Training for racing sailors of the future

The 420 is an established performance two person trapeze and spinnaker racing dinghy.

There are 56,000 worldwide. This popular dinghy is sailed at school, club, open, national and international levels. There are many second hand boats available, active clubs and excellent tuition for all levels.

Built in buoyancy tanks make the boat very safe even when inverted. The 420 is a youth development boat in the UK and in 42 other countries, and despite the emergence of newer commercially driven classes and asymmetrics, the 420 is still the top youth training boat.

Most of the World's top sailors started in this class and easily moved on to succeed in other classes.

420 Class Open Training

The Class runs Open Training Events for its Members, designed to improve the skills of those wishing for better performance and for those who aim to reach excellence. Coaching is in small groups and all participants have access to any coach during the event. Details of these events are published on the main Event Calendar and on the special Training Event pages - click on link at bottom of the page. The small groups come together every day to practice their skills in race start and strategy. Debriefings take place after each session, with visual aids and comment from the coaches.

Open training events are coached by ex-420 sailors who are qualified coaches and have a record of achievement in this and other Classes. Many have won World Championships and Gold or Silver medals, thus have first class sailing experience, but they are chosen for their skills at working with young 420 sailors. Event supervision is by the Class Training Officer, or his nominee (parents need to arrange accommodation and supervision outside the formal training sessions, except where it is a fully residential camp). Our training is in part sponsored by the RYA, who also may select National Youth Squads and issue invitations to Transitional Training from their observations at our training events.

Training Officer

Charles Ainsworth
8 Orchard Drive
Wye
Kent
TN25 5AU
Tel:- 01233 812 992
Mobile:- 07710 130 212
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Membership of the British 420 Class Association is required for both helm and crew. The Membership Application Form may be found on the Membership page.
Please send to:

Membership Secretary:

Tony Mapplebeck
22 Southbourne Road
Sheffield
S10 2QN
Mobile:- 07831 128747
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Downloadable Documents
Class Open training details and online entry    The Class Assocation runs a number of training events throughout the year. Details about the individual events and joining instructions can be found by following the above link.