Hello!

[AlwaysLearning]

Hi everyone,

I'm a complete newbie to sailing and in fact to boating in general!

I'll be moving myself, my wife and our 7 month old son from the UK to my family home in Donegal in the NW corner of Ireland over the next couple of months and want to get into sailing to give us all something to enjoy together as a family. (Because the weather in that part of the is amazing... )

At our new home we'll have a large garage to store a boat so I've been looking at things in the 6-8m range that I could trailer. Been looking at stuff like; Parker 21, Pandora 700,

Van der Stadt Spurn 21 Cruising Sloop, Hunter Duette. Any feedback on these would be very much appreciated!

Already bought some books on sailing, and will be getting training so that I have at least some appreciation of the basics of operating a boat, I want us to be safe.

I won't ask what boat should I buy but I would be interested in the views of the experienced here around how best to begin and to build my experience. A friend who sails suggested I get a dinghy and try that out first but I'm not entirely sure...

Anyway, all input is welcome and I'm very much looking forward to learning lots here!

Thanks!

[tkeithlu]

You can learn in a larger boat, in fact Illingsworth recommended a several ton boat back in the 1960s - and he was the off shore expert of the day. The central point is that you open your envelope step by step, so you don't get yourself into anything you can't handle. Do you have a coach? Can you find one? Then do it like a beginning flyer - take him/her with you as you go through the first steps, or crew for someone else, and progress to solo in gentle conditions, then to a bit more. Realize that cruising requires a bunch of different skills, not just how to make the boat go, and begin your adventure. No telling where you'll end up - at one end are day sailers, at the other circumnavigating live-aboards. You'll find what is best for you and your family. Welcome!

[AlwaysLearning]

Hi tkeithlu,

Thanks for your input here! Our thinking aligns on this, I would rather learn (in a measured fashion) on the boat that I'll ultimately use as that feels more consistent.

I don't have a coach/mentor which I admit would be really useful but I guess that may change when we do make the move to Ireland. There are some classes I can engage in and hopefully I'll make some contacts through that too.

Being more than a day sailor is the ultimate goal, spending a couple of weeks sailing around Ireland seems like a great holiday goal! If everyone engages who knows where it might take us as you say!

Thanks for the welcome!

[BikerScoutSmith]

Greetings AlwaysLearning,

I would like to follow your experience because I am completely new to sailing and plan to progress my self and my son safely into sailing over the course of the next five to ten years.

Best of luck to you and your family.

Sincerely,

BSSmith


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[tkeithlu]

Welcome, BikerScoutSmith. Post your own questions when you wish. There are bunches of people with some really extensive experience watching these threads (I see replies that go right over my head -Wow what expertise!), and best of all, all of us were beginners at some point. My first posts were questions about marine ham and SSB radio, completely new topics for me.

[Ndavies]

Hi - and welcome
I grew up in NW England, so have some familiarity with the Irish Sea and Atlantic. My first observation is that NW Ireland could have some big seas and tides to deal with. I would talk to some of the local sailors first and see what boats they are using. I did some sailing in NW England and it is very different to where I now live (northern Gulf of Mexico). See if there is a local sailing club close to where you will live. You will get invaluable local advice.

Good luck!
Neil

[Hudson Force]

Alwayslearning, Welcome to the community. I'm a fan of learning with small boats in protected waters. You will receive immediate feedback for your actions on a little dinghy. Learning can come quickly and the mistakes can be more forgiving. Keep us posted of your adventures!