First and foremost, sailing is for everybody; the able-bodied and disabled, young and old, competitive sportsmen and pensioners alike can easily learn to sail . Sailing has been around for thousands of years – the earliest representation of a ship under sail appearing on an Egyptian vase from about 3500 B.C. – so it should come as no surprise that many sailors find it to be a sport for like. Starting out as a crew member, even the youngest sailors soon progress to helming their own small vessel, allowing them to take their family out on the river or on a sailing holiday when they get older! As time progresses, the type of sailing that most appeals to you will change, but rest assured that there is always a type to suit you; from single-handed dinghies to a hulking yachts manned by a dozen people, the variety of options within sailing makes it a truly versatile sport.

What’s more, sailing really isn’t as expensive as it is made out to be. Small dinghies for river sailing and membership to sailing clubs are not hugely pricey; at around GBP100-200 for whole year of family membership, they allow unlimited access to facilities and storage, as well as boat hire (for an additional fee). The amount of equipment needed for the casual sailor is also very small and most of it can be picked up from supermarkets and budget outlets if your budget is really tight. Of course, sailing can be incredibly expensive if you let it – but so can any sport; you do not need a GBP250,000 yacht to start sailing, just like you do not need GBP500 of training clothes to be a good runner.

So we’ve established that sailing is affordable, fun and for everybody – so what’s stopping you? If you are anything like I was before I started sailing, you may be partly put off by the chore of learning to sail; everybody that I knew had been sailing from childhood and I assumed that there was a very long process involved. But this isn’t true at all! Although the fine art of sailing is something that will take your entire lifetime to master, the basics to sailing can be learnt in about a week of lessons that will have you competently tacking up and down the water with ease! How many other sports can boast that anybody can learn them in a week, whilst also offering a lifetime of challenges and experiences? On top of that, the opportunities to meet many new people are vast and, as we have established above, it really won’t cost you that much either!

There are loads of sailing courses available for you to start leaning to sail today! Summer is just round the corner; if you learn now you’ll be well at ease on the water by the time the holidays roll around!

Alright so maybe three years isn’t quite long enough to reach Olympic-standard at anything, but I am definitely feeling inspired to get myself into some kind of sport before the Games come around to make me feel even more guilty for being a couched potato.  The thing is, most the sports that you see in the Olympics – let’s be honest here – are aching boring! Running?  Whether it’s for long or short periods of time, running is essentially just fancy walking that is done very quickly indeed.  So quickly is running done, in fact, that there’s no time to even take the scenery – which is the only point to walking in the first place!  Other Olympic events involve swimming, which is like running but harder; throwing things, for which you have to be exceptionally large; and jumping – the popularity of which defies explanation.

What is also uninspiring about these events is that we, Britain, rarely do very well at any of them!  Americans can run fast, Kenyans can run far, Australians can swim and Eastern Europeans can throw – what is left for us that doesn’t involve two wheels and legs that defy every shape of jeans?  For the answer to this question, I turn to history; what, may I ask, do we declare to rule?  I think you all know the answer; it may not be the track, the pool or even the balance bar, it’s a long cry from the shooting range and it certainly doesn’t involve tossing anything over distance!  No my friends, what this isolated island is good at should come as no surprise at all – Britannia rules the waves!

The art of Olympic Sailing has been around since 1900 and we have been the best at it in 2000, 2004 and 2008!  The general idea is to use technique and strength to guide your boat around a special Olympic course in as short a time as possible, making it immediately more interesting than running in a straight line for ten seconds!  What’s more, the huge variety of different sized craft you can learn to sail means that there will be ten different classes of sailing in the 2012 Games!  You can’t need much more incentive to get involved, but I haven’t even told you the best bit yet!  Although the true art of sailing takes a lifetime to learn, the basics can be picked up in a couple of weeks!  Take a few lessons in tacking, learn your port from your starboard and you’re away on your path of Olympic glory!  If ever there was a sport to get stuck into at the next Games, or even just for fun and recreation, it has to be sailing – it takes strength, skill and determination in quantities that jumping-people can only dream about!  What’s more, if you learn to sail you are making available a host of potential stories – far more than anything offered by all the other popular Olympic events put together!  They can wear all the shiny lycra in the world but, at the end of the day, throwing is throwing, jumping is jumping and running is stylish fast-walking – sailing is a whole world of new and exciting experiences, as well as being a constant mental and physical challenge!  How much thought can really go into a 100m sprint?  If Britain is going to bring anything to the 2012 Olympic Games, it will be an element of class – that is what sailing offers and that is why we are the very best at it!

Perham was a mere 2 months younger than previous record-holder Zac Sunderland of the USA, who completed his journey just a month before Perham.  However, the very same week that Perham completed his journey, Dutch 13-year-old Laura Dekker was put under the supervision of child protection officers because of her plans to also sail solo around the world.  Although her parents approved of her plans to leave school and spend 2 years on the open sea, judges ruled that the plans were “irresponsible” and social workers agreed that Dekker was too young to fully understand the dangers of the journey she was planning to undertake.  Psychologists also added that two years of isolation aboard her boat would be likely to damage her development.  Despite sailing from Holland to Britain in May 2009, police and social workers in Lowestoft declared the return journey to be too dangerous and placed Dekker in foster care until her parents came to collect her.

When asked his opinion about Laura Dekker’s situation, Perham said it wasn’t his place to say whether she should be allowed to go, but urged people to judge Dekker on her abilities rather than her age; reminding the world that he crossed the Atlantic at the age of 14 “…and people thought I couldn’t do that.”  He declared that Dekker “isn’t average…she’s an accomplished sailor already and has a lot of sailing experience”.  Dekker’s father, Dick, who sailed across the North Sea from Ijmuiden harbour at the age of 12, also claims his daughter is experienced enough for the voyage; pointed out that she was born at sea and had her first boat when aged just 6!  

Amid claims that Dutch society is becoming a “nanny state”, these two brave men have a point; perhaps we do underestimate ourselves and other people for the sake of security. Although it would be inadvisable for somebody with no experience of sailing to try to cross the channel, simply starting to learn to sail is known to be a rewarding experience on its own.  Mike Perham said of his record-breaking voyage; “Hopefully this will be an inspiration to other people and lots of other kids can go out on the water” and learn to sail.

The courses you can choose from to learn to sail vary so that you can tailor the instruction according to your ability. Some of the longer courses offer the chance to practice skills and continue learning by sailing around the island. Other courses include theory as well as VHF radio and a first aid course, which compliments the practical skills taught on board. For. You are also given the opportunity to swim in the clear waters during the lunch break as well as giving spectacular views of the stunning beaches that Lanzarote has to offer which surely is an opportunity you wouldn’t want to miss out on.

In the height of summer, Lanzarote can reach high temperatures offering the golden sun and sandy beaches that all holiday-goers are after. So in addition to your normal holiday trip, why not try your hand at sailing? There are plenty of different things to try which will enrich your holiday. Instead of the usual water sports it may be more beneficial to learn practical skills that are fun to learn at the same time. Sailing offers a much more tranquil and relaxed setting for those holiday-goers looking for a more peaceful experience whilst also letting you be active.

There really is something for everyone, with sailing courses that would suit the solo sailor, couples and families as well. Class sizes are kept to a small size – generally a maximum of 4 or 5 people per instructor – which means that the teaching is most effective and so that you get the most out of your learning to sail experience. In order for you to learn as quickly and effectively as possible, the instructors first demonstrate and then allow you to practise as many times as you feel is necessary allowing you to pick up as much knowledge about sailing as possible.

It is important when looking to find a sailing course to make sure that the company you choose has experienced sailors, which are RYA qualified and therefore have the ability to teach you to the correct standards. Rather than looking for a great holiday why not try to learn new skills and find another way to enjoy what Lanzarote has to offer by learning to sail. Who knows, it may become your new hobby. If you’re visiting Lanzarote for a short trip or a long break, fitting in a sailing course will make your holiday one to remember and may even be the start of your sailing holidays for years to come.