How people get connected to sailing varies through the decades, but also by the region. Joe Cooper recalls his early days for WindCheck magazine:

What was it like when you learned to sail? I had to stop and think about the answer for a moment. There was nothing like “sailing camp” or instruction for kids in Australia, in the late 1950s through most of the 1960s. It was very much “stick ‘em in the boat and push ’em off the beach,” for the beach was usually where we rigged.

The boats were a motley collection of Aussie-designed dinghies, invariably home-built. There were some imports, the Sabot for instance, the boat Dad bought for us as a tender. A great little boat with a proper mast you could hoist the full-batten mainsail on, wire standing rigging, tensioned by a lashing on the forestay. Kick-up rudder and daggerboard. Notably no buoyancy tanks, so being mindful of the sea state and bailing on cue were early lessons. – Full report