Member Map Go to the Home Page Portal Cruisers & Sailing Forum Cruisers & Sailing Photo Gallery Manage Your Profile! Member Directory Search past discussions! Frequently Asked Questions Community Policies & Posting Rules Register Today, Its FREE!

Go Back   Cruisers & Sailing Forums > Scuttlebutt > Destinations > Sailor Logs & Cruising Plans





Reply
 
Thread Tools Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 05-06-2009, 23:27   #1
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 2
Woman Sailing

I have always wanted to learn how to sail, Can anyone give me suggestions where to start? I am 29 yrs old lady and has a lot of free time.
kristina is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2009, 01:26   #2
Registered User
 
captain58sailin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Homer, AK is my home port
Boat: Skookum 53' "Rose
Posts: 413
Welcome,
There are a lot of yacht & sailing clubs in your area, also there is the Coast Guard Aux. that you could call on for information about where you could get some sailing experience. Walking the docks is not a bad way to get to know the sail folk. Usually there are courses offered a some of the community colleges, you could also check the bulletin boards near the marinas. There might be something like that going on at the local YWCA as well.
captain58sailin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2009, 04:47   #3
Registered User
 
defjef's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: up from NYC
Boat: Shiva - Contest 36s
Posts: 1,879
Look for a learn to sail course (American Sailing Association) or similar to get your feet wet. Go out an buy lots of books about sailing and read them and then try to find a marina or yacht club where you can offer yourself as crew to get some time on the water. With determination you'll get there.
defjef is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2009, 05:34   #4
Registered User
 
nautical62's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Iowa
Boat: Beneteau 32 - Aurora
Posts: 774
Many ways to learn:

University and marina sailing clubs: A very affordable way to learn the basics. Quality of instruction and organization will vary greatly.

Local sail courses such as ASA or Coast Guard auxiallary. More expensive, but more reliable than the above.

Liveaboard sailing course: Combine a vacation with hands on 24-hour a day learning.

Read, get a little instruction and then buy your own boat. Learn on a small lake by playing. I purchased a used 17 foot keelboat on a trailer for $2,500.

Crew for someone: As a 29 year old woman, you'll find it easy to crew for someone. As someone with little or no experience expect to contribute to food and other costs. I have a list of web sites on my Bahamas page that people use to advertise for crew. I've had good success with floatplan.com though they haven't updated in about a month now, so I'm not sure what's going on with them.

Consider how you learn hands on skills. If you are not an experiential learner, don't jump into your own boat until you have gained confidence else where.

If you want to fly to the Caribbean tomorrow for 4 days of free learning, give me a call. My crew for this week had to bail out when their dog fell down the stairs and broke it's leg. - Seriously.
nautical62 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2009, 09:00   #5
Registered User
 
svHyLyte's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Tampa Bay area, USA
Boat: Beneteau First 42
Posts: 996
Olympic Circle

See OCSC Sailing School | Learn to Sail - San Francisco Bay Area | Sailing Lessons | California Sailing Club, and Sailing Education Adventures

for more information see Find a Place to Sail
__________________
"It is not so much for its beauty that the sea makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air, that emanation from the waves, that so wonderfully renews a weary spirit."
svHyLyte is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-06-2009, 09:11   #6
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Nevada City. CA
Boat: Sceptre 41 Ohana
Posts: 1,942
San Francisco is rich with places to learn to sail. There are inexpensive places as well as expensive. If you can find a west marine products store you can find Lattitude 38. There was a recent article in it about where to tak sailing lessons but I can't find the link.
__________________
Fair Winds,

Charlie

Between us there was, as I have already said somewhere, the bond of the sea. Besides holding our hearts together through long periods of separation, it had the effect of making us tolerant of each other's yarns -- and even convictions. Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad
Charlie is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 30-08-2009, 11:35   #7
Registered User
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: East Coast, USA
Boat: Islander 36 - Second Wind
Posts: 19
Buy a hobie, sunfish, laser or something similar for $500-$1000 and ask the seller to help you rig it and sail it for a few hours. Learning to sail on a small boat is a much faster way to learn how to sail than learning on a big boat and it is a lot of fun. They are also cheap to fix when you make a mistake.

Also try the local colleges and yacht clubs to see if they have sailing classes. Our yacht club has started having adult sailing classes this summer.

Have fun with it and good luck.
Soon2BCruiser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-08-2009, 13:33   #8
Registered User
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: between the devil and the deep blue sea
Boat: a sailing boat
Posts: 920
In a sailing club or sailing with some sailing friends.
barnakiel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-08-2009, 14:01   #9
Registered User
 
speakeasy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: SoCal
Posts: 82
Living in SF, you have a premier spot to sail. Go to the site of the best sailing rag around @ Latitude 38 - The West's Leading Sailing and Marine Magazine and click on "crew list" and "next party" which is Sept. 9th. Go there and you will find a skipper or two willing to take you as crew on the bay. Go often and you will learn fast and probably meet some fine folks. Good luck and fair winds.
__________________
It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so. Mark Twain
speakeasy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2009, 09:23   #10
Registered User
 
Ashoreschool's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 94
Wonderful advise from all. Your comfort level may increase by also reading "It's Your Boat Too" by Suzanne Giesemann. Although targeted at partners and wives, Suzanne does a very good job covering a lot of ground (sea?) in a very easy to understand format. Good luck.

Tom and Marilyn
www.ashoreschool.com
Ashoreschool is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-09-2009, 09:34   #11
Registered User
 
imagine2frolic's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: N.E. Florida
Boat: Simpson, Catamaran, 46ft. IMAGINE
Posts: 3,160
Spinnaker Sails on Pier 40 in S.F.........i2f
__________________
BORROWED! No single one of us is as smart as all of us!

SAILING is not always a slick magazine cover!
imagine2frolic is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
woman sailing

Thread Tools
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Crew Available: I'm a Woman. I Need to Be on the Water. You Should Read This. KrisAubrey Crew Positions: Wanted & Available 71 04-10-2009 13:11
Seagypsy Woman Asks - GordMay Women Afloat 107 01-10-2009 15:10
woman drivers frankdeegan Seamanship & Boat Handling 20 07-07-2008 07:09
Why is a woman like a coat of varnish ? 29cascadefixer General Sailing Forum 2 02-11-2004 20:13


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:41.


Other Social Knowledge forum communities:
Cooking Forum - Sailing Forum - Early Retirement - Airstream Trailer - Aquarium Forum - Royal Forum - Book Forum - Volkswagen Touareg Forum - Jeep Wrangler Forum - Whitewater Kayaking & Rafting Forum - Fiberglass RV Forum - RV Forum - Truck Conversion - U2 Music Forum
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
SEO by vBSEO 3.3.0
© copyright 2002-2009 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.