Newcomer Advice Please - Knee Protection & Shops in Portsmouth

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Dufflefan

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Hello All,

I’m new to the forums so I thought I’d introduce myself before asking some questions.

Similar to my membership here, I am new to sailing. I decided to try my hand at it early last year and completed the RYA level 1 course in March 2011. In spite of every intention to keep learning throughout last year, I did not manage to get back into a boat until last Saturday. It was great fun and I very much enjoyed the lesson, even though I couldn’t remember everything from 2011!

With all the expertise on this forum I would like to ask a few questions about dinghy sailing if I may.

Foremost, for all my enjoyment on the water, my knees certainly suffered off the water. I have a number of bruises around my knees from where I rolled across the boat during tacks/gybes and I was wondering how I could best protect my knees from such a fate during my next lesson? I hope my technique will improve over time so I don’t knock my knees quite so much but I don’t think this is likely to happen too soon!

Would a wetsuit provide some protection for my knees? If the answer is yes, are there any wetsuits that are particularly well suited to dinghy sailing?

(If it makes any difference to the possible answer, I am learning to sail in a Laser Pico).

Second (I hope I’m not asking too many questions at once here!), I will be in Portsmouth next weekend and I would like to look around some sailing shops for clothing, footwear etc. I was wondering if anyone had any specific recommendations for good retail shops in the area?

Thanks very much to anyone who can help, I greatly appreciate the advice.
 
Yes a wetsuit provides a little protection.
You can get knee pads made from wetsuit material which give more protection.
I bought some from Solent Divers, Lake Rd, Portsmouth many years ago, they would be would be worth a phone call.
When it comes to buying a wetsuit though, I suggest Andark at Bursledon. Good range from very cheap upwards.
To be honest, you might get more dinghy people's view on the Yachts and Yachting forum.

Good Luck.
 
Hello Dufflefan,

welcome to the forums.

You can get kneepads for dinghy sailing in the larger chandleries, try Seateach at Emsworth; phone first though as I'm not sure that's where I saw them, been in a few chandleries lately !

Seateach 01243 375774

Also Force 4 are excellent, sorry I don't have their number but they'll be on google; the nearest in the Portsmouth area is near Chichester, at Donnington on the Witterings road, just south of Donnington on the left, you can't miss it !

Another good chandlery is Chris Hornsey, on the Eastern road into Southsea.

A very good chandlery but with slightly restricted stock is at Emsworth Marina, follow the road signs for Thorney Island from just by the Eastern end of Emsworth and the marina is off to the right after say 1 mile, they're very helpful and the marina itself is a very nice place to wander around - there are several public footpaths.

Emsworth itself is a nice place if you aren't already familiar with it.

There's a very good chandlery at Port Solent, the 'Marine Superstore', I've found them very helpful and there's a good range of stock particularly clothing, though it will be more tailored to cruiser sailing.


Places like bike / skateboard / surf shops might be a good bet for kneepads etc too.

A wetsuit does give protection, if just sailing in summer a thin 3mm job will do, but for general purpose and winter sailing a 'steamer' wetsuit is a lot warmer.

Winsurfer shops like Shore Boards at the Witterings ( another job for google I'm afraid ) will usually have a better range and lower prices than boat chandleries.

Drysuits are much better and warmer, but start at around £230.

Have fun !
 
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It only gets worse as you get older. You don't get more bruises, they just hurt more and take forever to recover!

I was thinking you might like to look at the kneeling mats used in open canoes. Most are simply thick rubber mats which are laid on the floor where you most usually make contact and they can be cut to a suitable size if necessary.

Rob.
 
After years of suffering in silence (well, suffering...) my wife bought a pair of knee pads from a garden centre. They have elasticated straps with velcro on, so they strap on and stay there, and you don't bruise your knees. Available in black, luminous pink and doubtless green, they don't have the word "yacht" in the name so are inexpensive as well. Hers came from Haskins but I'm sure other places do them.
 
Having done a fair bit of dinghy sailing, I don't think a kneeling mat would work; it's the hard edges and contact with bits and bobs like camcleats which do the damage, very often going unnoticed at the time, but the next day it feels as if one has been in a rough game of rugby !

I seem to remember 'sports injury' places have kneepads etc too, though that's a surefire way of getting ripped off...
 
Hi
Welcome to the forum.
My daughter, an advanced dinghy sailor, had a Pico for a short while, hoping to teach her husband and kids to sail.
I found it extremely hard on my knees, but was pleased when she also complained about that, so it seems to be the Pico, not my geriatric knees is the problem.
Her comment was that if this boat is what is used to introduce people to sailing, how many actually want to go further?
 
I find most well designed boats are reasonably user-friendly, though one will always get the odd knock especially on higher performance boats.

The boat that I found remarkably unkind on the crews is the modern twin-wire international 14; lots of things to knock knees on in the dish hull interior, and sheets so thin ( to reduce weight & windage ) and highly loaded it proved impossible to sail without gloves.
 
the strap on knee pads are ok, but the elastic is a pain after a while, it rucks up behind the knee

any industrial supplies shop will sell you a pair of work trousers with integral knee pads (no elastic). i've been using them for years. or indeed a wetsuit
 
Asda do neoprene sports recovery knee 'pads' for about 6 quid each. That's what I'd go for.

What you don't want is anything with a hard plastic 'cap' a la skateboarding, etc - I think they would be bulky and are more suited to heavy impact, not rolling around in the bottom of boats. I think you'd lose a lot of mobility in them...
 
Dighy sailing

I find it amazing that you did not wear a wet suit. We have quite warm water here but most dinghy sailors would not go out with out a wet suit. You are sure to capsize sooner or later. In fact when I was teaching dinghies to kids the first lesson was a deliberate capsize. You can not work successfully if you don't have buoyancy and get cold. My son having an original laser full sized rig reckoned he would give up a race a after 12 capsizes. Yes he wore a wet suit.
Now the knee pads I have seen are made of neoprene like the wet suit but are more of a sacrificial wet suit protection for knee areas. of course they provide more protection as well. About a 20 cm section of 6mm neoprene tubing with a cut out at the back to permit knee bending. You simply stretch the tube and pull it over foot and up the leg. I have one crew person on my little keel boat who brings his own knee pads of this sort but no wet suit. good luck olewill
 
bikedaft said:
the strap on knee pads are ok, but the elastic is a pain after a while, it rucks up behind the knee
Click to expand...

That's what my wife said about them, that and you can only put them on and take them off over your feet. The gardening ones with two separate velcro straps are more comfortable and easier to put on and take off.
 
Wow. Some great replies here and excellent practical advice too.

Thank you to everyone who has suggested ideas and recommended some chandleries.

I really appreciate the encouragement too. Now I just hope the weather improves so I can continue learning!

Thanks very much again to all.
 
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