420

e

That was the next boat post Optis. 4 m 20. Family boat (ie the family owns one). Olympic class. Fun because it is now team work, as there is a crew, a lot about weight placement, trapeze (never my position, being a lightweight, always at back), it has a napkin size spinnaker which is very very cute.




These boats can be fast, despite being an old design.





A lot of my summer sailing was pretty much, very little wind, swim suit and a dip when it would get too hot, getting back on board to dry out and cool down.

Great boat for women. Nicely balanced and with a sail plan that matches women's average body weight.

Easy to rig, easy to launch - fits on a little trailer that you can push around with bare hands and easily hook up to a car. The family boat has a wooden mast but most masts now in sailing clubs and schools will be made out of aluminum.

Brings back a lot of memories...I like dinghies a lot - and no matter what people will argue, I still am convinced that they are the best sailing school there is. There is no hiding. It is so light and responsive that you can feel the effect of every force on the boat very precisely. The controls are fairly simple so you are more atuned to wind than try to figure out whether the jib track should be a little more outward or not.

If I had more time and money, I would get a dinghy in addition to a keel boat and take it to lakes, beaches, etc.. and just play with it on a very regular basis. It is also so easy to set up that it makes sense to go out for only a couple of hours. Even to date, the 420 is one of my favorite boats and I am so happy to see some emerge on San Francisco Bay.