Sailing - From Dinghy to Cruising

Sailing can be grow with you. There is a boatrange of 20 feet to 30 feet. Some of the
suitable for every age group; from children,common ones used in Singapore are the J series.
teenager, adult and veteran. Naturally, the choiceIf you are not into racing, this boat could meet
of the sailing boats will most likely see an increasethe desire to enjoy cruising. Nevertheless, in
in size and length of these boats. Sailing can alsoSingapore there is a lack of cruising grounds. Most
increase in intensity if you decide to take itof our southern islands are off-limit or cordoned
competitively; even racing at the Olympics.off for other development. The nearest cruising
A lot of sailors horn their sailing skills sailing singlegrounds will likely be the Andaman Sea near the
man design boats such as the Optimist and Laser.Phuket Island, Thailand. In fact, Sunsail also runs
Some go on to two man design boats such aschartering services there. However, there are
the International 420s. For such boats, teamworktwo destinations that are popular with SAFYC
and co-operation are critical in performing well in aboaters and yachters. They are Nongsa Point
race.Marina in
The Optimist boat length is 2.3m and the hullBatam Island, Indonesia and Sebana Cove Marina
weight at 35 kg. These characteristics are idealin Johore, Malaysia.
for children who can continue sailing up to theirIn cruising, there are other considerations that
teenage years. (it is the only dinghy approved bysailors need to be aware. In Singapore, you need
the International Sailing Federation (ISAF)a license to helm a motorized yacht/boat. This is
exclusively for sailors under 16 years of age).issued by the MPA (Maritime Port Authority) after
For those who had outgrown the Optimist, thethe applicant passed both a theory test and a
Laser Byte is the next logical choice. The Bytepractical handling assessment. In addition,
boat length is 3.6m and the hull weight at 45.3kg.experience and knowledge of boat handling and
This is ideal for teenagers who may not reach theseasmanship is also important. These skills can be
optimum weight of 75kg for the standard Laserpicked up by sailing regularly with other yachters
4.7. This suits the Asian sailors who are smaller infrom the sailing club which you are a member.
physique compared to the Caucasians sailors. InAbove all, presence of mind and common sense
fact, the Asian sailors had performed well inis necessary to handle any emergencies while out
international Byte races. Elizabeth Yin, our localin the waters. This is the responsibility of the
sailor emerged the champion at the Arch Byte CIIcaptain of the yacht who will need leadership to
World Championship 2006 (3-8 July).command the boat when faced with such
Most sailors continue their passion for sailing bysituations.
moving on to a day cruiser. This is normally in the