Run through the list of Australian Olympic Sailors, and try to find one who didn't learn to sail with a spinnaker in a Flying 11. Good luck! They're an Aussie icon in junior sailing, and despite not having hydrofoils, they're still VERY cool.

Two crew. Main, jib and symmetrical spinnaker. No trapeze. 11ft Long. It's a simple recipe for a great kids boat to follow a Sabot or Optimist, because they're easy to sail and have all the components of a 'big boat'. They can easily be transported too, with mum or dad being able to help the kids rig one in about 30 minutes from start to beach launch. You can pick one up for less than $5000 too, with even cheaper ones if you're prepared to do a little sanding and polishing.

Performance is great for kids up to the age of 17, with modern foils and a good set of sails, these boats will get up and planing in around 15 knots downwind. In a strong breeze, they skip along very quickly and will overtake a full size laser no worries. Don't take our word for it though, check out this footage from Sydney this week of the fleet absolutely 'flying' around Sydney Harbour,

#News #Sailing