Not a sailor..

[TomPmoeller]

For the last couple of months my mind has been set on buying a boat.

Every day I look a forums, wanted adds and search around the internet for knowledge.

At times my mind wanders towards traveling by boat, the different cultures, languages, just the vast beauty of the world, I get a feeling of butterflies in my stomach, my heart races and a sense that my mind is falling deeper and deeper in love with the ideer.

And i'm kinda of getting sick of this feeling.

I was 1 month late for sailing school..

[Don C L]

Well, welcome here anyway. You have the bug pretty bad... The good news is sailing can be better than you imagine, the bad news is it can be worse than you fear. So I say time to start with shopping for a FUN little boat to learn on, and take it out everyday and make lots of mistakes. In a year or so you'll be a better sailor than most folks with bigger boats in the local harbor. Then you can look for folks who need some help and sail with them out a little farther, and learn from THEIR mistakes. Pretty soon you'll be ready to do it on your own.

[boatman61]

Not 100% sure on this but.. I think like many EU countries (UK excluded) one needs a licence first.. before one can sail a 'big boat' unsupervised.
Likely that does not apply to sailing dinghies, but.. pretty sure Carsten will chime in soon

[Steven UK]

What license do you need in the UK (a sailing license...), or more importantly how do you get one? I've done the ASA courses and that pretty much covers me to sail anything I want. And actually I didn't even need those.

[TomPmoeller]

Originally Posted by Don C L

Well, welcome here anyway. You have the bug pretty bad... The good news is sailing can be better than you imagine, the bad news is it can be worse than you fear. So I say time to start with shopping for a FUN little boat to learn on, and take it out everyday and make lots of mistakes. In a year or so you'll be a better sailor than most folks with bigger boats in the local harbor. Then you can look for folks who need some help and sail with them out a little farther, and learn from THEIR mistakes. Pretty soon you'll be ready to do it on your own.

Yes, the bug.. I do feel it, quite a lot As I was trying, in my somewhat broken english, to scribble down the feeling - I came to the a similar conclusion as you mentioned. The sea might be beautiful when calm, but harshness it's capable of when its angry, is hard to for see.

What kind of boat would you suggest ?

[Steven UK]

Originally Posted by TomPmoeller

What kind of boat would you suggest ?

A charter boat...! I'm going through the the same thing. How to make he change/move and is it the right thing to do for me...?

I have chartered twice in the US and am about yo go for ten days in the BVI after that the decision should be easy. Good luck.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

What license do you need in the UK (a sailing license...), or more importantly how do you get one? I've done the ASA courses and that pretty much covers me to sail anything I want. And actually I didn't even need those.

I think if you look again I said excluding the UK.. where you can use a boat without Qualifications..
However if you go oversea's you may get stopped from moving on.. it has happened.. not often but it does.
N Irish couple on a Cat got stopped from sailing on by the Harbourmaster in Portimao..

[Steven UK]

Boatman I see..., there is a 'international sailing certificate' available from the ASA for about $30 sounds worth the money now...

[Lizzy Belle]

In the Netherlands you can sail any boat under 15m (49') and/or doesn't go faster then 20 km/hr without a license.

In Denmark, I haven't a clue, but google probably does.

Originally Posted by TomPmoeller

What kind of boat would you suggest ?

Anything you can afford and has been well maintained.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Steven UK

Boatman I see..., there is a 'international sailing certificate' available from the ASA for about $30 sounds worth the money now...

Good idea.. best to have the paper and not need it than the other way round..

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by TomPmoeller

Yes, the bug.. I do feel it, quite a lot As I was trying, in my somewhat broken english, to scribble down the feeling - I came to the a similar conclusion as you mentioned. The sea might be beautiful when calm, but harshness it's capable of when its angry, is hard to for see.

What kind of boat would you suggest ?

Not sure what kinds of boats available in Denmark, but I always recommend a little boat here called a Laser. It is simple, fast and fun. In your neighborhood, in the larger size, Albins have a good reputation, especially the Vega. But see if you can go with other folks or join a local sailing club to start getting experience. As you get more into it you will be able to judge better which boats suit your preferences. Good luck! Oh and remember, there is no bad weather, just poor preparation. Ok, no, sometimes there is bad weather.

[CTKismet]

“All of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of saltwater in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore we have salt in our blood, in our sweat in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea – whether it is to sail or to watch it – we are going back from whence we came.”

JFK Sept 1962 Newport RI

[deltaten]

recommend googleing Drake Paragon's interview with Mads some-body-or-other. about sailing small boat around England etc..
IIRC, he's out of Aarhus?
Another might be Mads on "Obelix" that does "Sail life" on U-toob.and his recently overhauled Albin Vega is for sale, too

Best of luck

[TomPmoeller]

Thanks !!!

Sent from my GT-I9505G using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[CTKismet]

Originally Posted by TomPmoeller

Yes, the bug.. I do feel it, quite a lot

What kind of boat would you suggest ?

Can you describe what aspect you are romanticizing? It will help our suggestions.

Long journeys?
Coastal cruising?
Racing?
Just getting any experience on the water?

An earlier suggestion of getting on a Laser is a good one. You will learn the fundamentals of how the science of wind and sail trim work on a fast but forgiving boat.

Racing? Hook up with local club as crew. Be honest about your knowledge and limitations. Watch and learn.

Journey? Lots of opportunity to be crew on boat deliveries. Again, be VERY honest about your experience. Hook up with a good captain and you will learn loads.

A bit of real experience will give you the insights as to what your first boat should be.

All that being said...I find the experience of arriving on some part of the planet I've never been by sea one on the most special moments of life.