Hello Talcos
Welcome to Poms in Oz.
Unfortunately, I live in the UK (near Southampton) but I have been an avid sailor ever since I was 5. May I come out for a sail with you next time I go to vsit my family in Perth, please?
We found Fremantle Sailing Club to be ace.
FremantleSailingClub - Dinghy Sailing
Despite the Clubhouse being grander than the Royal Yacht Squadron in Cowes (!!!!) I found that the Committee and Members were exceptionally friendly and helpful when I went there on my last visit to Perth. They leapt on me and my late Hubby with cries of joy and could not have been nicer, arranged some sailing for us etc.
The Royal Perth, we found, was stuffier. However, their Captain of Dinghies can probably arrange something and/or give you some pointers and contacts if you get in touch with him, plus their HQ is on Matilda Bay with an annexe in Fremantle. Please see here:
Royal Perth Yacht Club - Dinghy
The main thing with a gaffer is don't sheet her in too hard. They are designed to be sailed full & bye and they go like the clappers if they are set up correctly. The topsail is generally a pain in the rear end to handle and really doesn't do that much towards helping the boat to point up towards the wind. I'd leave the topsail out of the proceedings for the time being.
Remember that if the boat has a well-designed hull, then if you let go of the tiller and let the sheets fly, the boat should round up into the wind by herself, stop and just lie quietly whilst you sort yourselves out and get going again.
Don't over-tighten the rigging. That's another thing that gaffers don't like.
Tie some pieces of wool or ribbon to the shrouds to give you an idea of where the wind is coming from till you get used to the feel of the boat.
Do NOT wear wellies: they will try to drown you if you end up swimming (sez she who has done that and bought the tee-shirt! The wellies were the only thing I had handy for an impromptu sail. An expensive pair of wellies was sacrificed to King Neptune in exchange for my survival! If you need boots then you need proper dinghy boots instead!)
I should think you will have MASSES of fun with the boat.
I once did a cross-channel race from the Solent to Guernsey on a 25' Old Gaffer built in 1912. The thing was like a hen-coop inside and the only navigation aid apart from thecompass was an old-fashioned radio direction finder. About 5am, I took some RDF bearings, worked up the dead reckoning, checked the log etc and announced sourly, "If that log is telling the truth - which it is not - we are within 10-12 miles of Cap de la Hague." (I was down below at the time, had been asleep and had not yet gone out on deck for a look round.) Someone in the cockpit said, "It is a tall black cliff?" I shot outside! There was Cap de la Hague - on the nose about 10 miles away.
I'd spent all night accusing the log of lying when it kept claiming 8kts. I thought, "yeah, you & whose army? This little hull can't do more than about 6kts flat out, I am sure." Stone me. That log had been speaking the truth!
Have LOADS of fun.
Best wishes
Gill
Don't worry we're here!!
