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Old 05-01-2009, 16:39   #1
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Florida girl looking for adventure

My name is Barbara. I am 22 and just graduated from the University of Florida. I come from a family of sailors, and sailed a bit as a kid. I told my older brother that I wanted to learn how to sail, and he said the best way was to join a forum, and see if anyone needed an extra able-bodied person to help out...so here I am. I will say I don't know much right now, but I am a quick learner, and am not afraid of much. So if any of you have any advice, or can point me in the right direction, it would be greatly appreciated!! Thanks in advance!

Happy Sailing,
Barbara
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Old 05-01-2009, 16:45   #2
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Welcome Aboard...my wife says you cant sail with me though...sorry...
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Old 05-01-2009, 16:54   #3
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Welcome Aboard...my wife says you cant sail with me though...sorry...

HAHA... I guess I can't blame her... maybe I should have omitted my sex and age...thanks anyway =)
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:00   #4
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I'd recommend you join a local yacht club and take some courses in sailing. You'll get a more positive response! And may get asked to crew out on some local races. And it's most likely you learn a lot more then just being taken for a ride.
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:09   #5
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Welcome!

I think you should take courses about sailing. Of course it depends on what you want to do on the water? Do you want to be a weekend club race crew? Or race smaller one off designs like Etchells or perhaps do cruising - weekend or longer?

Whatever you will need to acquire a skill set and many of the skills in any kind of sailing will have over lap. You need to understand sail trim and weather and some navigation and even for cruising you "strategize".

Coast Guard Auxiliary used to give courses. I took meteorology and coastal navigation at the planetarium. You don't want to rely on electronics. You want to understand navigation and how to figure out where you are.

You can take learn to sail courses which often have boat rentals and you can get together with other students and take out a boat.

And there are women oriented sailing programs too. And women skippers who would be glad to have your help and teach you. Posting here is a good start. But take this seriously and study and you get on the water to apply your lessons.
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:14   #6
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Well my wife said you could sail with me, as long as we are properly chaperoned.

Are you still in Gainesville? I am waiting for spring to close on my new (to me) boat and will probably be bringing it from Long Island Sound to Jacksonville or near by.

Go Gators.
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:18   #7
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There is a book out called Offshore Hitchiking. Check it out. If you ever end up in BC in spring or summer I have a spare bunk you are welcome to. I cruise BC waters full time , and may head for Mexico in the fall.
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:20   #8
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pirate So you want to be a Swab?

Welcome ladydub,

I'll bet you won't have any trouble hooking up with a boat. Just a couple of weeks ago I guy was looking for crew with exactly your qualifications. I think you can find that post using the search features under "1st mate wanted" or something like that.

I have one suggestion for you. Be careful and trust your instincts. Hitch hiking can be dangerous, certainly on international waters. Crewing however, when done right, may start you on your life's path. Find out about crews needed here on CF and using Google. I found a page that had very good info on crew rights and obligations. I don't remember where it was. I wish I did what your doing when I was your age.

Be smart and be safe
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:24   #9
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Thanks for all the feedback! As much as I would love to take classes, all the ones I have looked into have been pretty expensive. My dad has a sailboat and has been sailing his whole life, but he is too busy to sail right now (or I would simply learn from him). I would love to sail for short or long periods of time (so long as the person seems trustworthy). I will be in Gainesville until I can sublease my house out, then I will most likely be in the Fort Lauderdale area.
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:32   #10
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ladydub,
I think a N.e. Florida get together is being planned. Please stay tuned. Sailorgal is from Gainsville and she and her significant other is in the process of securing a cataraman. The Fall get together was great. Keep wather posts from imagine2frolic/

John
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:44   #11
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Thanks for all the feedback! As much as I would love to take classes, all the ones I have looked into have been pretty expensive. My dad has a sailboat and has been sailing his whole life, but he is too busy to sail right now (or I would simply learn from him). I would love to sail for short or long periods of time (so long as the person seems trustworthy). I will be in Gainesville until I can sublease my house out, then I will most likely be in the Fort Lauderdale area.
I would take you with us in a heart beat. I often took young eager crew, just to give them the experience. I would be far more willing to take a young person that is eager to learn than a young person that is eager to show me what they know.

Cruising is not racing. Yacht club racers have very limited practical experience that would be useful to a cruising skipper. They are just as bound to end up sea sick for 3-days as anyone else. I would find it annoying.

I personally loved teaching young people what a jib sheet is, how to use a winch and how to tie a knot. It just made passages more fun. Any skipper that thinks he needs an experienced crew member to assist him in handling the boat, may not be the skipper that you want to go with.

Please avoid getting on a boat with a single male. I don't care who it is or who you are, it just isn't worth the risk. There are plenty of husband and wife teams that may be happy to have you along and share the experience with you.
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:48   #12
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Originally Posted by Ladydub
My dad has a sailboat and has been sailing his whole life, but he is too busy to sail right now (or I would simply learn from him).
Hummm!...I use to steal my dads land yacht all the time ...........................Oh...nevermind..... I wasent educated, a minor and expected to do stupid things ......Im a guy..
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Old 05-01-2009, 17:59   #13
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"Please avoid getting on a boat with a single male. I don't care who it is or who you are, it just isn't worth the risk."

Kanani, some of us single males might ask what that risk is, or tell her not to get on a boat with a husband and wife...let's try not to lump all people into the same, there all oger's class. Let's hope she just uses good judgeement.
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Old 05-01-2009, 19:04   #14
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I would take you with us in a heart beat. I often took young eager crew, just to give them the experience. I would be far more willing to take a young person that is eager to learn than a young person that is eager to show me what they know.

Cruising is not racing. Yacht club racers have very limited practical experience that would be useful to a cruising skipper. They are just as bound to end up sea sick for 3-days as anyone else. I would find it annoying.

I personally loved teaching young people what a jib sheet is, how to use a winch and how to tie a knot. It just made passages more fun. Any skipper that thinks he needs an experienced crew member to assist him in handling the boat, may not be the skipper that you want to go with.

Please avoid getting on a boat with a single male. I don't care who it is or who you are, it just isn't worth the risk. There are plenty of husband and wife teams that may be happy to have you along and share the experience with you.
I have to disagree. Initially, racing improves your sailing skills much faster than cruising. Ultimately though, cruisers end up with a greater breadth of knowledge about boats, seamanship and the oceans. Its pretty much a turtle and hare scenario where the turtle eventually pulls ahead in the breadth of knowledge department.

I would suggest doing day sailing, racing and cruising with the right crew(s). Finding the right people is very important in how much you will learn.
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Old 05-01-2009, 21:02   #15
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I agree with those who suggested you take classes. It is like most other sports - a class or two will jump-start your understanding and enjoyment of the sport. If possible, take a class in a small boat first - the theory, points-of-sail and basic maneuvers will be more obvious. Small boat classes are usually cheaper, too.

The problem is you can be on a race crew for several seasons and never get to touch the helm or even trim the main. Or you can make a passage on a cruising boat but may end up motoring much of the time, or learning from a skipper who really doesn't know as much as he/she thinks. It's much better to learn from people who really know how to sail AND know how to teach.

So I would save up your money for classes and meantime get some recommendations for sailing schools in your area. While you're saving up, if you can get aboard some boats for casual races it will get you some exposure. Finally, USSailing.org used to have some online instruction available. If they still do, you could get some theory under your belt that way.
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