Where Should I Go?

Apart from the weather, choosing the area in which to sail probably affects your first time experience more than any other single factor.

Be Good to Yourself

If you've got the chance to choose where you first sail do your self a favour and pick an area that provides some natural shelter.

Even if you're the gung-ho type and look forward to thought of spray in your face and a rolling deck, you won't remember much if most of your time was spent just trying to keep your balance or staring at the horizon to try and avoid feeling queasy.

Sheltered bays, large estuaries and areas that naturally provide some protection from the prevailing conditions are all preferable to the more exposed areas of coastline which can be very beautiful but are more sensitive to sudden changes in the weather, producing bigger seas and generally making life a bit too interesting for your first time afloat.

A Few Suggestions

Some areas in the Southern UK seem to have been created just to learn to sail in. The most famous is probably the Solent in Hampshire and to be honest, it's pretty hard to beat. The Isle of Wight provides a massive natural break-water from the larger swell experienced in the more open parts of the English Channel and seas don't tend get big enough to be worrying, even when the wind is gusting to 38 or 40 knots. Add to that the fact that shelter and excellent facilities are never more than a few miles away in every direction and you've got the perfect training ground.

Other naturally sheltered areas worth considering include the beautiful river estuaries on the East coast of Suffolk, the Medway estuary in Kent and Poole Harbour in Dorset. Some of the more sheltered areas on the South coast of Devon and Cornwall such as Plymouth Sound and Falmouth could also prove to be good choices.