What got you into sailing

[Cadence]

Grew up on smudge pots. A friend, an ex boss, bought a house and a Piver came with it. Launched it down his ramp piddled around solo for a couple of days on St Helena Sound and I was hooked. He gave me a good price since he had a go fast boat and no interest in sailing. My tale of being hooked.

[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by Cadence

Grew up on smudge pots. ..........
..............

We burned "smudge pots" to keep the frost off the fruit. You sailed them?

[alexanick]

Weather or not being a Scorpio (water sign), has anything to do with it, I've always loved boats.
Doodling in class, I would draw boats(motor). In 1980, a friend of a roomate came over one Sunday to take her sailing. When he arrived he asked if I would like to go. I was hooked for life.

"You can teach a man how to sail, but you can't teach him why"

[W3GAC]

My story is abt same as tkiethllu (sp). But I was first 'sailor' in family with sunfish in Rehobeth Bay Delaware. I'm free! I'm free! Is what I felt and liked. Out there on Bay from 10a to 4p 3-4 data a week. Then Dad got a 21' open sailboat. Then older brother with with 16' hobbie. I was his ballast in the trapeze! Got wrapped around the mast a few times... what fun!
Zoom forward.. worked my way through U of Delaware Engineering School as Summer replacement on Getty Oil Co stretch T2 tanks. Brother ended up in Navy in Caribbean and when got out was manager of Mooring on Tortola. Guess who got to deliver the sold boats back to US. Wife and I now have 46' and have lived on it more than a year three different places. Out on it now...


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[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

We burned "smudge pots" to keep the frost off the fruit. You sailed them?

Just a term for power boats. Found it hard to use them near the oranges.

[Mr B]

When I finished my Apprentice ship, I worked my way around Australia,
Standing between the Bungle Bungles and the Kimberlys with a car a wife and two little kids,

I decided then, I want to go by boat around the Kimberlys, Only access is by boat or helicopter, 1000 miles of coast, with very little on it, Pristine beaches all the way,

After many years of motor boats, Speed boats, ski boats, Fishing boats,
My mate who I skied with, Snow, said to me would you like to go out on my 14 foot hobby cat, I have never sailed, some thing new, Give it a go,
So we got his hobby cat and took it down to the local lake, Put it in the water and went sailing, He showed me how it worked, The little tell tales that showed the wind on the sails, Etc Etc,
After an hour or two, He wanted to go surf board sailing, so he did and left me to sail his Hoby cat,
That lasted all day, We did that twice, I sailed, He sailed his sail board,
Then a local in the paper had a 14 foot Paper tiger for sale, Cheap,

So I bought that and over a 3 year period, when the wind was howling, I would take my Paper tiger down and go sailing in it,
I could Rig it, put it in the water and take it out and derig it on my own,
I thought it was fun when the nose dug in and I was 10 feet up flying thru the air, I learnt to right it by myself, I learnt not to sail it up the bank, completely out of the water on the grass, I was still learning,Hahahaha,
I had to repair holes in it a few times,
But I did manage to make it go where I wanted it too, no matter which way the wind was blowing,
Then I was getting close to retiring, the Kimberlys was back on the agenda,
Now how can I do that, Motor boats are too expensive to run thousands of miles, especially a big one I can live on,
Bingo, A sail boat, I have been on a few big tourist type yachts and Cats, But a mono is not suitable, I want to park on the beach and not fall on the side,
mono's fall over, There are not many mono's here with the twin keels that dont fall over,
So a Multi would do the trick for me,
Its also got a very shallow draught which I needed,
So I looked all around Australia for a Cat to do the job,

I could buy one here, But I would not have any money left to live on,
So then I got on the Internet and found two I liked,
Both Identical, with the same equiptment on them, All the bells and whistles, Etc, Enclosed cockpits which I needed for the cold here,

Only problem, One is in San Diego, One in Fiji, Hmmmmmmm,
Keeping in mind I cant sail for ****, Hahahaha
I am pretty versatile and very capable, But sailing a vessel from San Diego to OZ, 12000 miles for my first Ocean voyage, Its a bit much even for me,
Fiji, Is only 1800 miles, I can do that, I think,

Shipping it to OZ is too expensive, Sailing it isnt,
So I did my home work very thoroughly, Customs, Import regs, Etc Etc,
Yep. I can do this,
So at my expense, I had the boat dragged out of the water and had it surveyed by the top surveyor in Fiji,
With the express condition I wanted to sail it too Australia, and I didnt want it to sink halfway,
The PO bought it brand new, Trucked it across America to Morro Bay,
He had a captain sail it to Tonga, Hawai, Tonga, New Caledonia Fiji, Bundaberg Australia,
It had been on a swing mooring for five years in Fiji, He lived on it full time,
Its a Gemini 105 MC, Catamaran,
The deal was, He would stay and teach me how to sail it for a week,
We had a crash course in sailing it and learning all the systems on it, I didnt even know how to turn any thing on,
Rank Novice here, Hahahaha,
After sailing it around Fiji for a day and a half, he took off for Hawai, Good thing Im a quick learner,
But I did have the basics, and I had books and spares for every thing on board,
So I sailed it around Fiji for six weeks learning all the time,

Then I had to put up the mainsail, I had not even had the covers off it, Whhoaaaaaaa,
The Boom has four ropes hanging out if it, Bloody hell, what are all these ropes and what do they do, I had no idea,
I managed to figure most of it out and got the mainsail up and working,
Over to the bar and sundowners every night asking what does this do and what does that do, How does that work,
I kept them entertained with all my dumb questions, But they helped me with out giving me a bum steer or ridicule, I learn fast,

Six weeks later, Its time to face reality, Can I sail it to OZ myself or hire a Captain to sail it for me and learn on the way.
I dont have an Ego when my neck is on the line, And my neck is on the line here,
Yes, I can die if I stuff it up,
Yes, I think I am competant and have learned enough to sail it myself,
Because of a stuff up by the customs bloke in Fiji, I didnt get back to the boat till about 5-00 in the afternoon,
So I pulled the anchor up, a metre at a time, It was very Very Very heavy, Only the second time I have lifted the anchor, The first time was easy, I finally would the anchor chain around the mast winder for the mainsail to try and lift the anchor,
When the anchor came up in sight it had this very thick cable on it, Fishing boat cable that had been discarded, I kicked that off, Pulled the anchor up totally and secured it,

I sailed out of Fiji in the dark, Very hair raising sailing in unknown waters trusting in electronic gizzmo's That I dont know how to work properly or if they are accurate,
Sailing out a gap in the reef, into the Ocean,
Was bloody scary, I could see the lights in the distance, but not knowing if the gap was wide enough or deep enough, I am in 64 feet of water, But at the edge of the reef, who knows, I certainly dont.
Spot light and hanging out the side, I finally passed out of the reef and was in 12000 feet of water, Safety for me,
Set a bit of Genoa, Dropped the drive leg for the motor, and headed north,
Then when I thought I had a clear and safe track, and the Autopilot was set,
I promptly collapsed in bed, I was buggared,

The next morning I woke, No land in any direction, The Reality set in, Im on my own this time,
Have I bitten off more than I can handle,

Well Im here, so get down to business and get myself home,

Australia is about 1800 miles that way, Across three Oceans, and about six reefs,

Im now a Sailor, Whether I can sail or not,

We were all learners once,

This is how I got into sailing, Dont try this at home folks, Im just a crazy, hahahahaha

[Teknishn]

Why I go into sailing? Gravitation is the best way to put it. Grew up in Louisiana skulking about the bayous and swamps in pirogues as a young man. Joined the US Navy and spent the better part of my 20-year career sailing around the world on big-ass steel ships. Own 4 boats during that period of my life (2 power, 2 sail). So, can't not be on the water.....I just gravitate from one form of vessel to the next.

[CREX]

Learned to scuba dive at 15 by saving my money from doing jobs around the neighborhood. Went into construction and then sales, then bought a run about. Decided I needed the open water, It was to cool and interesting so I traded my sales job for a sailboat.

[astokel]

I guess it was about 40 years ago. One of my clients was having me print negatives for a sail magazine. One weekend he invited me on his boat. There was a fair breeze that day and we had a marvelous sail. We anchored in a pretty spot and my host made a marvelous supper in the galley. We topped it off with some good wine and a toddy of rum. I fell asleep to the gentle motion of the waves. I was hooked.

The next time I crewed we had 3 metre waves and an ugly wind. We found a gunk hole and stayed for 4 days until we were out of food and the seas were calm.

Never mind, I was hooked.

[Sea Dreaming]

Ive always wanted to sail but really had no knowledge of how to get there.
Being from a land locked state and having a non boating family, I was utterly clueless.

Then one day I was on a date with a guy on a motorcycle. We went into the mountains and passed a lake where there was a lone sail boat. The date pulled over the side of the road as we passed the lake and asked me "what do you want to do?"
I pointed to the sail boat and said "that is what I really want to do". The date was not a keeper. About 6 weeks later I had a date with someone I met on an internet dating site. I knew immediately he was a keeper. We got along perfectly. Just 2 days later, at his house, I go into the bathroom and there is a photo ofbthe lone sail boat I has seen from the back of the motorcycle. Same lake, same sails with a blue stripe.
"Hey," I said, "is this your boat? Were you out at the lake July 4th?" Yes and Yes!
Jim then handed me a book by the Pardys. "Read this and tell me what you think?"

6 years and three sail boats later we are still together. In September we will be off to start outfitting our Cheoy Lee!

[SV Sailfish]

My Dad threw me in a Sabot when I was 7. Learned my skills on San Francisco Bay. He told me "you better learn quick cause that water is cold".

He was right. It was.

Freedom, peace and self reliance.

[barnakiel]

I was forced to learn sailing as a kid.

Over time I started enjoying it. Sailing, not being forced.

b.

[Capt Phil]

Found a sunk 12 foot sailing skiff off Spanish Banks in Vancouver around 1951-2. No mast, no sails and half full of sand. Emptied it out, found a heavy piece of doweling about 10 feet long and went to the library and read about rigging. Took one of my mm's bed sheets and cut out a sail with a pair of garden shears, swiped a ball of twine from a neighbor's shed and I was in business. Was at least a year before I knew what a centerboard was but there was a trunk built into the skiff to accept one. Kept it hidden in the bushes at Spanish Banks for over a year until some bastard found it and stole it from me. But it was magic enough to get me hooked! Phil

[jacktheflyer]

Having been a glider pilot most of my life, I got tired of the hot dusty fly ridden airfields and a friend took me sailing on his cruiser. There is something about using the elements to get somewhere. Now I have a boat of my own and during a recent sail refit I found the attraction wasn't there just to go motor boating.

Scrubby

[vjm]

I bought Skipper Bob's book about living aboard and crusing the ICW back when I thought that was what I wanted to do. There was a section on "What boat to buy?" And it said something like "If you want to travel anywhere you like and that includes places more than a tank full of fuel away, you want a sailboat!" and there was this little illustration of a sailboat ripping along. I kept coming back to that page for a year, then looked on yachtworld for sailboats. That was it. Done, hooked. Once I realized you could travel the world and bring your home with you I never looked back. Took ten years to get to boat ownership, but it has been worth every minute so far.