Where would you go live to learn to sail?

[Captain Zen]

I learned sailing in dinghies and small boats on Dutch lakes in Holland, but went yacht sailing in Greece. Sailing and learning navigation from correspondent course between the Greek islands was the best learning place ever. Various anchor grounds, rocks, grass or sand to test the 3 types of anchors, cool breezes and unsuspected storms (Meltemi), I became ocean sailing yacht teaching captain for a German Sailing School, Oberschmidt in the Canary islands. Practice makes the master. and the worst weather makes the best sailors. Start sailing smallest boats first, when you can sail them, bigger boats are easy. Not the other way around.

[Dennis Clarke]

Originally Posted by Breaking Waves

South coast of England/Cornwall - from the Hamble.

The training and courses are typically better there than in the us, the weather and tides/current likely to be a bit tougher (good for learning). And it is a fun and interesting and attractive place to sail.

It's exactly where I'm heading in a months time....Hamble Le Rice (Hamble School of Yachting)...did my research and believe that the course, content and instructors are the best for your money....(it's not cheap...but then what is nowadays!!...and when it comes to trusting your skills at sea I'd rather pay for proper training now rather than finding out what I didn't know later. Plus you get to visit England and experience another culture.....well worth the investment.

[goeasy123]

I'm with the last two comments. I don't buy all the learning BS. It's not that difficult. From zero experience we had a week in the Ionian with a skipper with Sailing Holidays. We did the RYA day skipper theory on-line over a week and a week practical on the Solent. We then bare-boated in Croatia for two weeks. Following January we bought a 40 footer in Lymington and started the circumnavigation. We joined the Cruising Association which is great to advice, active support and social interaction.



We're retired, kids gone doing the 'adventure before dementia' thing. I'm intrigued at how you might manage a sailing lifestyle with 8 kids to look after.

[Ken Fry]

I'll add another vote for Annapolis. Charming town, loads of boats and sailing schools, lots of educational oppty's for kids of all ages. You can find challenging sailing conditions if want them, but the Chesapeake is a bit less intimidating than, for instance, San Francisco.

Of course cost of living is about double that of many towns on large lakes throughout the country. One can learn to sail virtually anywhere, so the needs of the kids should probably be the first consideration.

The great lakes can be nice, but the season is shorter.

Have fun!

[Ken Fry]

Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't spend a cent on a learn-to-sail school. Perhaps there are good sailors who go that route, but none come to mind. Nothing beats buying a Laser and going out and trying to keep it upright. Given a little warm water, you can learn in a day, and have loads of swimming in the bargain.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Ken Fry

Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't spend a cent on a learn-to-sail school. Perhaps there are good sailors who go that route, but none come to mind. Nothing beats buying a Laser and going out and trying to keep it upright. Given a little warm water, you can learn in a day, and have loads of swimming in the bargain.

Many universities, and even community colleges, offer sailing classes for tens of dollars that are well worth the cost. Most yacht clubs also have formal learn to sail instruction, again at very reasonable costs. The US Power Squadron also offers boating classes that while not sailing oriented teach many valuable skills any boater needs to know.

I have always been shocked at how much some of the sailing schools charge when there are so many better options at prices that are easy to afford.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by Ken Fry

Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't spend a cent on a learn-to-sail school. Perhaps there are good sailors who go that route, but none come to mind. Nothing beats buying a Laser and going out and trying to keep it upright. Given a little warm water, you can learn in a day, and have loads of swimming in the bargain.

I took a sailing class at Boy Scout camp one summer at 14 years old that was five days of two hours a day. The first day, the instructor showed us how to sail, the other four days were just out in the small boat on our own doing it. I’ve never had a lesson since!

Use the money for sailing lessons to buy a sailboat. Then ask a sailing friend to spend a day showing you how to sail it. Then do it!

[Lihuedooley77]

Jensen,

Great replies from the other posters.

With family in mind, you may want to lean toward yankeedom, and ease of melding into to schools, and employment, and good sailing grounds and good weather, and meeting new friends, and enjoy other activities of daily living.

We would suggest an excellent certified sailing club, with U.S.C.G Licensed Instructors, and newer well maintained sailing vessels. Also in addition to on board sailing,
they should have professional seminars on COASTAL PILOTING and NAVIGATION, and possibly marine weather, fog procedures, etc, etc.

Add in good weather most of the year, and after the lessons and tests and check outs on their boats, you can get in day sails at sea, coastal sailing to other ports of call, and crossing the San Pedro Channel to enjoy and explore Catalina Island and then up to the Channel Islands.

We are suggesting MARINA SAILING out of Newport Bay, which lies between L.A and San Diego, Ca. Great location, classy and fun harbor about 3 miles long, with a huge
feeling of sailing and boating, and the beach lifestyle.

They also will have social events, and also during your lessons you will meet others like yourselves, and make new friends. Also, they should have flotilla cruises to Catalina, Dana Point or up to the Channel Islands. Marina also has another sailing club up in Shoreline Village, Long Beach, and you can use their boats as well.

You will also be day sailing and making off shore and coastal passages to other very quality and easy going ports of call, on your own.

Another advantage, should you have the desire to have some adventures in paradise, once you have some coastal and off shore island passages under your keel, the fun continues with bare boat chartering in the British Virgin Islands, Tahiti, Australia, or or other areas of the world. This can be done, by flotilla sailing, or just you and your family or friends . Fly in an airliner, and sail those marvelous islands.

You may wish to live inland a bit, depending on your financial status, and drive down to Newport Harbor in a few minutes. You can also check out the quality of schools for the kids. Lots of activities for what ever interests them, and they will be meeting new friends .

Just FYI, and you can look up Newport Bay, and Beach area, Marina Sailing Club,
and other harbors to visit by sailing. like Dana Point; Oceanside ;, or Alimitos Bay; Long Beach marina,; and Shore Line Village, and others, plus Catalina Island , harbors and anchorages, like Avalon, Desconso, Moonstone, Two Harbors at the isthmus , 4th of July, Cherry Cove, Emerald Bay, plus Cat Harbor on the back side of Catalina. Yep, your own special island about 26 or so miles across the Ocean.

For the whole area add in the sunshine, and great weather, friendly people, and other super fun activities that do not involve sailing. You also have the mountains and the desert to drive to for those types of activities. If you are active, there are great hikes inland, as well as bike trails from beach town to beach town along the coast.

However, where you chose to move to, is a very subjective decision, and just do what ever feels good and will fit into your family's desires and values.

A whole new world awaits you .

And, yes, that is the world that we live and play in.

[Jdege]

When I decided I wanted to learn to sail, I looked around and realized I was in Minneapolis, more than a thousand miles away from the ocean.

I mean, 1200 miles to the Gulf of Mexico, 1200 miles to the Atlantic, 1700 miles to the Pacific.

But as far as places that are more than 1000 miles from the ocean goes, when it comes to learning to sail its one of the best.

I took my ASA 101 on Lake Minnetonka.

ASA 103 on the St Croix River.

ASA 104 on Lake Superior.

I'll be doing ASA 106 next summer, on Lake Superior, again. A five day crossing of the lake, with night passages, watch standing, entering unfamiliar harbors, etc.

Then, again, there's day sailing with the Twin Cities Sailing Club on Lake Harriet. And when I get my boat finished, I'm only 1/2 mile from Lake Nokomis.

I'd move up here to learn to sail, but if you are up here, there are plenty of opportunities to learn.



I'm sure this is true of many places you'd not think of as a real "sailing" destination.

[john61ct]

Getting into a large population, dense community of sailors, where that really is a big part of the local economy, and especially one with non-local cruisers constantly coming and going, several yacht clubs, regular racing calendars etc

really makes a huge difference.

And I highly encourage getting overseas, even if a boring English-speaking location, get out of the US! Much better for the kids **real** education, the formal schooling aspect is nearly irrelevant IMO,

breadth of experience, extreme diversity of people to interact with, exposure to different value systems much more important,

[Byrdman]

either move to where you want to sail or anywhere on the east coast of FL would be my recommendation. Get the family moved down here, learn to sail, and get a boat. This would also open up a lot of opportunities for sailing around the caribbean.

IMO, you could spend the next 1-10+ years sailing around FL and the Bahamas and learning before you leave the dock for good. Plus, Bahamas has a reciprocal program for US citizens. No need to go through visa or citizenship changes while learning, just don't overstay. Lots of options for year round sailing.

Whatever you do, you have to get close to the water

[Ken Fry]

I am struck by the number of helpful responses. I am new to this forum, and am impressed.

I'd have to agree with those who suggest that you can learn to sail virtually anywhere. Decades ago, I hooked up with a low key family-style yacht club in Decatur, Illinois -- anything but a famous sailing area. But it was great fun to crew on Lightning class boats. Very close fun racing, with newcomers always welcome.

I've sailed on the great lakes, on Helsinki bay, in the ocean off the east coast, in the pacific northwest, in the Gulf of Mexico, the Finger Lakes in upstate NewYork, and on various inland lakes. Can't really say that one place is better than another -- they are simply different.

For really getting the feel of sailing, a windsurfer is hard to beat. Windsurfing can be a little more athletic than sailing a Laser, but it is even simpler -- there is not even a rudder, and there are no "sheets." You can learn much of what you need to know on land, standing on the board (without its fin installed). Back in the old days (and maybe still) you could find turntables that would support a board on land, so you could tack, gybe and steer, all without getting wet or falling off. If you move on to a bigger boat, the visceral sense you will have for the wind and the effects of moving the center of effort fore and aft will help you in tuning the mast, sailing in balance, etc.

Fair winds!

[Ken Fry]

Originally Posted by Lihuedooley77

And, yes, that is the world that we live and play in.

Such a great description of your sailing area and activities! It should make almost anyone want to move to California.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by Ken Fry

Such a great description of your sailing area and activities! It should make almost anyone want to move to California.

Have to mention I just returned from crewing on a boat in the Baja Ha-Ha. Spent a week in San Diego and then sailed to Cabo San Lucas. Truth be told I was very disappointed in California in particular and the West Coast of Mexico as well.

The weather was not all that great and there was some type of sea fog that I found very unpleasant. Also had some late season TS like Raymond and the one after it that never developed circulation but dumped 18 inches of rain in 24 hours.

Have to say it was a much different culture than what I was use to in Florida. As an example as we reached False Cabo I mentioned it was time to break out the Q flag; seems folks sailing South from California to Mexico ignore flying a Q flag. Not sure what the sailing schools teach out there but I know things like this don't fly on the East Coast going down island. To some extent I think this is a result of what I will call the immigration issue where some people say it is not illegal to enter a country without going through customs.

But the biggest disappointment was the water. I brought my mask, fins, and snorkel and never even unpacked them. The viz was some of the worst I have ever seen. Talked to a guy who went diving with the whale sharks in La Paz and he estimated it at less than ten feet.

Not saying there were no upsides to the trip. But if your idea of cruising is warm climate in crystal clear water you may wanna look elsewhere.

[NormanMartin]

Name a town and a place: OK. Boston, MA and the Boston Sailing Center.

They sail year round and Boston is a nice place to live. The suburbs are nice, too. We lived in West Medford and could drive, train, or bus from the house to the Center within 30 min easily.

The Mass Bay area is superb for training to voyage since a variety of navigation/piloting challenges abound. The weather is fickle so you will learn that. There are a wide range of tide/current challenges. A few years there and you'll be ready for anywhere.

Here is the real problem for you solve: stakeholder buy in! Observed over my 30-odd years of teaching and cruising, the single biggest gap in every plan is that one wants to go and the other does not. Until both want to go the plan is stuck and frustration grows.

Full disclosure: I was a BSC instructor for 20 years and am now about 5 years into retirement. I have no financial interest in the business.

I am going to write/blog about the stake holder buy in issue this winter at my appliedsailing.blogspot.com Someone might find it amusing... or not. My observations are personal experiences and through meeting cruisers. Spoiler alert? I want to go cruising very much but we do a lot of gardening instead.

Norm
Harwich, MA