Can Someone Recommend a Good Book / DVD on How to Sail ?

[nigheandonn]

Hi
We started sailing as a family 5 years ago on the west coast of Ireland. It has all been good and we have learnt tons as we have progressed. The best part of it has been the welcome and the helping hand that other boaters extend, particularly for a family crew. i also belong to the camp that says no matter how many boks or vids you research, there is no better learning that getting afloat and experiencing it.
nice and easy, step by step you can't expect the family to turn into expert crew overnight but with patience and teamwork ( not shouting from a panicky skip!), you will get there. Keep the trips short and only with suitable weather to start.
Think I would advise as a first step going sailing rather than buying a boat - you can get skippered charter which might take some pressure off you and allow the family to enjoy the occasion, and everyone cn get more focussed on what type of boat will suit your needs.
Live the dream!

Good luck

Tony

[ASA Sailing]

AquaBoi- Hi there and welcome to the Northwest! I work for the American Sailing Association (and have spent the last 9 years living and sailing in Seattle), so I couldn't resist responding to this thread! I just wanted to let you know that the ASA is an internationally recognized educational organization with over 300 accredited schools.

Furthermore, we just released the new-and-improved Sailing Fundamentals book, now titled "Sailing Made Easy," which I highly recommend for you. The Annapolis Book of Seamanship is a must-have for any complete sailing library, but it's a huge in-depth book that can be unnecessarily overwhelming for beginners. "Sailing Made Easy" is a fully illustrated (and waterproof!!) digestible text that will get you out sailing quickly and confidently.

Finally, don't fret about "missing" the summer in Seattle--the best weather in the PNW is between July and October, and fall sailing out there is sublime. Enjoy!

[AquaBoi]

Originally Posted by ASA Sailing

Finally, don't fret about "missing" the summer in Seattle--the best weather in the PNW is between July and October, and fall sailing out there is sublime. Enjoy!

Ok thank you sir! I have the Annapolis book and it is awesome. Excellent choice. Will check out your recommendation.

A quick question - do you guys need to winterize your boats in Seattle and take them out the water over the winter months? Is it possible to leave the boat in the water without putting it in storage? What do most people do?

In Boston, all boats have got to come out the water, but Seattle has got much milder weather. Any advice? Thanks!

[NormanMartin]

Lots of boats stay in the water in Boston (and points south) all winter. Granted, the weather is not as comfortable in New England as it is in the PNW during the winter. Many marinas are full of in-water storage boats all winter. The live-aboard community is active year round.

We frostbite race all winter on the Harbor at Boston Sailing Center and Courageous Sailing. Our club has a New Year's Day Race. This year there was not enough wind to make it interesting on the water so we made up for that with a great party ashore.

Sailing is a year round sport here.

[feelsgood]

Grab an old sailor and offer him dinner on board with wine or beer I bet he wil be glad to impart info

[ASA Sailing]

Re: Winter in Seattle, no need to winterize really. I lived aboard all last year; we had about a week of snow where I couldn't see out of the portholes, but really it's just 9 months of temperate rain. It rarely falls below freezing there, and you can sail year-round (though it's nice to have a little propane stove for warmth--it can be quite cozy at a rainy anchorage!).

Also, I wanted to introduce myself by name: I'm Meghan Cleary, the ASA's Social Media Writer. Check out our blog at American Sailing Association and find us on Facebook and Twitter: @__ASA__

[Canibul]

hello ASA....Maybe you might know the answer to a question I have. Do you have any idea how long it takes, typically, after one completes a set of ASA courses until one has some kind of certificate in hand? My wife and I took the bareboat charter/catamaran courses in early Dec. Just wondering when we would have some certificates suitable for framing.

[ASA Sailing]

Hi Canibul,

It takes typically 2-3 weeks (they are sent on the first and fifteenth of every month). Sometimes the schools get delayed in getting the paperwork in to us, which is why it may take a bit longer. If you email me your information, I can certainly check on the status of your particular certifications. My email is mcleary@american-sailing.com. I hope you enjoyed your class! PS. We just designed a new logbook cover if you're interested...it's available at the ASA online store: Insignia.

[AquaBoi]

I'm really enjoying that book guys. Read it every night. Thanks so much for the recommendation.

Originally Posted by NormanMartin

This is not a sales pitch but... I work for Boston Sailing Center and have worked for J-World and later for Swain Sailing in the BVI.

NORM!! The Boston Sailing Center website has been down for a good couple of days now! I think I checked last week already, and it's still generating the messed up text today (Thursday). Please advise.

Thanks guys: Boston Sailing Center: Sailing School, Sailing Club - Lessons, Memberships, Racing, Cruising, Charters, Instruction

[AquaBoi]

Originally Posted by AquaBoi

NORM!! The Boston Sailing Center website has been down for a good couple of days now! I think I checked last week already, and it's still generating the messed up text today (Thursday). Please advise.

Norm - I called the Boston Sailing Center and they said it's Google Chrome. I need to use another browser.

[JustHank]

In addition to the other excellent suggestions, I recommend "The International Marine Book of Sailing" by Robby Robinson. It covers day1 through bluewater voyaging, and the graphics and annotated photos have been very helpful to me. I have read a lot of the "learn to sail" books during my own sailing education odyssey, and have liked this one the best. I also second the recommendation on the Dashew's books.

NauticEd.org (recommended by Capt. Norman Martin, who is a fantastic instructor) is also a very good site. I already have Basic Keelboat, Basic Cruising, Bareboat Cruising, Coastal Nav and Coastal Passagemaking certs from US Sailing, but in the past month or so I've also taken seven of NauticEd's courses, and found them very complementary. The Catamaran Sailing Confidence clinic and the Maneuvering Under Power clinic were very additive to all the US Sailing classes.

Cool free sailing instruction games there as well...

Have fun!

[Silverbow]

For my guests I usually give them a copy of Sailing for Dummies - it has all the terminology, it is well spaced out for a cover to cover read that could be done and absorbed in about a week or even less at an hour a day. Good 'starter' book. Good focus on safety and safety equipment. A Fun.

New is $22 but on amazon new: $13 used: $8

Also agree with the rest: "The Annapolis Book of Seamanship" and the Jr. Book is good too. Amazon $32 new.

P.S. I learned to sail my first boat on the Puget Sound, took sailing lesson out of Dana Point, CA. (70 miles North of Mexican border)

[NormanMartin]

Tx to Hank&Karen.

I am doing a study of sailing text books. Interesting to see that there are gaps in the various works. The "sailing" parts are pretty much the same. The "seamanship" parts is where the variation occurs.

My first sailing book was "Star 'em Sailing" which I got in about 1958. My mom gave me the book and turned to the pages on capsizing. She then said, "You're not allowed to capsize." I sailed for seven years without doing so. These days, kids are taught to capsize and recover right away. It is a seamanship skill these days. It used to be a sign of poor sailing skills.

Norm