What am I getting myself in to?

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Monkeyfist

More advice, if you want it: Start with small boats. As noted, everything you do has makes an immediate difference - you either go faster, slower, or tip over. IMHO, you will learn more on a dinghy in a month than you will on a larger boat in a year.

And while ordered sailing lessons are great, you will learn it even faster if you join any sort of dinghy fleet which requires two or more crew, and perhaps crew on a few of their races. Again IMHO, newbies can cram years of trial-and-error into a few months (perhaps a season) of racing dinghies with experienced sailors. You will not only witness boats being sailed efficiently, you will also have every nuance of the process explained to you.

As you move to bigger boats, again - sail with other people on different boats. During the summer, pretty much every yacht club in existence has low-key beer can races in the early evenings. And people are always looking for crew, experienced or otherwise. So just show up and you'll get rides. Although there is some expense involved in joining a yacht club, it's another excellent way to get rides and talk with people who share your passion and for the most part, love to share their knowledge with you.

Local singlehanding is not a big deal. Lots of people do it. Solo sailing across oceans is another matter, of course. But a lot of that is in setting the boat up before it ever leaves the dock.

I know a lot of people on this forum don't race and never plan to. And undoubtedly, many of them are great sailors. I'm just saying that racing is an excellent way to become a better sailor.

Great advise. Do you think many know what a monkey fist is?

[svfinlandia]

I would hope that even someone who has never been on a boat but has read much about sharing should know what a monkey fist is.

[rgscpat]

Originally Posted by gah964

single handed sailing just plain out sucks balls.I have about 3k miles at it and it sucks get a wife or even a stripper would be better then solo.

Nah, you'd do so much better with a pole dancer. Sit back in your hammock with a frosty beverage while she elevates sail trimming into an unparalleled art form. And just you wait until the spinny pole goes up....

[Neptune's Gear]

You have received good advise re dinghy sailing. Dinghies are cool.
It's interesting the comments you have received re single-handing. Personally I like it, but it is different to sailing with a crew. I have crossed oceans both ways. Learned in dinghies... way cheaper to learn how to surf a boat in 6ft waves and 12ft boat than a 40 ft boat and 20 ft waves!
How long does it take to learn?? Well, I've been sailing for over 40 years, and still learning!
Best of luck with your sailing...

[sammyo]

Single handing is not bad, just give yourself extra time to do each step of a maneuver. Tacking a big racing boat inches from several others in a fleet of highly alert sailors with a crack crew is measured in seconds. Out by myself it can be a slow inefficient many step process done well ahead of time and well away from any obstruction. But not hard.

On a calm reach with everything balanced, quiet, calm, a light splash in the swell, all alone peaceful. About a close to nirvana as one can come on earth!