hello to everyone

[lemonbelly]

i was so excited to find this forum!!!!! i hope to be able to learn and share experiences with all you sea going folks. i am new to sailing and want to learn as much as i can. well lets see. my soon to be husband and i recently decided that instead of investing in a mortgage we will live on a boat instead. so where do we start? we are slowly learning about the boating lifestyle and types of boats. there seem to be many things to consider. i truly believe the lifestyle would fit us perfectly. so if any of you would like to share with me on how you got started or maybe have recommendations on books or resources i would love to hear from you. thanks have a great day
sabine

[defjef]

Sabine,

Welcome. You will find this site an enormous resource populated with knowledgeable generous sailors who will be more than willing to give you advice.

I personally think if you can do this it is a smart move. Why? I think people who live in house are basically wasteful though not intentionally. They simply have a larger carbon footprint and buy all sorts of things to fill the rooms and hardly use them but a few times. While this may be an exaggeration, the boat life is very spartan by comparison. Unless you live on a mega yacht you need to think minimal and "small" and more important - smart.

On a boat any thing you do can lead to disaster so you have to be very purposeful and mindful in every decision you take. In the end you will discover you can life with much less and don't feel any the lesser for it. You are closer to nature and waste far less than our friends ties to the land.

To get started you need to provide the forum with some information. How old are you two? Are you working and planning to continue working...or are you planning to cruise with a kitty and perhaps work along the way? Where are you now and where do you want to be or go with your boat?

Learning the basics of sailing is a course of a few days. The you need to get out on the water and do it as much as you can and read all the books on sailing, cruising, maintaining a boat and all the systems. I started as a complete novice 22 years ago and feel pretty comfortable on a sailboat and have sailed solo to and from the caribbean a few times so it proves that any idiot (me) can accomplish what seems impossible at the start.

As the months march on you will become more and more tuned in to and conversant with your boat (your needs at first) and be surprised how many things the sailing life touches. Just to name a few: weather, diesel engines, plumbing, electric, electronics, navigation, cooking, sewing, rigging, fluid dynamics, communications (radio) and of course sailing..

A good place to start is to read the threads in this forum because they touch almost every topic from masts to music, keels to cooking.

If you have a specific question: ask. You'll get a lot of opinions (answers).

Fair winds and following seas.

[lemonbelly]

thank you so much. i have to say one of the things i am looking forward to most is being part of a close community. i cant wait to get started. maybe we will see some of you out there!
sabine

[Morgan Paul]

Hello Sabine and welcome.

[Dave the Canuck]

Welcome aboard, Sabine. I hope you have as much fun and get as much satisfaction out of sailing as I do.

[Dave the Canuck]

re books; I carry Chapmans Piloting and Nigel Caulders boat Systems book on board. I think most would agree that these cover a lot of what you'll need to know.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Sabine,
Welcome aboard! Are you at a decision point yet to determine powerboat or sailboat? Then comes, monohull versus catamaran. Then comes, what size? I always recommend sailboat 32-36 LOD, fiberglass, diesel engine, cutter rig and aft cockpit. For basic sailing (how to sail) I recommend the book Start Sailing Right! but there are many more on all aspects of boating that you can find in the public library.
Kind regards,
JohnL

[defjef]

My fav book is Royce - Sailing Illustrated - The Sailor's Bible

[SkiprJohn]

Sabine,
Defjef has named a great book. All you'll ever need to know about sailing. Lots of pages though.
JohnL

[bfharris]

Don Casey has a book on Sailboat Maintenance that is a pretty handy book to have around for new sailors.

[michell]

Hey me too - i am also searching any kind fo books or reveiws - but i guess they are o fno use cause you know it is bette to have it practically.
I am a new commer to this forum and this cruising life - i need hlp.
so u see i have decided such tath i will read all reveiws from this forum and learn