Whatever Happened to Learn by Doing ? Read a Book and Go for it !

[Jon4399]

I've been sailing inland, off and on, for over fourty years. Always as a crew. I've recently bought my dream, a 37.5 Hunter, and not wanting to bang it or someone else's up, I decided to take some courses. I felt I knew how to sail, but the courses filled in a lot of blanks. I didn't know what I didn't know. Now I have more confidence in my abilities, and any time my kids say, "Gee dad do you REALLY know how to sail?", I can pull out my log book.

[rgscpat]

/onsoapbox
History has shown that society (government, led by public opinion) will respond to too much idiocy in any given area by trying to legislate away the causes or at least penalize the symptoms. Every time someone gets in trouble or hurts someone on the water due to stupid acts, society comes closer to taking away more of the freedoms that many sailors crave.

Last month ten NASA rocket scientists crowded onto and capsized a 22-foot sailboat in the Chesapeake Bay; two died. A couple of months before, a man raising money for his charity overloaded a sailboat and got people killed in San Diego. Like it or not, this sort of activity WILL ultimately lead to increased regulation. And, already, one of the US Coast Guard accident form check boxes is whether the skipper had any sort of boating safety training. If the authorities continue to find a correlation between lack of training and serious accidents, guess what they will legislate?

Remember, too, that the members of this forum are atypical of all boaters. Most people here have a lot of experience. That's not true of boaters as a whole; in fact many anglers, water skiers, waterfowl hunters, etc., don't even really think of themselves as boaters at all and don't feel a need to learn more than the minimum of how to turn the ignition key and steering wheel. But, the behavior of the untrained people reflects on all sailors and has consequences for all of us. /offsoapbox

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

One of the problems with reading the book and buying a boat is that you are likely to be needing outside help, and that goes against my philosophy.

I once had to tow a 35 ft sailboat the last 15 miles into Boston because the new owner couldn't get the engine started, and couldn't figure out how to sail into the wind. He bought the boat in Canada and set off with no experience or instruction--his wife had the good sense to fly from Halifax...

You really saved that guys hind end. I'm sure he appreciated your assistance and hopefully learned a lesson to never - ever put himself in a position where he needed outside help. He was obviously lucky to have made it as far as he did without having to sail into the wind. And no experience either - imagine where he could have ended up, like Iceland. Good job.

[Astrid]

What's wrong with Iceland?

Actually, one should learn by any and all tools one has, much like learning to navigate--use or at least know how to use all the nav aids one has. Learn by doing, hopefully under the watchful eye of an experienced sailor; build on that with reading pertinent books on the subject (books are a wonderful storehouse of knowledge and you can always find something you have not experienced personally), take a class or two if you feel like you should, and eventually get the certificates you need to appease the bureaucrats. Above all, get out and do it. Practice makes perfect.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by hpeer

I just looked at the ASA courses at our local school $4,500 for the lot for the Wife and I.

Makes me glad I learned through an alternative program---sailing merit badge.

(That was back when a merit badge handbook cost 25 cents.)

[ozskipper]

Actually, it would be nice if a skippers ASA RYA AYA qualifications were recognised by insurers. Then we could get cheaper insurance than people with L plates on.

[Blue Crab]

Originally Posted by boatman61

<<<<<<<<<<<<<< LowLife....

I'm all in.

[MarkJ]

I can't understand how a thread can have 110 posts in a coupla days when its not related to women? Granted I havent read 109 of the posts...

Anyway, school teachers in Australia don't teach children anymore they just show clients where they can obtain the requisite knowledge.

This being so, then adults who yearn for the sea should do similarly. When a problem occurs on passage just Google: "Sinking. WFT do I do?"


If you do this search you will note 85,500 results. What more do you need?


Mark

[jackdale]

Originally Posted by ozskipper

Actually, it would be nice if a skippers ASA RYA AYA qualifications were recognised by insurers. Then we could get cheaper insurance than people with L plates on.

In Canada, any boating certificate will get you lower insurance.

[Palarran]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I can't understand how a thread can have 110 posts in a coupla days when its not related to women? Granted I havent read 109 of the posts...

Anyway, school teachers in Australia don't teach children anymore they just show clients where they can obtain the requisite knowledge.

This being so, then adults who yearn for the sea should do similarly. When a problem occurs on passage just Google: "Sinking. WFT do I do?"


If you do this search you will note 85,500 results. What more do you need?



Mark

Now that is funny!!

[wannago]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I can't understand how a thread can have 110 posts in a coupla days when its not related to women? Granted I havent read 109 of the posts...

Anyway, school teachers in Australia don't teach children anymore they just show clients where they can obtain the requisite knowledge.

This being so, then adults who yearn for the sea should do similarly. When a problem occurs on passage just Google: "Sinking. WFT do I do?"


If you do this search you will note 85,500 results. What more do you need?


Mark

Google and the first and is:

Quotes for SLB, RIG, HAL, BHI, NOV, TS, DO, , WFT, NE- Yahoo! Finance

finance.yahoo.com/q?s=SLB,RIG,HAL,BHI,NOV...DO...WFT... - Cached
Jun 23, 2011 – View the basic SLB, RIG, HAL, BHI, NOV, TS, DO, WFT, ... WFT · Sinking Oil Prices Create a Buy Opportunity at TheStreet Thu 11:08AM EDT ...

I'm thinking that means it's a good time to buy Transocean Ltd (Switzerland) Co (NYSE: RIG )?

[Jahmi]

I see a lot of you suggest starting small and working your way up. Let's say someone has 30 plus years of power boating experience of handling various boats between 16 -40 ft. They also have several years experience in wind sports such as windsurfing and kiteboarding but have limited experience sailing have only been out only a handful of times on someone else's boat but got involved with the sailing process. Would you still suggest the start out with a dingy and work their way up?

The reason I ask is that I find myself in that situation and I'm in the market for the purchase of my first sailboat. I'm not even considering a small starter boat and plan on jumping in with the purchase of a boat in the 32 - 36 ft range that suits my ultimate needs of coastal cruising in SoCal and Mexico. I knew last year that my next boat purchase was going to be sailboat so I started seeking experience. I've docked a Tartan 34 in a strong current and stiff breeze and just like any boat I've skippered before it's definitely different but not anything that's going to take years to learn. Unfortunately that opportunity is no longer available to me as I had to move from the Great Lakes to the west coast due to the economy.

I will take some lessons but but not ASA as I feel my money is better spent hiring a private captain to shadow me and identify where I'm lacking in my sailing skills.

[capttman]

I say just do it, and if ya need a captain I'm here.........

[VirtualVagabond]

There is a new thread further down this page by a new member called Heeling and New Sailor..

This poor guy has just got keelboat certification, and hasn't been taught how to reduce heeling with sail adjustment!!!

It's a hell of an argument supporting the title of this thread

[pablothesailor]

Originally Posted by VirtualVagabond

There is a new thread further down this page by a new member called Heeling and New Sailor..

This poor guy has just got keelboat certification, and hasn't been taught how to reduce heeling with sail adjustment!!!

It's a hell of an argument supporting the title of this thread

Jeepers, just seen that.......it does suprise me that there are not more accidents out there! It does seem to make sense that anyone going out on anything bigger that 15ft should have some sort of competence certificate!
I hope that fella does not get to much stick regarding the heeling thing, it could really knock the wind out of his sails..........