I need help and advice

[cecilscaff]

Hi,I've never been in a forum before and have never sailed before.This might sound really stupid to all you seasoned sailors on here but I saw my family's crazy gap year a while ago and haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.The guy on it sailed to Australia from Britain.I would love to do this but having never sailed before I'd like some advice on how to go about achieving this,and the realities of making that kind of trip.Sorry if this sounds a bit vague like but don't really know where to start.

[smaarch]

Welcome!
get down to the local yacht club/marina and introduce yourself. find someone looking for crew on a local Wednesday night around the buoys race.
and go step by step from there.

reality is nothing but a manifestation of the imagination and understanding...
its all possible.

[skipmac]

One place to start, if you have no experience at all, is to take a class. You don't mention where you are located but most countries there is some sort of organization that teaches boating and sailing.

You might spend a few hours reading through previous discussions on this forum. There are usually several people every week like yourself that have no experience and want to learn about boats. Do a little search in the archives and you will find lots of reading.

Welcome to the forum.

[Pete7]

Welcome to CF

Well, you need to learn to sail, so since you are in the UK (though not for much longer if your dear leader Alex Salmond gets his way) I would suggest you have a read of the RYA website:

RYA

Next join a local yacht club and go sailing with others. They really want members, you just have to look presentable and sound keen then make the first move.

Many run sailing courses normally theory during the winter and practical skills during the summer.

Dinghy sailing in the northeast of Scotland

Pete

[savoir]

Walking the docks looking for rides is a great idea. Having a slab of beer under your arm will help enormously.

[barnakiel]

There are many ways into sailing and you must find one that suits you best.

My standing advice for all ocean sailors to be is: learn to sail, VERY WELL, a Laser (or any other one person, easy to flip over dinghy) up first. Then see where it takes you.

Join a sailing club if there is one near you, too.

b.