Dinghies

Sailing Dinghies are small sailboats with a centerboard for use off the beach, around the harbour, or for lagoon and dam sailing and racing.

Mostly open-cockpit boats come with just one sail (a mainsail) under 12 ft. above that they are likely to have two sails and a covered foredeck area for gear stowage. Many dinghies race in popular "one design classes" where all boats in a class are of the exact type and measurement and sailed with equal crews (one or two).

If you like the smaller craft, or are starting and want to learn about sailing, a dinghy may be just what you are looking for. Fitting up to three people, dinghies are a great way to learn about sailing.

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Lasers

The most popular single hander in the world, Hermanus Yacht Club has a large fleet of these craft. The Laser 4.7 World Championship was hosted at the club in December 2007 /January 2008.

Benefits of owning a Dinghy Strict one design, all boats are the same The different rigs can be inter-changed very easily - you can swap from one to the other for different sized people quickly, easily and cheaply Low cost - the boats hold their value making the cost of ownership low Light weight GRP hull - maintenance free Quick and easy to rig

Sonnets The Sonnet is based on the stunning success of the very popular 12-foot Dabchick and the 15-foot Tempo. The Sonnet is also an ideal boat for junior sailing. The hull weighs in at 140 pounds, so it has the advantage of being very quick to plane and it's a lot faster reaching than similar sized dinghies. It's a great feeling to skim over the waves at speed. Juniors and novices enjoy the performance and get hooked quickly. This shapely little rocket makes a wonderful family dinghy, a dinghy with a history and horsepower that you can build yourself.

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Dabchicks

In the year 1955 the prototype of the Dabchick was designed by Mr Jack Koper of Cape Town, South Africa. The first boat was narrower in the beam and had a more rounded bow and a curved transom. After a season's sailing where she proved herself, a small jib was added and this improved her performance. The designer went to work on improving the design. There was enough plywood to increase the beam, the bow was widened and a genoa-type jib added. The plans were first published in June 1956. The growth of the Dabchick was phenomenal with around 5000 boats having been built. The Dabchick has proved herself over the years to be an excellent trainer for the young of both sexes between the ages of seven and eighteen years. The Dabchick can be sailed single-handed or with a crew.

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Optimists

Optimist Dinghy Class Racing is open to all youth under the age of 16 years. The Optimist Sailing Dinghy is an internationally recognised one design single handed sailing craft. Most of the top dinghy sailors worldwide gained their experience in the Optimist sailing dinghy.