 Joining the nearby Pevensey Bay Sailing Club he learnt to sail the National 12 Class racing dinghy.The National 12 is a development class where anyone can design and build new boats within specific restrictions, such as length, beam, weight and sail area.At the age of 18 he designed his first racing dinghy, a National 12 called "China Doll" (1967) which was built by Spud Rowsell in Exmouth, commencing a long association between the designer and that Devon town.