Flying R/C is one of the finest things that ever happened to me and I am sure it will be for you too.
Learning without the aid of an instructor is hard, expensive and dangerous. Even a slow and lite plane can hurt someone or you. You may give up before you get any real enjoyment.
The Gee Bee is not what you need to learn on IMO. It may be small but will be a handful at first for you. Very lite winds will affect it's flying.
Once you a competant pilot the beach will be a great place to relax with a plane but I really feel you need an instructor and stick time first.

Mike