Racing is the perfect way to enjoy dinghy sailing and improve your sailing skills at the same time. Dinghy racing is available at all levels, from Sunday Club racing at your local yacht club to multi-class, multi-Club regattas, held through the sailing season to Class, Regional, National and World Championships. The culmination of dinghy racing is the Olympics, held every four years, this is considered to be the pinnacle of dinghy racing, pursued by an elite group of International dinghy racers.
Be forewarned, dinghy racing can become very addictive. Many sailors become so hopelessly hooked that they devote a whole lifetime to racing. Children can start sailing at a young age and can learn to race a small dinghy such as an Optimist or RS Terra from six years old, teenagers move into dinghy racing much more quickly, on more exciting boats with gennakers and trapeze wires. Young adults have a wide choice of dinghies to race, while mature adults will tend to move to the more stable and predictable classes, with the prospect of enjoying a competitive edge that will hopefully last for the rest of their lives.
