How Did You Get Into Sailing?

[gmcairns]

For me it was a Force 5 and a company picnic.
www.sailingsereno.wordpress.com

Call me a Sailboat Junkie!

[Ex-Calif]

Cool - My brother has a Force 5 and we sail it a couple times a year when I visit. We took it out off Long Beach a couple years ago for a wet, wild and perhaps somewhat not well thought out sail...

We had an 18 foot wooden boat as a kid with a single cylinder donk in it as a kid. Rediscovered sailing about 7 years ago after moving to Singapore.

Bought the "starter" boat and have been crewing, racing and weekending ever since.

[denverd0n]

As a teenager I read "Vagabonding Under Sail" by W. I. B. Crealock. When I was 21 I took a week of sailing lessons from the Annapolis Sailing School, at their St. Petersburg, FL location. I was 25 when I bought my first boat--a 14' Hobie Cat. As they say, the rest is history.

[Lagoon4us]

Missed out on being chosen to sail a Sabot by mates family at age ten, then at 18 bought a Caper Cat, good fun and the hulls were insulated as in two giant eskies/chilly bins (kiwi)..

After a plethora of boats on a big cat now and it's even more fun!!! Frank

[Capn Morgan]

Went to a boarding school when I was 13, that had sailing lessons two or three times per week in the afternoon. On weekends we would sail as much as we could just to avoid being in the school grounds. In my gap year I crewed in a 30ft sailboat with the chap that bought it. Then joined the Merchant Navy where we did some sailing. Left the ships at 25 for a career change. After that I did some yacht charter skippering and crewing for friends and kept dreaming about buying my own home. Which I did 6 years ago. I don't race, I cruise and I maintain but have a day job so it is not full time.

[belizesailor]

Buddy in college with a Hobie 16.

[bobconnie]

At age 13, I went to work in the summer time with an Older Swedish fisherman who used a 30ft sail boat to run tub gear for bottom fish ! and was hooked !! there was no noise in comparison to the diesel boats of my father and uncles!! the old fella taught me to sail that summer and Ive been doing it ever since! Im 74 now so it's been awhile LOL. The first sail boat I owned was a Danish bilt Folk Boat, my brother and I sailled up and down the west coast and to Hawyee !! and I just can't quit !!!

[Coops]

My father knew nothing about sailing, but loved building things and working with wood. He and a couple of workmates decided to build a boat, and got the plans for a Caprice class by Robert Tucker( Shrimpy was a Caprice and was sailed around the world). Took them a few years and then they took it down to the Norfolk broads in the UK. He learnt to sail on there and gave me my lifetime obsession by taking me with him. He would have been happy to have built it and sold it and built something else, but to me, it was the best thing that he ever did, giving me the taste of sailing.

Coops.

[Kevin84]

Was in the market for a house, had one that my financing fell through on and after leaving the bank, drove by the marina. Looked out at the boats, and a light bulb lit up in my head. Took a look around at a few, bought my baby and taught myself. Never going to live on land again if I can help it.

[Richard5]

I was kinda born into it. Born and raised in Hawaii it was anything to do with water. Dad was sportdiver and (being USMC) was diver as needed for USN. Lots of boat dives around the islands. Me and my brother rescued an old Aqua cat. So what that both hulls leaked and the sail was more patch than sail cloth and the spar threatened to crash down (and did several times), it was our boat. Soon after she died on the reef, got into Chrysler Dart and into H-14. Then got into Hobie racing, Nacras, occasional Prindle. Those aside from family 43' sloop...some custom design I forget.

Since then I've owned a few but crewed on a lot more. Now looking for 45-50 sailing cat for offshore.

[casual]

Saved don't know how many empty Kool Cigaretts packs,Traded the emptys for a little Foam Sailboat Had KOOL on the sail a Snark,if I remember correctly.Lot of fun. 45 years ago and 20 or so more boats.

[Astrid]

I was introduced to sailing at about 9 years old by my father who liked to sail as a way of relaxation. When a little older I worked from time to time on my brother's fishing trawler, and after our move to Canada, became a sea cadet during my school years.

[boden36]

I think I got it from my grandmother, whose father was a Finnish master mariner in the 1860's.
From a very early age on our family's boats.
Firstly an 18 foot putt putt that you started by grabbing the flywheel and just pulling it over compression.
Then a 24 ft cabin cruiser. Finally a 32 ft cabin cruiser from the 1920's.This was before fibreglass boats came on the market - there were not so many pleasure boats and they were mostly pretty old and wooden.
Used to sail the dinghy with a broomstick and bed sheet. When I was about 12 I used to ride my bike an hour to the boatshed and take the cruiser for a run up the river. If Dad found out he never let on.
First real sailboat was a VJ (Australian racing dinghy about 12' with planks you had to get out on) which I never could sail properly. Spent more time capsized than sailing!
Then at about age 25 a Hartley TS 16 which we raced whilst building our present boat which we launched in 1987. Have just turned 60 and am still enjoying sailing and messing about in boats.

Regards,
Richard.

[zeehag]

my mommas poppas baby brother had a sailboat. was a 36 ft gaff rigged sloop named eleanor, designed by clifton crane. we sailed on this boat from 1957-1968. he graduated kings point merchant marine academy. our uncle had a grandfather who founded half of chicago and rebuilt that city after the fire--he brought the masons to chitown and founded great lakes shipping company--and our uncle sailed and steamed around the world a few times-- good sailor.
his boat is now being refitted to be reborn 110 yrs after her birthday.... 2013, june.
thankyou uncle phil.

and thankyou to the genes that were granted to us. i think we have a genetic draw to the sea.....

[TJR]

Fell in love with Abaco, bought a piece of property on the water on one off the off-grid cays. Watching sailboats go by. Bought a boat after that. Still have years of time to serve in corporate America. Got to get the kids through high school and college. I will see you all out there some day.