New sailor

[popeye777]

Hello everyone . This is my first post . I am planning on buying a boat and learning to sail this winter . It is a life long dream of mine ! Does anyone have any suggestion for me on how I should beat start this adventure . Thanks in advance Popeye


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[Don C L]

Well, welcome to the club! It will help if you could tell us your experience so far and your preferences when it comes to sailing. Don't worry if you have no experience and no preferences. I think it just helps us to gauge the advice the more we know about you. Also, where are you sailing? I can only say in my own case I started sailing El Toros and Lasers in high school, and then later bought a Columbia 24, which I thought was HUGE at the time. She turned out to be a great little cruiser for me off the Santa Barbara coast here in Cal. I actually lived aboard her off and on while I was going to college. I never took lessons. Had that boat for 10 years. Then I went and got a real job, years went by, and then I finally was back in a place where I could be a yacht owner again, and it is great.There is part of me that wants to race on big catamarans and another side of me that wants a bigger, heavier, slower, classic "bluewater" boat...

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Popeye.

[lesterbutch]

My advice is buy the boat you ultimately want to sail. You can learn on a big one just as well as on a little one. Just always remember, its not a car, maneuver slowly! When you think your going in slow, slow down some more. You. An recover from a wrong action when your going slow not necessarily so when your going a bit too fast!
Good luck and enjoy yourself

[h20]

Good for you! We did it. Bought an O'day 35 a year ago and doing great!
Read, practice, learn. The day we got the boat I hired a guy and his girl, for $100 bucks from Graigs list, to help us sail to Marathon. By the time we got here, we could sail. It is easy and all the fear we had, vanished.
Most important is be safe. If sailing single hand, don't use auto pilot untill you know you will not fall off! Also we sailed for a year no further than 10 miles off shore. The first few months about 1 to 3 miles out. Buying the boat. After learning and reading in here, we did ok. Now we have bought some more sailboats and are fixing them up. Keep in mind what things cost to fix. I got a good deal on the ODAY, but knew I would have to make chain plates and do the rigging. I did it with some great freinds in boot key marathon florida (for search engine) and saved some money. Of course don't sweat the small stuff. Have a good Engine, I like a keal stepped mast. Some must have a protected rudder, some are ok without. It's all easy stuff to learn. Just read about the pitfalls. PEOPLE SAY~ it's a lot of work. I SAY, so what! beats working out in a freaken gym with air con!
Ya, the boat life you have to move your body around. It is good for you! Still to this day I simply love the dinghy ride to our boat. It is not for all, but it may be for you. Another good thing, if you are around a bunch of BS, you can just sail to the next town! Of course Boot Key is one of the best. (sorry freinds, they won't all come!) Have fun Good luck! Boot key, Dan and Lupe

Originally Posted by popeye777

Hello everyone . This is my first post . I am planning on buying a boat and learning to sail this winter . It is a life long dream of mine ! Does anyone have any suggestion for me on how I should beat start this adventure . Thanks in advance Popeye


Sent from my iPhone using Cruisers Sailing Forum

[jangann]

Take a look at some ASA or USSail schools, or local sailing clubs.

Most people start small, to make small mistakes. Dinghy sailing is a great way to learn the essentials. You will see cause and effect very quickly, and can then apply this to larger boats.

I also recommend getting on OPBs. Other people's boats. Buy a pair of sailing gloves, go to your local yacht club on race day, and ask if anyone needs rail meat. Then sit on a rail if a boat for a season, you'll learn a lot and become accepted. Eventually you'll graduate to grinding winches and foredeck work. And delivering boats to race sites! Hang with the crew after the race for beers and listen to their analysis. I hate racing but have to admit I learn a lot when I do this.

Read, read, read.

Learning to sail is a life's work, so just get started!

And yes, giving us more specifics will help us help you.


An Ocean Lover in Maine.