University, Sailing and Sailboat

[Yaoz]

I am in China now. I want to get my master degree in the States.

I have no experience in sailing. I want to sail around the world by starting learn how to sail.

I have no boat. I want to go to a city that I could visit the brokers without taking too much time.

Well...I know Los Angles is good, any other suggestion?

(sorry for my grammar, please correct me if possible)

[Hudson Force]

An online search at "Yachtworld" will likely give you the best overview of the sailboat market. Far more boats are brokered through Fort Lauderdale than other locations,- also Newport and Annapolis. Good luck

[Yaoz]

Originally Posted by CaptForce

An online search at "Yachtworld" will likely give you the best overview of the sailboat market. Far more boats are brokered through Fort Lauderdale than other locations,- also Newport and Annapolis. Good luck

Many thanks

If I hold back the idea of buying a boat until I become a good skipper, which means I only need a city that's easy to get access to sailing school and good college.

Does this mean almost all major coastal US cities are suitable for me?

[cal40john]

Originally Posted by Yaoz

Many thanks

If I hold back the idea of buying a boat until I become a good skipper, which means I only need a city that's easy to get access to sailing school and good college.

Does this mean almost all major coastal US cities are suitable for me?

Do a search for college sailing clubs or sailing clubs in the city with the university you're interested in.

Here's a couple of examples I know about.
I always thought that this was part of Cal Berkeley but it turns out they're separate, but they give student discounts:

Cal Sailing Club - About CSC


Another:

uwsail.org

Many colleges only have undergraduate racing teams sailed in 2 person dinghies like FJ's or 420s though.

[ozskipper]

Time is what you will need. Take lots of time to buy the right boat. Never buy a boat for a circumnavigation, just because its nearby. You may find the right boat for that job is 500 miles away.

[Kiwi303]

if you're not fixated on US masters you could also look at Auckland, New Zealand. degrees there are pretty well respected, and the citys nickname is the city of sails.

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Yaoz

I am in China now. I want to get my master degree in the States.

I have no experience in sailing. I want to sail around the world by starting learn how to sail.

I have no boat. I want to go to a city that I could visit the brokers without taking too much time.

Well...I know Los Angles is good, any other suggestion?

(sorry for my grammar, please correct me if possible)

The University of Washington in Seattle probably has the best student sailing organization in the the US. If you are coming to the US for education anyway that is may be the best way to start. Depending on the degree you want the UW varies from being decent/good to excellent.

For a small quarterly or yearly fee they will teach you to sail on dinghies with plenty of personal attention. Once you have learned the basics of sailing and an authorized member has signed off on your skills, you can go sailing without immediate supervision on your own for free in the dinghies.

There are small keelboats. Use is for a small fee per day but classes on them are free.

https://sites.google.com/a/washingto...club.org/home/

[Greenhand]

It is not necessary for the city to be coastal. Choose your school based on your academic interests; few of our best schools are in the desert.

University of Austin has a sailing club, as does Emory. Even if the school club is only involved in dinghy racing, the training and events take place at yacht clubs where you could get to know other sailors. There aren't many long term cruising opportunities on these lakes, but you do have the opportunity to master many skills. Both schools are also a few hours from the coast, so you might be make connections that allow you to spend holidays on coastal waters.

[Yaoz]

Big thank to you all!

I am seriously considering the University of Washington.

Now, I have my target on UC-system university, universities in the state of Florida and in the D.C coz it not far away from Annapolis.

There is a news in China and says that a family of three quit their job/school, sold house and car, brought a used sailboat and started their voyage in Langkawi, Malaysia. The father has no experience before. After a 1 month of self training, they manage to sail a 38 from Langkawi to Phuket by themselves! Is this even possible?

It seems like one doesn't need "that much" of training to sail a big boat!

They are going to stay in Malaysia and Thailand for 6 months before they start their circumnavigation of the planet.

[Sindbad]

Originally Posted by Yaoz

There is a news in China and says that a family of three quit their job/school, sold house and car, brought a used sailboat and started their voyage in Langkawi, Malaysia. The father has no experience before. After a 1 month of self training, they manage to sail a 38 from Langkawi to Phuket by themselves! Is this even possible?

It seems like one doesn't need "that much" of training to sail a big boat!

They are going to stay in Malaysia and Thailand for 6 months before they start their circumnavigation of the planet.

To sail from Langkawi to Phuket is not a big thing. Not many hazards there. A lot of good anchorages along the way. During this time of the year the weather is pretty stable.
For sure you can learn to sail a 38 footer within one month, but I don't think it is a good idea to do it through self-training only. Better get a good instructor.

[Teknav]

There is much more to sailing than just having the wind harnessed by the sails. If you plan on studying in the US, for an advanced degree, you need to be very proficient in English. This is the biggest hurdle most foreign students face; it can set back your graduation by a few years. As far as sailing goes, you need to know some fundamentals to protect your fellow sailors and yourself. Buy the book by "Chapman - Piloting and Seamanship", and study it as if your dear life would depend on it. You will also need at least 3 basic courses in sailing fundamentals, before you invest in anything that looks like a dinghy, let alone a sailboat! Good luck to your endeavors!

[Kiwi303]

or you can read the site bumfuzzle | living, sailing, procreating about a set of utter newbies who went around the world. albeit in a well found stable modern cat.

[hellosailor]

Yaoz, if the gods are kind, you don't need experience. In Islam they say Allah watches over madmen and fools. Many religions say similar things. But the sea does not suffer fools kindly, it routinely kills even experienced sailors who make just one wrong mistake.

I'm curious to know what kind of masters degree you plan to get and then use while sailing around at sea. Usually a masters would mean a job, based on land or with some corporation. Or are you planning to run some type of business from your boat as you are sailing?

Florida might make a good starting point for you. Many schools, many degrees, and pretty much year-round access to sailing. If you go north, Boston, New York, even DC, you may find schools with better reputations but sailing is strictly a seasonal activity because of the winters.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Yaoz

I am in China now. I want to get my master degree in the States.

Universities in the states tend to vary a great deal from each other in terms of curriculum. An excellent university might not be strong in the subject you want to study. I teach at a fabulous university, but if you wanted to study Mandarin literature here, you'd be out of luck.

At the postgraduate level, the worst way to choose a university is by its proximity to sailing. A better way is to determine where faculty are conducting research in areas you want to study.

One thing you will certainly want to look into, judging from your original post, is the English proficiency requirement at universities in which you are interested. Most will require an examination such as TOEFL for international students from non-english-speaking countries, and you may find yourself limited by your current scores.