What is a sailing dinghy? What does it mean? What does it do? This happens to a lot of people. For me, in particular just recently it was the phrase sailing dinghy. That’s dinghy with an h. I always thought it was dingy myself. I’m always enjoying learning new things, and sharing it with other people.

The first use of the sailing dinghy was for sailors to easily move smaller shipments of goods off of the larger ships and onto shore. At the time, the water docks were set up in shallow waters, meaning that larger vessels had no way to dock themselves when dropping off shipments or resting for the evening. These little sail boats turned out to be quick and really maneuverable and the idea of racing them came into being. They are generally manned by a single person, or what’s called a two plus crew depending on the size. Some boats can have a sailing crew up of up to eight people.

Skiff style dinghies are the fastest type, thanks to their narrow hulls and flat bottoms. These are often manned by one to three people at a time, depending on how large the vessel is. Cruising dinghies are for the more laid back sailor. They tend to be a bit more stable in the water and have a smaller sail. I was surprised to find out that a catamaran is a dinghy as well. They have two hulls and a flat surface that lends to their speed in the water. Even the Olympics have dinghy racing. There are quite a few classes in Olympic dinghy racing for both men and women.

The crew of a sailing dinghy will use their weight to pull the sails, and hence keeping the vessel balanced. They are also meant to capsize, meaning a single person can upright one with no issue. If you yourself are looking to learn to sail these types of vessels, you may be able to learn at your local sailing school or club. Usually these have no age or gender restrictions, meaning that anyone can jump in and learn how to man and control these small and fun water vessels. There are even some racing teams, which can be great fun for the intermediate or experienced dinghy sailor.

Most sailing dinghy types are actually quite fast, even the cruising variety in comparison to some other types of boats, additionally the risk of capsizing is there and if you have a fear of getting wet it might not be the sort of thing you want to do. If you do roll your boat it’s pretty easy to get it back up all by yourself.

Sailing one of these is something you can do alone, or with another person or two. It’s important to learn how to sail correctly, not only for your own safety but the safety of those around you. And that this is a sport everyone in the family can enjoy if they want to.

Though these boats have been around for a long time, not many people have even ridden or seen a sailing dinghy. Though relatively small vessels, they are great for simple recreational sailing.

It’s a common phrase we’ve known for hundreds of years, ‘Sailing, Sailing the Seven Seas’. The wonderful seven seas. Back in the times of the Romans and Greeks, the seven seas consisted of the Persian Gulf, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Red Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Adriatic Sea and the Arabian Sea. All of these were located in their ‘known world’. Many stories told of the great voyages heroes and villains made sailing these bodies of water. In modern times, the location of the seven seas has changed. Now we consider the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico to define that term.

People often dream of sailing, sailing around the world on these massive bodies of water. Right now, there is a sixteen year old girl on a quest to sail solo around the world. Her sailboat is a bright pink 34 foot boat named Ella’s Pink Lady. She’s vying for the title of youngest person to sail solo around the world. She started her journey in Australia. Before her, the youngest person to make this trip was a 17 year old Californian boy.

For the more adventurous, sailing around the world may be a lifetime goal. This is often done in races and is a huge thrill, no matter which types of vessels are being used. While in most cases, not everyone who joins in these competitions finishes the race, the real joy lies in the time they have spent on the open water.

Testing a person’s physical ability as well as dealing with the metal aspect of being alone on a boat for so long, this type of race is not for the faint of heart. Most world circumnavigation races last close to a year, as they are traversing over 40,000 miles of water and dealing with everything that Mother Nature sends their way. The racers face obstacles like hurricanes and typhoons, rouge waves, torrential rains, savage winds and sometimes no wind at all.

If racing isn’t something you are up to, you can sail in luxury on a around the world cruise. While they do not technically go around the whole world, these cruises can last anywhere from 80 to 157 nights. With one exception. In 2010 one cruise line is going to offer a 335 night cruise around the world. That’s almost two months shy of a full year taking in some 242 different ports in 59 countries. With a price tag starting at $233,995 for double occupancy… if that’s not luxury, I don’t know what is.

There are plenty of options to follow your dreams of sailing, sailing the seven seas. You just need to decide if you want to sail on your own, be part of an amazing race with fellow sailing enthusiasts, or sit in the lap of luxury on a cruise liner that caters to your every want and need. Whatever choice you decide, you will be in for a wonderful adventure.

People have been sailing the seas since before other methods of transportation were even thought of yet. It requires a solid body, along with a strong mind and a stone resolve.