Learning to sail in the midlands ???

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funkymonkey000

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Hi,
I really want to learn to sail, I'm a complete novice but I'm having trouble finding anywhere. I don't mind traveling and cost is not really an issue but I don't want to join a club.

Can anyone advise where I can do this ? I'm in Birmingham/midlands area. Any help is much appreciated.
thank you
 
Try local sailing clubs -a lot do the RYA dinghy courses. If you like it then progress to coastal sailing school.

Though living in the East Midlands, I did my sea school stuff with Dream or Two (Solent based) and also did Dinghy level 2 at Rutland Water.
 
Contact either of these 2 clubs:
Midland Sailing Club, Edgbaston Reservoir, Icknield Port Road, Ladywood, Birmingham B16 OAA tel (Sat. pm. and Wed. evg from 2000 hrs.)0121 454 0084. or the Principal of the Training School , Mike Colles: e-mail michael.colles@virgin.net . There is also a training establishment-Edgbaston Watersports (Bear Creek)-at the same site. Tel 0121 454 1997.
Suggest you visit the site on a Saturday at about 1200 or 1600. (they'l be out sailing 1300-1600!).see www.midlandsailingclub.org.uk
Bartley Sailing Club, 101 Genners Lane, Bartley Green, Birmingham 32 3NU Tel: 0121 477 5872 on Saturday/Sunday 0930-1630, or Wednesday afternoon 1330-2200 and ask to speak to Howard Eeles, the Principal of the Training School. If he is not there he'll ring you back. see bartleysc.co.uk.
Other Clubs in the Birmingham area that will be able to help you, see websites or telephone directories are: Birmingham Brookvale SC, Shustoke Sailing Club, Sutton Sailing Club, Tamworth Sailing Club, Earlswood Lakes SC., Olton SC., Barnt Green SC. and further afield, Chase SC., South Staffs SC (by A5 M6 junction) and Upton Warren Outdoor Centre (by M5 Junction 5 and A38).
Even if courses are not immediately available, you should be able to get afloat as a crew for someone else-in my view by far the best way to learn!
Good Luck
 
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You don't say whether you are interested in dinghies, yachts or both? Where you go to learn/try depends very much on what you want to do. If you want to learn to sail a yacht, dinghy or both and travelling and cost is not that important, I'd be getting on a plane and flying to somewhere warm and take a RYA competent crew type course with a school in a decent climate rather than struggling to learn in the cru*dy UK climate! If you don't like itthen at least you'll have had a bit of winter sun too- have a look at some of the Canaries based schools; guaranteed wind, sun and warmth!!!!!!

You could phone around some of the RYA schools and see if they're running any introductory weekends ie "come and have a go" type weekends to see what you think before investing time and effort. At least then you'll know that any boats you go out in and the skippers are going to be of a reasonable standard. Probably a bit late in the year now, but times are hard and some UK schools may still be running yachting weekends thro the winter.

Have a look at the RYA site http://www.rya.org.uk/coursestraining/Pages/FindATrainingCentre.aspx
and have a play around with the options to see what meets your needs. (A quick search on dinghies came up with more than enough potential places to contact in the midlands ie over 600!)

funkymonkey000 said:
Hi,
I really want to learn to sail, I'm a complete novice but I'm having trouble finding anywhere. I don't mind traveling and cost is not really an issue but I don't want to join a club.

Can anyone advise where I can do this ? I'm in Birmingham/midlands area. Any help is much appreciated.
thank you
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If it helps, there is also a club at Bromsgrove. My only connection is that I used them for the RYA DSC/VHF course/exam when it first came out. IIRC they are essentially a group of guys with boats scattered around the coast who mainly meet up in the off-season. They were keen to attract new members to expand their crew base. No contact details to hand, but they run RYA courses in the winter so should be on their website.
 
footsoldier said:
If it helps, there is also a club at Bromsgrove. My only connection is that I used them for the RYA DSC/VHF course/exam when it first came out. IIRC they are essentially a group of guys with boats scattered around the coast who mainly meet up in the off-season. They were keen to attract new members to expand their crew base. No contact details to hand, but they run RYA courses in the winter so should be on their website.
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That's Bromsgrove Boaters! www.bromsgroveboaters.co.uk
 
Come to Draycote Water, between Coventry and Rugby. 700 acres, open with pro rescue cover 364 days a year, RYA training centre, and when you have cut your teeth on training boats you can come and play on things like 18 foot skiffs that we sail if we're feeling like an adrenaline rush is in order!

PM me and I will show you around one weekend and arrange for a trial sail if you want. The 18 might be a bit much (although we have taken out a complete novice!) but you might enjoy the Fireball.
 
Iain C said:
Come to Draycote Water, between Coventry and Rugby. 700 acres, open with pro rescue cover 364 days a year, RYA training centre, and when you have cut your teeth on training boats you can come and play on things like 18 foot skiffs that we sail if we're feeling like an adrenaline rush is in order!

PM me and I will show you around one weekend and arrange for a trial sail if you want. The 18 might be a bit much (although we have taken out a complete novice!) but you might enjoy the Fireball.
Click to expand...

Hello Iain. What are you doing on here?

I'll vouch for Draycote. I wanted to sail a yacht, decided to do a dinghy course first, joined the Furball fleet and that delayed the yacht by seven years!
 
I was taught to sail at Upton Warren back in the late '70s at that time it was run by Hereford & Worcester Council and offered various courses and opportunities to learn. It is well over 25 years since I was last there so thing have probably changed.
 
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