Dinghy sailing for a novice

[pcatterall]

Thanks guys for your great responses to my various other posts and recently advice on dinghy purchase.
We eventually purchase a 'Skipper 12' which will no doubt amuse some of you and probably upset my new commodore!
It is, however simple, roomy and light. This one has a gunter rig and I have already adapted the sail so we can put a reef in.
We hope to be on the water soon so I would like to get some advice as I am a novice sailor of dinghies! ( and getting on a bit at 78!) I do sail a 33 foot yacht but that demands less agility, ( and doesn't tip up unless you do something really silly or loose the keel!) My responses are commensurate with my age so I need to practice stuff a lot until it becomes second nature.
I will start sailing with my son ( a total novice) and he, later, wants to teach his children.
We want them all to enjoy the sailing and ( initially ) to avoid any tippy uppy malarkey !!
With the Skipper in mind I will appreciate any comments/advice on ensuring that we all start off being and feeling secure so we can move on to do some proper sailing as experience grows.

 

[[159032]]

I don't think the Skipper is at all tender. A stable boat.
One tip for you is never to drag it across the ground either in your garden or on the boat landing. Float it off the trailer and recover the same way. The plastic skin is very thin.
I repaired a badly damaged one, using grp marine filler. ( great for damaged small boats). But probably wise to do a capsize drill, just to make it clear what you can and cannot achieve. I've done it whilst tethered loosely to another boat with a strong swimmer on board. Best to be safe.

 

[ridgy]

Practice capsizing with your son in water you can stand up in eg waist height. This also prevents the boat going turtle. Take it in turns to be the one pulling the boat over and lying inside the hull.

Half an hour of doing that will give you alot more confidence to deal with the inevitable.

When sailing keep it flat. Dinghy stability is opposite to yacht stability. That is to say as a yacht heels it's righting moment increases due to the keel. On a dinghy it decreases due to the mast weight and once past 45 degrees you're going swimming.

 

[TLouth7]

Only 1 person is allowed to stand up at a time. You will probably want the crew to sit on the forward thwart (facing backwards?). They can slide to windward if necessary.

Launching will depend on local arrangements. Have the crew onboard with the boat head to wind in enough depth to get some/all the daggerboard down. Helm standing beside the boat near the shrouds. Helm rotates the boat to a close reach, hops in, gets hold of the sheet and tiller and sheets in. Can reverse roles if the crew is more agile. Don't sheet in until the crew is aboard. Sheeting the jib before the main will help stop the boat immediately rounding up into irons.

The Skipper has an aft mainsheet so you will need to tack facing backwards. Helm with the tiller extension in a "frying pan grip" in your aft hand. Mainsheet in your forward hand. This allows you to pull in the mainsheet by gripping it with your tiller-hand thumb while you adjust your sheet-hand position.

Tacking: push the tiller away from you, step your forward foot across the boat, swap hands, and swing the tiller extension towards the new windward side "wave to the fishes", duck under the boom, and as the boat reaches her new course sit down on the new side. Don't forget to communicate! The crew just needs to slide up the thwart, adjusting the sheets as they go.

Never cleat the mainsheet, the first rule of not scaring yourself is to dump it as soon as the boat gets too tippy.

 

[RumPunch]

Wear a bump cap if possible, especially if you are less agile. You WILL thank me someday

 

[scottie]

Just remember that buoyancy aids are high backed when ducking under the boom and provide an ideal trap for afore said as you capsize
Best not ask why I had to replace my paper license

 

[Lulla-Belle]

Loved my Skipper when I was rowing up!

Great fun easily rigged and single handed.

Progressed to Enterprise that sits in our garden in France and is sailed reg by local club mates.

Have fun and enjoy.