Re. Any training tips for a newbie

[Casey74]

Read a lot. Learn to sail: find a mentor who will take you on as crew & get out on the water. Take lessons, all of you. Read Sensible Cruising: The Thoreau Approach, by Don Casey. That one helped us decide to take the kids (ages 14, 11, & 11 - twins) out of school for a year and live aboard. Excellent experience! Read anything by Lin & Larry Pardey. Ignore the nay-sayers & forge ahead! Fair winds!

[wedivebc]

I bought my boat with the idea that I will learn and have fun on it. When I retire in about 5 years I will step up to a bigger off-shore boat, hopefully with the experience and knowledge to make wise decisions. I have much to learn but have never done well with formal training. I do well with hands-on and I have some good and willing mentors to guide me.
My main wish is to make my sailing experience enjoyable for my wife so she will join me later on. Otherwise plane fare may eat up a big chunk of my sailing budget

[dlymn]

I though crewing on a race boat with 10 others might teach me how to sail. I learnt how to crawl across the coach roof. Some people sit on the rail for years before they're allowed to touch a sheet. The closest to instruction I got was "tacking, tacking", " lean right out" and " hurry up". Sure, go in races, but in a small crew where you'll be told how to read sails and manage sheets.

[Don C L]

Yes. Racing is a great way to learn as long as you are the only one, or one of two, in the boat!

[hamburking]

Originally Posted by wedivebc

My main wish is to make my sailing experience enjoyable for my wife so she will join me later on. Otherwise plane fare may eat up a big chunk of my sailing budget

I suggest plastic wine glasses, and plenty of boxes of wine.
That kept my wife interested in sailing for a few years.

[Casey74]

In my very limited racing experience I learned only to stay as far away from the skipper as I could. It was not the kind of learning experience I'd had in mind.Later my husband & I crewed for 2 people we'd become friendly with. We learned so much I can't begin to describe it all & we've long counted them as family members.
Look around your area for a casual boat club. Ours welcomes boat owners & non-owners and organizes multiple sailing excursions throughout the season, on Lake Michigan & area inland lakes. Or go to the active marinas & look for a bulletin board. You'll likely find postings asking for crew. Or talk to the marina manager or harbor master. S/he is likely to know of crew opportunities.