Please select your home edition
Edition
Rooster 2025

Messing about in boats

by Mark Jardine 8 Jun 2020 07:00 PDT
American Brad Funk making the most of the Australian sunshine at the 2019 Chandler Macleod Moth Worlds © Martina Orsini

"Believe me my young friend, there is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats," says Ratty to Mole in the classic novel 'The Wind in the Willows'.

All sailors have discovered this to be true, but then many of us got wrapped up in windward / leeward racing, trying to gain the miniscule speed advantage over our peers, concentrating on a tell-tale rather than soaking in our surroundings.

Don't get me wrong, I'm missing the racing hugely, but I'm loving just messing about in boats, be that my Laser, crewing for my kids in the RS Feva, pottering in a Scow or, as I did this Saturday, windsurfing from Mudeford in Christchurch harbour. My kit is 20 years old at least, and my forearms burned from lactic acid build up far too quickly, but blasting up and down at 25+ knots really was a lot of fun.

What I was struck by was the sheer number of windsurfers out and the camaraderie of all those on the water. Until late in 2019 I hadn't windsurfed for at least 12 years, and there seem to be many other people who have dusted off their boards to reconnect with the sport. Many of my generation were introducing windsurfing to their kids and a surprising number were sailors that I knew, so we all had a great socially-distanced catch-up. When I parked my car, I found myself next to the van of Simon Maguire, builder of the legendary Exocet Moths, who was out with a wingfoil on a foiling board (naturally). Encouragingly, he said business had been picking up rapidly recently with more people than ever wanting to buy boats.

Chatting with Sail-World.com Australian editor John Curnow today, he reminded me of Mitch Pearson's article about windfoiling on Moreton Bay at the end of March. Around the globe people are rediscovering the joys of windsurfing, be that on old kit or newer versions of the sport.

Should sailboat racing be concerned by the sudden uptake in windsurfing? No, not at all! Saturday had winds regularly gusting 30 knots, so it really wasn't a day to be responsibly sailing. Christchurch harbour is enclosed, shallow enough to touch the bottom in most places and so the ideal spot to be enjoying the water during lockdown. Plus, when I went down to my local sailing club on a far less breezy Sunday, the number of boats going out for a sail was simply staggering. It seems the great grass-roots revival is happening.

Inherently during lockdown I'm only seeing with my own eyes what's happening on my doorstep. It's hugely encouraging, but I'd love to know what's happening at your local sailing club. Are you seeing more people going out for a casual sail? Is windsurfing making a comeback in your area? Send me your stories, photos, videos and experiences so that we can share our love for sailing and inspire more people to get out on the water. Email me via mark@yachtsandyachting.com and please mention who took any photos you send, together with a caption.

Monday 8th June is World Oceans Day. The environment has been brought up repeatedly during lockdown and it's more important than ever that we respect the seas in which we sail. In the UK it has been shocking to see the rubbish that is left by beachgoers. While educating everyone to take their trash home with them is key, we as sailors can make a difference by spending an hour or so collecting rubbish on our beaches to keep them clean. My great friend and past editor of Yachts & Yachting magazine, Gael Pawson, wrote a superb article for us last year which you can read here.

Stay safe on the water, respect our oceans, fellow sailors and water users, help keep our beaches clean and go enjoy messing about in boats!

Mark Jardine
Sail-World.com & YachtsandYachting.com Managing Editor

Related Articles

Jazz Turner Video Interview
How she Faced Everything And Rose during Project FEAR I travelled to Brighton Marina to catch up with Jazz, talking about her own sailing, the challenges she faced during the circumnavigation, how the money raised will be used, and a glimpse of her future projects! Posted on 10 Jul
The Ocean Race Europe Video Preview
We speak to Phil Lawrence, Peter Rusch & Pip Hare to find out more The Ocean Race Europe will take place between 10 August & 21 September, following a debut event in the summer of 2021. The racing is in IMOCA yachts, the same as the Vendée Globe, but this time with 4 crew and an OBR who will document the action on board. Posted on 8 Jul
Foiling Frenzy at Fraglia Vela Malcesine
The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! The Moth Worlds at Lake Garda are something else! Regardless of where sailors are in their careers, or the reputation they have, everyone wants to be there and have a tilt at the title. Posted on 7 Jul
The oldest video footage of Moth sailing
A look back into our video archive, to when the name of this class first settled down We delve into our video archive to find the oldest possible videos that show Moth racing. Are these International Moths, British Moths... or was the name still Olive, Inverloch 11ft, National Moth or Brent One-Design?! Posted on 6 Jul
The power of tech
What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? What is the cost of safety? How do you measure it? More importantly, how do you appreciate it? Posted on 2 Jul
Some thoughts on provisioning for distance sailing
A new perspective on provisioning and time spent at sea One of the great joys of distance racing unfurls the moment that the dock lines are untied. Suddenly, the myriad packing lists that inevitably define most trip-planning efforts become about as relevant as a tax return from eight years ago. Posted on 1 Jul
Bill Guilfoyle on the 2025 Transpacific Yacht Race
Bill Guilfoyle discusses the 2025 Transpacific Yacht Race When it comes to offshore sailing in the United States, the biennial Transpacific Yacht Race reigns supreme for its distance and promise of off-the-breeze sailing angles. Posted on 1 Jul
Jazz Turner completes Project FEAR
Drama right to the end in her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles Jazz Turner has completed Project FEAR, her non-stop, solo, unassisted navigation of the British Isles in her Albin 27 yacht. A flotilla of supporters met her in Seaford Bay, which grew and grew the closer they came to Brighton Marina. Posted on 1 Jul
One thing. One big, very fast boat
One thing that opened the door, another made us enquire some more - 50 knots! Yes. It was one thing that opened the door, as it were. One thing that piqued the curiosity enough to go, ‘I'll take a look at that!' One thing that when you're trying to crack in excess of 50 knots... Posted on 30 Jun
A brief history of marine instrument networks
Hugh Agnew has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge One man who has been involved since the outset, and continues to develop at the cutting edge, is Hugh Agnew, the Cambridge-educated mathematician who is one of the founders of A+T Instruments in Lymington, so I spoke to him to find out more... Posted on 25 Jun
Sea Sure 2025Henri-Lloyd Dynamic RangeRooster 2025