Paddle boarding in Murcia: where to go and why Mazarrón
Paddle boarding in Murcia, Spain: where to go, why Mazarrón bay is ideal for beginners, prices for tasters, courses and board hire, plus first-timer tips.
Dinghy sailing
An introduction to dinghy sailing
What dinghy sailing is, why its racing is so popular and which are the best-known classes of boat, from the Optimist to the 49er.
Dinghy sailing is the kind of sailing done in lightweight boats that use no engine of any kind and stay close to the coast. With no engine, the boat moves purely thanks to the wind, so its crew depend entirely on their own skills to travel across the sea.
Dinghy racing is very popular because the sailors are so evenly matched and because both the boats and the equipment they use tend to be quite affordable.
The body that governs this kind of racing is the international sailing federation, World Sailing, through the publication of the Racing Rules of Sailing.
The most popular classes
There is a wide variety of dinghy classes, either because they are or once were Olympic classes, or because they are reasonably inexpensive and very competitive thanks to how evenly matched they are in races. Some of the best known are:
- Optimist
- Cadet
- Laser
- 420
- 470
- 49er
- Snipe
If you would like to get started, Grímpola runs dinghy sailing courses for every level.
