SpeedoWarinFrk,
I concur with Dennis.G, capt. bobfm, zydecotoad, sww914, who explicitly stated, and others who hinted, that
learning to sail on a
dinghy is MUCH quicker and more thorough than
learning on a big
boat because you get immediated feedback on your actions: Speed picks up when
sails are trimmed correctly; speed falls off as you turn downwind, etc.
Capsize recovery drills (a key element of
ASA sailing classes) are very difficult on any boat longer than 20 feet (3 meters). That said, there is nothing wrong with
buying a bigger boat ONCE YOU KNOW HOW TO SAIL. Our first boat was a 30 foot
Ericson, which we kept for 20 years. Then we jumped to a 43 foot
catamaran for cruising. Shortly after
buying the
Ericson, we picked up a 9 foot Holder Hawk for the
kids to sail while I was deployed.
Sea Yawl Later makes a good point about meeting people, too. (Post #32)
Your plan to learn on a
dinghy while refitting the
Formosa sounds like the best of both worlds. The best of luck to you.
For Zeehag: Our owner's manual states that our boat (FP
Belize 43 cat) is designed to handle 60 knots of
wind. I do sincerely hope that I NEVER get to test that statement, though. After having sailed down the coast of
Oregon with only 25-30 knots and 12 foot seas, I shudder to think what the ocean would look like in 60 knots, especially after a day or two for the waves to build. The
wind doesn't scare me that much - the waves resulting from those winds can easliy breaks things, though.