which sfbay sailing school would you choose?

[nbourbaki]

Hi all

I havent sailed much since childhood (Im 36) but looking to get back into it while spending a year sabbatical in San Francisco area (east bay).

I am trying to decide between CAL sailing school and OSSC. My eventual goal will be to be able to charter boats for future sailing vacations, and possibly buy an ocean going vessel with my brother on day.

CAL is very cheap ($99 for 3 months) and trains on dingies, with eventual use of J24s or so. drawbacks seem to be possible sailing time and range.

OSSC is much more expensive (intro course is $1000) but that is 4-5 full days on the water. starting with j24 or bigger boats right away.

Any thoughts, or other suggestions?

Cheers,

nbourbaki

[nbourbaki]

Obviously if you or someone you know in the bay wanted an extra pair of hands during the work week that would be great!! I am a convivial academic with a flexible schedule.

Cheers

[sailorchic34]

Dinghy's will teach you the basics of sailing. Actually harder to sail dinghy's sometimes as its a bit lively. Going from a dinghy size to a 22-24' boat is pretty easy. Still small enough that big forces will not get away from you.

Take the dinghy lessons, buy a cheap 18'-22' boat and go sailing as much as you can. Also check out the crew lists on Latitude 38, etc.

[Bash]

CAL has a great reputation. Lots of college students. Learn the ropes there, and then see if you can hook up with someone racing beer cans out of Berkeley Yacht Club.

[nbourbaki]

Alright!! Dingies it is. Guess I'll bring a towel. I suppose I could always just switch since it's so little money. Cheers

[nbourbaki]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Dinghy's will teach you the basics of sailing. Actually harder to sail dinghy's sometimes as its a bit lively. Going from a dinghy size to a 22-24' boat is pretty easy. Still small enough that big forces will not get away from you.

Take the dinghy lessons, buy a cheap 18'-22' boat and go sailing as much as you can. Also check out the crew lists on Latitude 38, etc.

Sailorchic, what would you recommend I look for in a sailable 20' boat. I wouldn't be able to trailer boat and only here for a year. What price range you expect I'd find for a boat and a slip that I could resell at end of year?

Cheers

[sec906]

I've heard good things about CAL, and belong to a similar club myself. One of the great benefits is that it will be easy to meet lots of other folks interested in sailing; much more so than you would in a short small class.

[fstbttms]

The downside of Cal Sailing is that you have to do maintenance on the boats as part of your membership and the since the "instructors" are merely members like yourself, the quality of education is spotty. Having taken lessons at both schools, I recommend OCSC.