Whatever Happened to Learn by Doing ? Read a Book and Go for it !

[perchance]

Originally Posted by Don Lucas

Why is taking lessons a bad thing? And by the time I took my first lesson (the first time I had even been on a sailboat), I had read lots of sailing books.

PS - let know when you plan to send your kids out for their first drive in the car!

All this kind of reminds me of that old movie " Those Magnificent Men In their Flying Machines" where the German in the pointy helmet loses the instruction manual over the side of the plane and immediately loses the ability to fly. As for my experience I took a keel boat course through CYA and have never looked back. I read then go out and apply. If I have any question there are a ton of experienced sailors at the club who are more than willing to share their knowledge.

[perchance]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

I always advocate learning on a sailing dinghy. I'm also an advocate of continued formal training. Plenty of folks with experience simply have lots of experience doing things wrong. Every time I take a course I learn something new. Weather, knots, navigation, different types of vessels, different prospectives, etc.

Dinghy sailing is a great idea if you are fairly young and agile but for an old fart like me who doesn't like to get his feet wet and can't get out of his own way at the best of times, not so much. I tried it once with a guy older than me. Rounding the mark he forgot to ease the main sheet and I got my feet wet. I'll stick to keel boats thank you very much. Taking courses takes the pain out of the learning curve.

[Blue Stocking]

This is not intended to be self-serving, but being born and raised on an island, I can't remember when I didn't sail. There was just always boat to be on.
Just lucky I guess.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by capttman

am I just old and cranky??

I'm going to guess on this one - Yes to old, and if not cranky, nostalgic with a hint of self-righteousness.

[Capt Phil]

Gosh, Palarran... I thought you were talking about me! What a relief... cheers, Capt Phil

[Kettlewell]

I grew up well inland with a modest amount of occasional sailing experience on small boats of friends and family on freshwater. but for some reason I wanted to go ocean sailing so I started reading every book I could find in the library, which wasn't many. Than I started to ride my bicycle to other towns that would let me take out books. One library 30 miles away got me in pretty good shape riding back and forth. This continued throughout college where I got a break and answered a crewing ad in a magazine and I got to sail up to Labrador and back with a real old salt--ex-navy captain (WWII) and a real sailor of the old school. Learned a lot from him, and I found that some of my book learning was also pretty good. In any case, I just wanted to add that experience is great, courses might be for some folks, while others can get a lot of useful knowledge from books. I still have a large library of my own now--much bigger than any of the collections I once sought out--and I refer to those books constantly.

[capttman]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I'm going to guess on this one - Yes to old, and if not cranky, nostalgic with a hint of self-righteousness.

Hmmmmm think thats a compliment.... Self righteousness hmmmmmm

[Kettlewell]

One other thing I wanted to add is that I feel like I am continuing to learn more every day. Once I feel like I know it all I suspect I will not be on this earth.

[capttman]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

One other thing I wanted to add is that I feel like I am continuing to learn more every day. Once I feel like I know it all I suspect I will not be on this earth.

Not a day goes by that we don't learn something. I am going to be way behind you because i'll never feel I will know it all.....

[Starbuck]

davefromoregon posted: Because when people come to the forum and say they know nothing, ASA 101 isn't a bad way for them to pick up fundamentals.

That's it in a nutshell. Not because it will fit everyone, but because it's a good place (for most people in most situations) to start.

As I said, the exceptions are going to go their own way anyway. Good for them. I was one. A good handbook and a sailing dinghy, and I was having a helluva good time flipping it over in the bay and learning. Then took a course as I was buying my swing-keel weekender, just to see if I was missing anything, but by then I was ahead of the class curriculum, because of my voracious reading and practicing. I've never looked back, figuring whatever mistakes I'd make after that point, I'd be able to handle myself, and that's proven true.

All roads eventually lead to Rome.

[VirtualVagabond]

Originally Posted by Palarran

I'm going to guess on this one - Yes to old, and if not cranky, nostalgic with a hint of self-righteousness.

I thought you were getting a bit personal there, but then I realised it probably applies to half of us on this thread

[Palarran]

It's all good VV. I'm a young lippy punk of 47 who started sailing at 13 and still needed to take 101 and 103, and read a lot of books, and spend like a 1000 hours on a forum getting advice, and still doesn't know crap. As a matter of fact, I'm taking 104 in August so I can get a certificate that shows I know a little more then crap for when I go the the Med next year. Apparently over there you have to prove you are just above the know-nothing level in order to captain your boat around after you sailed it 6000 miles to get there.

Personally, I'm looking forward to the course.

[cheoah]

Really Palarran? Like to get a berth at a marina, or checking in to different countries? How do they view USCG Captains license?

OK, so in summary, thread consensus says that classes are no substitute for experience, certifications don't necessarily mean anything, but that sailing classes can be useful to many. I really hadn't thought about the certification aspect until ya'll brought it up, but could have some implication with marine insurance, etc. Now, what exactly is the internationally recognized certificate that greases the wheels as you cruise the globe? Just curious, since Palarran has brought this to light. I realize that you don't need this of course, but if one were going to build a resume for deliveries here and there, and generally appear to be a "professional", what would it be?

Just humor me, I can't farm forever (I don't think) so I'm planning way ahead for next career.

csh

[Palarran]

Check out Noonsite:
Noonsite

and:

International Proficiency Certification - American Sailing Association

and:

International Certificate of Competency - Google Search

[John A]

I took leasons to learn the basics of getting a boat to move but never got a certificate before cruising for ten years.

I worked in the computer industry for 30 years from operations thru programming to Data Base Administration without a college degree.

I was a US Army Air Traffic Controller without attending any formal classes becase I passed the test.

Passing a test means that you can pass a test.