First Sail in an RS200 for me and a First Sail for my 5yr Old Son

First Sail in an RS200 for me and a First Sail for my 5yr Old Son

Well this year I decided to get back into sailing after a few years out, I was going to get a single hander just so I didn't have to worry about a crew but my partner suggested I get a boat in which to teach our 5 year old son, Edward. So that put the kibosh on me getting anything exciting I thought.

After quite a lot of asking around at the club I narrowed it down to either an RS200 or a Laser 2000. The Laser sounded like it would be the more stable, user friendly boat to take a 5 year old out in and I nearly went down that route, but by chance I spoke to someone who has owned both for a similar reason and he said that the weight of the Laser 2000 made it really difficult to pull up and down the beach and slipways when you are effectively launching it on your own. He also said that in the 2000 he never did well on handicap but since swapping to an RS200 he's a lot more competitive and is now winning races.

That swung it for me, as although I know I'm not going to be competitive when out with my son at the moment (he only weighs 3 1/2 stone) I do want to race it and also I don't want it to be a struggle launching or recovering everytime we have a race that starts or ends at low tide. (I sail at Lyme Regis Sailing Club).

I ended up buying an RS200 and we took it out for the first time yesterday, it was 'blowing' at 2-3 and it was hot and sunny. The boat was easy to handle and lively enough that I'll have fun in it. Edward loved it, I gave him a sweet everytime we did a tack or a gybe, and now he wants to go sailing everytime its sunny!

So, if you're looking for a boat to take a youngster out in then consider the RS200.

Dave Stubbs

www.coastwatersports.com