather than one that is too big and heavy for youngsters to handle.
· Choose a boat to grow into, not out of. You’re only a complete beginner for a short time, so choose a boat that is not extreme and that has progression potential – rewarding performance, bigger sails, perhaps a genneker?
· Check the size of the boat carefully, and beware of extravagant claims! Length can be a misleading guide to space and people-carrying capacity. Internal cockpit width and depth are vital ingredients. Look at the boat and judge whether the cockpit will be comfortable for you.
Start Racing
Join a Sailing Club
There are sailing clubs all over the UK, with a wide variety of focuses. Most people agree that you will learn racing techniques faster in a dinghy than a keelboat, so look for a strong dinghy club. The size of the club and prices also vary, so look around for a club that suits you. Click here for details of your local sailing club.
Club Racing
There are three main ways that you can start racing:
· Look for a crewing job – many clubs have a way to marry up willing crews and needy helms.
· Charter a club dinghy – some clubs have suitable boats that can be chartered for club racing.
· Race your own boat – nearly all dinghies can be raced in a handicap or one-design fleet.
Click here for more information about racing rules, handicap systems, and much more.
Racing Boats
You can race just about any boat but most people are drawn to dinghy racing because it is synonymous with ‘sporty and fun’. So if you will primarily be racing your boat, avoid choosing one that is too heavy or too slow – you’ll soon become frustrated! The Portsmouth Yardstick system gives a good performance comparison – the lower the number, the faster the boat.
Search the Performance Dinghies and Skiffs section of our Home Page for your first racing boat. Then move on to Performance Keelboats – every RS in this section is fast, exciting to sail, and is built using the optimum applied technology. The huge success of RS racing classes and the enthusiasm of the sailors says it all.
There’s more to RS than boats...
RS is a way of life – club fleets, regatta circuits, championships, overseas events in the sunshine, big parties, good friends, life on the beach. Join the RS Class Association and never look back! Select the boat of your choice on the RS Website, and then click on the RS Class Association button to be linked to the Owner’s Association.
Race Training
The RS Owner’s Associations organise race training that is specific to the boat of your choice. Follow the Training links from the appropriate Owner’s Association pages.
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