How to get on the water in 20 minutes!

So which TIWAL Inflatable Sailing Dinghy Sail do you choose and is there really much difference?

Some questions to ask yourself:
How heavy am I or and how much sail area do I need?  What about family? 
Or
How experienced am I and how much sail do I need?  

If a TIWAL 2 is for taking on another bigger boat, what size boat do you have and will it be simpler and easier to use a sail without many battens?

Here are some answers which I hope will make your decision easier:

Will the buckles on the Reefable Sail affect airflow?
Sailing Dinghies sail close to the water and there is less wind down low due to a 'surface layer' of lighter wind.  So the bottom section of the sail isn't having a huge impact on your speed.   The top part of the sail is what matters. 
So will the boat still sail optimally?  The answer is yes.  The buckles will have a minimal effect on the speed of your boat. 

Will a battened sail 'hold its shape' for longer?
A full battened sail will 'hold its shape' longer than a sail without many battens.  

Will a sail made with monofilm (see-through material) last as long as a Daron sail?  
A sail with monofilm will last well, as long as the sail isn't folded along the monofilm. The TIWAL sails are designed to fold along the black Dacron. 

What is the benefit of the Furling Sail on the TIWAL 2?
A sail without many battens is easier to rig, handle, and stow on a smaller boat where having less room to move is an issue.   
The furling sail also wraps around the mast by removing the boom and undoing the vang and the traveller.  The sail wraps around the mast and is held in place using the velcro strip on the sail.   This is good for leaving the TIWAL 2 tied off the back of the boat when you are not using it.  

Do you want the option of having two sail sizes in one sail?
If you have multiple sailing abilities or sizes of people in your family then the Reefable sail is a good option for you! 

TIWAL 3: Do you have the room to keep two sails rigged to grab whichever one you need on the day for hassle free sailing?
If the answer if yes, purchase both the big and small sails and keep them rigged and ready to put straight on the mast and ready to go! 

Hello TIWAL owners, 
I am in lockdown in Auckland, so I join the majority of you also in some sort of lockdown. I spoke too soon. 
So, in the spirit of feeling useful, enlightened, and part of the TIWAL community, read on. 

When I tried a small foiling boat for the first time I did more swimming than sailing.  I thought I was a good sailor!  I needed to get back to basics again - and learn more about apparent wind. Maybe it will help me with my other sailing too?

Have you ever struggled to get sailing? Here is an explanation of apparent wind and why you need to know about it. 

Apparent wind is the wind we feel and experience when we are in motion. It's a combination of the actual wind (true wind) that blows over land and sea and the wind created by our moving forward. 

Think of your bike when it is moving fast. That wind you feel on your face is apparent wind. Even if there is a slight wind at your back (the true wind) you can still feel the wind coming from in front of you (the apparent wind). 

Now, increase that following wind and, at the same time your bike speed, you'll start feeling less of a headwind coming at you. That's because apparent wind is a combination of the true wind and the wind created by speeding forward. The important thing to realize here, however, is that as you travel faster the apparent wind not only increases in speed but it also changes the angle of the wind.

Now relate that to sailing: the wind we feel on our face as we are sailing is the same wind the sail feels - we sail to the apparent wind, not to the true wind.



Have you ever struggled to get moving in very light winds? 

Try these two things:

1. Adjust your steering to sail at a reaching angle (across the wind) to increase your boat speed. Once you have increased your boat speed you can then point higher into the wind. You will also be able to steer more easily with more water flow over your centreboard and rudder. 

​2. The wind hits the sail at a different angle up high, and that means you adjust your sail accordingly - ease the mainsheet to ’twist’ the sail at the top. 


When there is almost no wind, the layer of air close to the water is very slow. The wind higher up maybe 2 knots more. So you may have 0.5 knots at the bottom of your sail and 2.5 knots at the top of your sail. 


Slow wind speeds on the surface mean if you are sailing upwind, beam reaching or broad-reaching it will mean that the apparent wind will be almost directly ahead of you at your eye level, but at the top of the mast the wind will be coming more from the side so there will be a massive twist (change of direction in the apparent wind). 
​
If you want to enjoy a smooth sailing experience or an adrenaline filled ride, book a sail in a TIWAL Inflatable Sailing Dinghy and get on the water in 20 minutes. 

Although kids and adults alike are inspired to awe by modern foiling AC75s sailing at 50 knots in 15 knots of wind; although the annual Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and many others gain prime television air-time, Olympians sail for the glory; or Bear Grylls for survival; your inspired kids may never sail or achieve their dreams unless adults provide the very simplest of introductions to the sport. And we all know it’s not just a sport. It’s a lifestyle. It is so many great things, to so many great people.
“Create pathways?  But I’m already busy - I’m time-poor … and you mean taking the kids and grandkids to the sailing club, don’t you?” That’s one of many options… but it might not be the first step for you.  Many kids want to play cricket, soccer, rugby or go surfing with their mates. They can’t do everything – but what happened to recreational sailing and family or holiday fun with friends on the water? 

Take them boating, and tell them about your love of sailing, family history or sailing stories.   Explain how racing works; why cruising is fun and tell some great stories. Stir their imagination a bit. You don’t have to overdo it if they are enjoying the day out. Invite their friends and their families too, so they enjoy it together. 
Watch some racing close-up! The pre-start tactics; the speed and skill, the angles - so exciting!  When there’s so much genuine excitement in the sport, a theory lesson is not the most fun way to introduce someone to sailing.  Go out on the committee boat, hang around the pontoon on race day, take them out as crew on a rum-race or harbour cruise. Watch some foilers in action! How exciting is kite-surfing to watch? .
The key to generating interest and passion for your sport may be different for every kid; but excitement, safety, friendships and encouragement will always feature. I’ve taken a few budding junior sailors out as fill-in crew on adult mid-week keel-boat races, and never failed to ‘wow’ them. Clubs now have bigger dinghies like the RS Quest which kids can sail with their friends.
There have been major advances which make your job of creating sailing pathways simple! New plastic hulls like the Feva and Bic are designed to be simple and low-maintenance. Once they’re out on the water, if an 18-foot skiff flying past doesn’t excite them, nothing will! There is now Wing Foiling, Kite-Surfing and Foil-Boarding which all challenge and develop their interest and their comprehension of the possibilities in sailing.
You don’t have to buy, rig, store and maintain a never-ending series of sailboat models (and their trailers and spare gear) any more. The Tiwal* is an award-winning, engineer-designed inflatable sailboat that fits in the boot of a small car, or below deck on a launch; can be rigged and ready to sail in 15 minutes and stored on a shelf in the garage. It can be sailed by a single sailor, a pair or even more; by old and young alike, and it is fun!  It is a breakthrough in comfort sailing in dinghy classes, yet allows people of all persuasions to learn the skills even to high-performance levels safely, in all but the most extreme conditions. They’re self-draining and unsinkable! I’ve never met a kid or adult yet that wasn’t impressed by their trendy appearance, their great design and construction, their versatility, stability and their performance, and the sheer fun they have on-board. They are proving to be a popular, growing class for a huge range of sailing types, and a great investment in family adventure and sailing fun. Keep one at the holiday house or on the boat, or in the garage when you or grandparents aren’t touring the outback or the high-country lakes with it. It is just so easy!


There’s something of interest for everyone in sailing … in taming the wind, in the tactics, in adventure and challenge, in teamwork, and even in the protest room! What other kids sport gets them ready for the courtroom, and to stand up for their rights? Give them excitement, great memories, strengthen great friendships and family bonds with fun outings. 
Share your passion, and show them the way.

*Check out TIWAL at www.tiwal.nz  Enquire about the end of season sale of the Tiwal 2.

​

We were very fortunate to have a great family sailing day for the TIWAL NZ Cup, held in the beautiful Mahurangi before another lockdown was announced the same evening.
Eight TIWALS sailed in a gentle breeze around Saddle Island and down to Scotts Landing for a picnic in the park. The wind increased later in the day, giving competitors a chance to stretch out and enjoy a speedy sail back to Sullivans Bay.
The winners of the event were Zane and Anna Gifford. Zane Gifford is an accomplished New Zealand sailor who has won National Championships in several classes including P Class, Young 88s (multiple times), and Elliot 7s.
Second place went to the youngsters of the event, brothers Boaz and Simeon White of Hamilton, and third place to Jocelyn Morgan of Waiheke Island.
John Rusk travelled from Wellington for the event, and although he missed out on the Sunday event, the RNZYS Auckland Harbour Bridge to Bean Rock, due to COVID, he said sailing in beautiful Mahurangi and meeting other TIWAL owners was well worth the long drive.
A few boats missed out on the TIWAL NZ Cup due to changed schedules and COVID lockdowns, but we hope to get another event organised soon for those who missed out.

Yesterday, I taught 18 kids between 8 and 12 years old how to sail.  One kid, Aaron, was the size of a 16 year old, if not bigger.   He sat squashed in an Optimist for a day and it was obvious he was going to hate sailing by the end of the week. 

So I put the TIWAL 2 in my car the following day.  All of a sudden he became focused and alive as blended in with the group. He no longer had to feel bigger, heavier and slower than everyone else.  The group had the benefit of Aaron's equally large personality.  He was shouting and laughing as he grew in confidence and the rest of the group seemed to draw on his energy. 

So now, whenever I teach a group, I know to put a TIWAL in the car! 

Here is an adult's experience of dinghy sailing for the first time: 
About twenty years ago, I decided sailing was not for me. My brother urged me to climb into his little ‘Corsair’ for a sail. I’d finished my Uni degree in Sports Science. I was passionate about craft design, training and coaching. I had rowed surf-boats, paddled surf-racing skis and represented Australia in sprint kayaking. Within less than a minute of climbing down into the Corsair, I remember thinking, “Stuff this! I’m cramped, uncomfortable, tangled in ropes, ducking a boom; and I already have a wet ####! No wonder nobody sails around here!” I was out! Compared to the simplicity and freedom of other water-craft, I thought sailing a dinghy was a nightmare. I would still feel the same today if I hadn’t tried Melinda’s TIWAL Sailing Dinghy. I love sailing today.

​by Robert Dickson BHMS, Sunshine Coast, Australia. 

What makes you feel alive?
As we head into winter months it can be easy to stay on the couch instead of pushing ourselves and our bodies to new limits.
Now more than ever I appreciate the benefits of getting outdoors or going sailing during winter, as I sit here in lockdown, unable to go sailing.
When you are challenged by something, (for sailors it could be a new boat, strong winds, big waves, or a long race, etc); every anxious thought or pent up frustration is suddenly directed towards manoeuvring and handling a boat planing along the water, trying to keep the boat upright and travelling fast.
Or perhaps the surprise of finding a long day of winter sunshine which you can appreciate from a boat in the middle of a harbour or lake.
I have learnt more about a healthy body as I focus on wellness and I have learnt how important Vitamin D, Iodine, Zinc, Vitamins A and C are in keeping the body functioning.
I remember the fantastic feeling I had after being on the water all weekend for a regatta (I had an office job at the time); and I put it down to the Vitamin D. Are we solar-powered, or what?
And the feeling a short sail can give you - an aerobic workout: the core and leg muscles are working constantly to balance yourself as you work to balance the boat. The muscles of the hands and arms work as you work the sail and the ropes, and control the steering.
How are you coping with your lockdown? What attitude will you take forward from this experience? How will you think about the winter ahead as we gaze outside at this beautiful weather?
I will be more grateful for the freedom to get out on the water, no matter what the weather conditions or circumstances.
What about you? How will you maintain your love of life?

www.tiwal.nz