In the early part of this millennium we talked a lot at Royal Tay Yacht Club (RTYC) about establishing a formal training function. The days of people joining up and learning by crewing through “two years before the mast” have regrettably long since gone. For a start there aren’t as many crewing berths (in some ways due to those sad people who insist on sailing single handed) and also because today’s version of homo sapiens (young and old) is accustomed to more formalised instruction and often bits of paper to demonstrate achievement. We mustn’t knock it as it does work.

The pledge of significant donations specifically towards training plus the opportunities for further funding and benefits resulted in the establishment of RTYC’s own registered charity, Tay Sail Training Association (TSTA). The dilemma was, amongst the great wealth of dinghies available what would make a good training boat? We spoke to the RYA and also carried out some research as to the types of boats being used at various training schools. If anything that simply confused the issue.
We set our own criteria for a boat:

    ● seaworthy (to cope with estuary conditions on the Tay) robust, durable and low maintenance
    ● capable of taking 3 adults
    ● can be launched/ recovered with relative ease
    ● easy to sail at the elementary level
    ● centre main sheeting
    ● reefing capability
    ● spinnaker
    ● good value for money
    ● most importantly, is fun to sail

The last mentioned led on to a further set of criteria which arose out of the need for the Club to have a good dinghy class and try and encourage class racing rather than a mixture of types. It was realized if we are trying to encourage sailing, new membership and boat ownership within our club then the choice of training boat could be a major factor in this process. The thinking was that if trainees learn in a particular type of boat then they might be more inclined to buy one. Additionally, if the instructors enjoy using the training boats they might also become boat owners. This led to additional criteria to be satisfied:

    ● fast to overcome the strong tides on the Tay
    ● competitive
    ● challenging and rewarding
    ● can sail equally well in both very light and heavy conditions
    ● looks good….pride of ownership

Having ruled out many boats in our evaluation process and following some publicity in the yachting press in flew the Kestrel or rather Kestrel 1579 (now named Gaa Sands) which Hartley Laminates delivered with their trademark enthusiasm to Broughty Ferry for us to have on an extended, no obligations trial. Wow, what a boat! She sold herself. She looked fantastic with her blue hull and off-white decks and for a well established design she looked bang up to date with her various bits of string and the user friendly set up.

She got a good trial and the verdict was this is the one…in fact Stewart Murdoch put his money where his mouth is and bought that very boat (it would have been a shame for the Hartleys to take her back to Derby). TSTA placed an order for 2 immediately followed closely by a third when funding became available. Subsequently 1579 was acquired from Stewart when he took delivery of a new one (which he seems to sail even faster….damn him).

Do we have any regrets…none whatsoever. The boat has and continues to do everything we ask of it. The Kestrel ticks all the boxes and more.

TSTA owns 4 Kestrels which is an ideal number for training courses. We can accommodate 8 trainees with 4 instructors for basic training then 8 trainees can enjoy good two handed sailing when they become more confident (and the instructors can go off and play in their Ketrels). We use the Kestrel for teaching adults and also younger sailors. It’s a good introduction for the younger sailors, then they have a break from it whilst they learn in their wee, whizzy boats, then they come back to it when they are a bit older, particularly to enjoy spinnaker work and some “serious” sailing.

One of the greatest plus points is the reefing system we developed with Hartley. It works so well and the mainsail is so well shaped even when reefed to the maximum. Being able to reef has allowed us to run training on days when the conditions would otherwise prevent it. With the reefed sail the boat still performs really well but minimises the nasty sting that inevitably happens when a gybe goes wrong. The reefing mainsail is a great confidence booster for trainees not to mention a good tranquilliser for the instructors. A few of the privately owned Kestrels now have reefing.

The Tay estuary is a splendid sailing venue which opens to the Abertay Sands, Tentsmuir Forrest and St Andrews bay and the North Sea to the east and offering access to 25 miles of navigable river to Perth from Dundee to the west. It is totally under exploited as a dinghy cruising area. The whole estuary is a site of special scientific interest and is rich in wildlife from the dolphin and seas, to a huge diversity of birds and fish. Ideal cruising ground – but only if the vessel of your choice can cope with the strong tides and potential of grounding on sandbanks. The Kestrel has the stability, reefability, performance, carrying capacity and seaworthiness to allow us to really start to explore this area. One member has taken this further and for the last few years has taken his Kestrel 2000 over to the west coast to enjoy the delights of dinghy cruising in some seriously open settings.

It is a joy to have good equipment and we have great pride in our boats. They have had a few knocks and repair work has not been cheap as we want them to continue to look good. Like any boat they don’t take kindly to colliding with other boats or to touching a stony beach. Accidents do happen but by and large introducing trainees to good boats introduces responsibility on Day 1 which is probably one of the most important lessons that we can give a new sailor at the start.

We could wish for more space for the crew when sailing with 3 adults. Possibly if we were replacing the boats we might get them set up with a GNAV rather than a kicker which would create a lot more space possibly in conjunction with a smaller training jib.

The Kestrel is a forgiving boat but when it capsizes it will very quickly invert. With its considerable built in buoyancy the boat rides high on its side and the top of the mast digs in fairly quickly and the strong currents of the Tay do the rest. Masthead buoyancy is a possible solution but experience shows you need a great deal to overcome the inversion propensity and its very presence creates so much additional windage it ends up as a contributory factor to the capsize. Our own belief is that the RYA capsize drill needs to be modified to encourage an early climb onto the centreboard by one of the crew. If that happens the boat behaves perfectly. If inversion takes place she is an easy boat to right…the most difficult bit is getting a grip on that shiny rounded hull and climbing back in. We are considering righting lines. Only once have we had a trainee under the inverted hull….consternation for it seemed ages before the head appeared. The briefing had mentioned that there was a generous air space under the inverted hull, so she thought she would wait there enjoying the peace and tranquillity until the boat was righted!

We elected for the fully equipped racing version of the Kestrel. This was partly to meet our second set of criteria to encourage a class within the club. It was also partly to present the boat as an excellent blend of a boat with an outstanding pedigree and modern cockpit design. Initially the set up can seem daunting to the new sailor but it is amazing how quickly they become accustomed to knowing the essential basic controls.

We had trapezes fitted to three of the boats particularly for teaching trapezing skills to our younger sailors. We used this facility only initially, but it is there if we ever wish to restore it to the boats. (The Kestrel can carry a trapeze and boy would it be tempting at times to use it in racing if permitted, one memorable day after the new boats arrived the instructors were out playing and spinnaker reaching three up, with a crew on the wire, the Kestrel hull will keep pace with a 505….in a gale!)

Do we have any regrets…four excellent training boats, lots of new sailors, a fleet of a further ten Kestrels in private hands, great club racing, some safe long distance cruising, a successful national championship on home waters in 2007 and 7 boats at the 2008 nationals ….speaks volumes. Not to mention that we have a host of great pals throughout the country in what must be one of the friendliest classes.

We are glad the Kestrel flew to the Tay and has made a home here. Long may she stay.

Sandy Bremner Secretary
Tay Sail Training Association

Royal Tay Yacht Club     Nov 2008