King George Sailing Club

Clothing

The basics to get you going would be boots, a wetsuit, a spray top and a buoyancy aid. You will find most brands will now do an essentials range or a set of entry level garments to get people out and enjoying the water, without investing loads of cash before you hit the water.

Second-hand is also not to be sniffed at (no pun intended)! You can get lightly used or even un-used but too old to return garments at the snip of the retail cost. There are groups on Facebook such as Out-Grown Me Sailing Clothing and your local club probably have a noticeboard full of “For Sale” adds. It's also worth checking out eBay for seconds and demo kit as well as clearance areas on wetsuit websites.

Once you’ve got your basics, you can think about adding accessories such as gloves, hikers and hats as well as additional layers to either keep you cool in the summer or keep you warmer in the winter when the water is coldest. 

Boats

Our club have club boats, boards and equipment that are available to hire through our clubs membership website, which is ideal for new sailors or families with kids. Using hired gear is a really easy way to get involved with club activities and try things before you take the plunge and buy your own.

New to a sport doesn’t mean you also need all-new equipment either. Facebook Marketplace, Apollo Duck, Facebook’s Dinghies and Dinghy Bits are all great places to look for equipment needing a new home.

Conditions

Check the forecast – The club has access to Windguru, a wind strength in pale blue or white is super-light or nearly-no wind. Orange is probably not a great wind strength until you’re a little more experienced and red, pink, even purple are stay at home colours! Wind direction can make a big difference too – some directions (generally speaking, easterly) can be very shifty and gusty, so that the wind doesn’t seem to want to sit still. This is tricky for any sail powered craft.

If you’re unsure- ask! Fellow water users are super helpful and always ready to lend a hand. If you’re not sure why they aren’t hitting the water today, there is probably a reason.

Care and Maintenance

Pretty boring stuff but it could be the difference between buying a small shackle and expensive breakage or your longjohn lasting 5 years and not 1. Prevention is so much easier, and generally a whole load cheaper than a fix. Wearing protection shorts and rash guards/tops/bibs can be worn over the top of a wetsuit to prevent nicks and abrasion that can lead to holes and cold water flushing through.

If you do find you’ve developed some wear and tear (which is to be expected eventually), you can get repair kits which are relatively inexpensive and will tide you over until you can afford to replace that wetsuit.

It goes without saying to check you equipment for things that could be looking to fail on you. A really simple and effective way to do this is to give you boat a good and thorough clean every so often so that you end up checking all the nooks-and-crannies where the Pixies hide. If you do find something on it’s way to the big chandlery in the sky, you can more than often place your order for the replacement piece whilst stood in the boatpark and have it arrive with you a few days later.