Greystones Sailing Club

We now have over 350 members (toddlers to 70+), the majority of whom are active sailors. There is a strong junior membership, as is evident from the number of junior dinghies in the pen (Picos, Lasers, Fevas). 

As there are currently no berthing facilities in Greystones Harbour, we are currently restricted to dinghy sailing but look forward with anticipation to the harbour upgrade and welcoming keel boat sailors.  Below are details of most of the dinghies used in the Club.

All are plastic except some of the GP14s and Wayfarers.

 

Dinghy	No. in the Club	Sails/Spinnaker	Suitable For	No. Crew	Combined Crew weight.*
Laser Pico	25+	Main, jib	Learning/Junior	1 or 2	32kg +
Laser 4.7	15 in total (Same hull, diff rigs)	Main	All levels	1	45-65kg
Laser radial		Main	All levels	1	-75kg
Laser full rig		Main	All levels	1	65-85kg
RS Feva	17	Main, jib spinnaker	Learning/Junior	1 or 2	80-115kg
RS 200	17		Some Experience	2	115 – 145kg
RS 400	7		Experienced	2	135-165 kg
GP14	7		Some Experience	2	120-150kg
Wayfarer	6		Some Experience	2	130 – 180 kg

* source Yachts & Yachting Racing Classes Guide

 Some of the above boats come in variable rigs. There are a few other dinghies in the club, but it is more fun if you can measure how you are doing in a race against a similar boat and it can be very useful to have other people around who know how to rig your boat!

 Regrettably, there is a policy that no wooden boats be used for Junior sailing as experience over many years has shown too frequently members in conflict over damage, boats being out of action for a considerable period and sailing course boat/trainee ratios suffering as a result. Optimists are not suitable boats for sailing out of Greystones as the current is very strong.

 Some new members come with their own boat or, as they become more confident buy their own, or buy with another member. Others offer their services as crew to boat owners and are happier not helming. Should you wish to put yourself forward as crew, there is a facility on the website.

 Juniors and adults participating in the Levels 1 and 2 sailing courses are not required to have a boat; there are twelve club Picos, a laser Vago and a GP14 that are used for training. You may want to wait until you are sure your child(ren) enjoy sailing, or until you are more familiar with the Club, its fleet, and these waters before making any decisions or purchases.

If you have sailed dinghies/ dive/ canoe, you will be aware of the kit. If you have not, you will be getting wet and the Irish Sea is not particularly warm! I would advise a full length wetsuit (a shortie is fine if sailing only during the summer months), a Kag (waterproof top), sailing gloves, booties (adults need booties suitable for hiking) and of course a buoyancy aid appropriate for your body weight.

We sail (race) every Saturday afternoon, weather permitting, from April to November, every Wednesday evening from May to August and every Sunday in the morning - (this is specifically for juniors but a lot of adult sailors join in). Juniors are also welcome to sail on Saturdays and Wednesdays.   Members over 16 take turns as safety crew/ officer of the day (OOD) duty during the season.

If you've never sailed before and would like to try the sport,  why not come down to the Club and meet us?  We run sail training every season for adults and juniors. 

We look forward to seeing you and yours on the water in 2010