It's our first sailboat

[jldunn86]

Jeepgod,
If you have not already, look up the Galveston Bay Cruisers Assoc. and join. They are located in the Seabrook Shipyard. Great people and very helpful and have a lot of local knowledge. Galveston Bay Cruising Association - Home
I am south of you Galveston/Hitchcock area, give me a shout if you have questions.

ps: I have three jeeps....lol

[Celestialsailor]

Just keep sailing until you don't have to change your shorts everytime you go out...

[boatpoker]

1st thing ..... learn how to bleed your diesel before you leave the dock.

[zedpassway]

As you sail, constantly try to think about what will happen next in your actions. If it doesn't happen like you thought, then write it down. Try to figure out things so that your expectations match the results.

While sailing is fine as an adventure, its a lot more fun when you know what you expect for both your actions, the actions of others, and the actions of the wind/waves/ environment.

You can't know everything ahead of time, but IMO, you really out to be able to predict at least 90% of things.

[Mean Joe]

Originally Posted by jeepgodd

We closed on our first sailboat today a catilina 36 mkii named Back pay we are really excited. What would your advice be for a rookie couple.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Congratulations on your new sailboat. I think if you never had a sailing lesson to get one. If you are a season sailor I say for you to get a professional Captain to go over your boat, check it over, make sure the standing and running rigging be correct and get a Captain to take you out until you get to know your boat.

[Sambama]

Congratulations on your first sailboat! We just purchased our first one a few months ago. My wife and I have been on different sailboats on and off for the past 25 years. The only regret I have is not learning to sail earlier in life. We learned last year at age 56. Having been on power boats over the years, the most addictive thing I've found is the moment you have the sails up and kill the engine. That moment never gets old, the song "Feels Like The First Time" comes to mind. Enjoy your boat, enjoy your life. Though I didn't care very much for "racing", the local Yacht Club in Panama City had a "Pleasure racing course" on Friday nights. I started participating on someone else's boat and became part of the "crew". If you have something similar where you are at you might want to give it a go. Other than that just enjoy.

[Little Song]

Hi!

Congratulations!

I would advise you to join some club races. You will be more confident since there will be always other boats around, and your sailing skills will improve much faster.


Fair winds!

[cwyckham]

You can just go and mess about and figure it out, but you'll get a huge jump start on your learning if you take some lessons and then find a mentor.

This article has some recommendations on different ways you can learn to sail, but early lessons will make sure you learn critical safety items like crew overboard, reefing, and the collision regulations to get you out there safely.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by OS2Dude

The Catalina34 web site has some valuable information, read it sooner than later.

In addition to the link to the C34 forum I provided on page one, please be aware that there are two other very helpful, information-loaded sections that you should become familiar with:

The "C34 Tech wiki" which has LOTS of systems information:

Catalina 34 - C34

and

"101" Series - Quick Links to "Popular" Topics includes "Electrical 101"

Good luck, happy reading and sailing.

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by jeepgodd

We closed on our first sailboat today a catilina 36 mkii named Back pay we are really excited. What would your advice be for a rookie couple.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Lots of good advice already.

Me would suggest first priority is to become an expert!.....on docking (your boat).

Apart from being useful (lol) it will provide confidence with boat and more importantly between skipper and crew. The good news is that easy to do, you just need practice, practice, practice!

Lots of threads on cf, but my advice is plenty of fenders and plenty of crew and start easy (calm day on an accessible pontoon).......

......plus equally importantly go into a mooring field (ideally with plenty of empty bouys!) and simply play to see how your boat handles in reverse, forward, at varying speeds / bursts of power, against & with (and broadside to!) current and same for wind..... You will likely be amazed how well she handles in some conditions - and appalled how she does in others! (All boats have pros and cons - the trick is to learn yours and work with them in your docking plans)....the reason for being in a mooring field is it gives you fixed points of reference that also give you a chance to get out of manoeuvres that go less well!, plus less onlookers!!!

And the final secret to docking is having a gallic shrug. If no one dies it is a successful docking, and even if not depends on how much you liked 'em :-).

Once you have confidence in getting on and off own mooring / dock will likely use boat more to gain experience of the squillion other things on your learning curve :-) .

[David_Old_Jersey]

In an afternoon or 2 of practising you will gain 10 years of real life docking experience..

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

1st thing ..... learn how to bleed your diesel before you leave the dock.

If he has an M35, which is "usual" on Mark IIs, it is self bleeding with a built-in electrical lift pump.

For bleeding, because the manufacturer tied the operation of the lift pump to the glow plugs and the oil pressure switch when the engine starts, it makes "traditional" bleeding somewhat weird.

That subject is covered here, another good "must read" topic called "Critical Upgrades" some of which apply to your new boat, it wouldn't hurt to read them ---

CRITICAL UPGRADES - DO THESE OR ELSE!!!

Good luck.

[jeepgodd]

Thank you for the great advise everyone

[Steadman Uhlich]

Originally Posted by jeepgodd

We closed on our first sailboat today a catilina 36 mkii named Back pay we are really excited. What would your advice be for a rookie couple.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Congrats!

Here is a site that has a lot of helpful information for Texas sailors, including many articles and links to organizations and local info too.
Sailboats for sale from Sailing Texas, buy or sell your sailboat, free sailboat ads.

TIP: Don't let any long lines or sheets trail over the side into the water when you are motoring.

Have fun!

[gamayun]

Originally Posted by jeepgodd

Nope its all new to us


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Oh wow! Do you know how to tack and jibe? You really need to start with baby steps. Learning how to sail on a dinghy is the best and fastest way. That said, others have learned only on bigger boats so it's not insurmountable, but there are more forces to respect in a larger boat. Definitely find others who are willing to go out with you and give you some pointers. But perhaps the first thing to do is point the boat in the wind at the dock and start raising all the sails. By yourselves. Find out what all the lines do (label them) and see whether you can reef easily or not. You might want to label each side of the boom as "starboard" or "port" so you understand who gives way under sail. You also need to learn how to properly navigate in congested areas and navigation channels. Then check the engine and make sure it has new oil and transmission fluid, a fresh impeller, good belts, sufficient coolant, good water flow out the exhaust, etc. Once you have these things under your belt, then check the weather and go out on a calm day (less than 10 knots) and progress slowly. Keep the stress to a minimum and have FUN!!