Thanks for the welcome and advice.
I am lucky enough to live a few hundred meters from the Edgbaston reservoir in Birmingham, so will be able to easily sail. Club wise, I had a quick look around and it does not seem to have plethora of them. I know of one in the south of Birmingham, Bournville model yacht club, for having seen them sail a few times, so will probably go to see them once I have something sail-able.
And Roy, well, I am not sure that crashes will not occur
! I have found some plan on internet for a Byzantine trade ship, and I am seriously thinking of starting with that. Well, it will give me a chance to test what knowledge I have left of Russian, as the instructions are in this beautiful language.
Jean-Christophe