New to sailing, where to start?

[SkiprJohn]

Originally Posted by NightBl1d3

ArtM,

Thank you very much for that information, I am thoroughly intrigued with the information. I believe you're right, I'm not the type to go out and race/speed my way through the waves. I used to be that person, however I have been taking my time to enjoy life a lot more since having kids. You are correct, I believe I am a cruiser and I would definitely love to sail a two-man boat with a friend enjoying the waves and weather with a drink in hand.

As far as training, I would most certainly be open to taking courses, especially if it will make me a safer sailor. I'm not only looking to protect myself and my investment, but also my family/friends who I happen to bring along.

And in regards to cats, I would love to go out for a sail on one, and we can definitely get together to talk about them and sailing in general. I watched a video of a fellow doing cat tours down in St.John and I fell in love with his boat right away. I do believe that will be my retirement one day.

I will do some research into courses in my area to learn the fundamentals, and will try to log as much learning/sea time with friends as possible.

Thank you!

Good for you. Don't let people talk you into buying or building a sailboat before you know how to sail and the quickest safest way where you don't endanger yourself or others and their boats is to take the very basic sailing course. "Start Sailing Right!" is a great book to start out with if you decide you want to learn some basics. There are many other basic books and more comprehensive books that can be found in any public library.

Another reason I recommend a basic course is if it turns out you don't like sailing you have the option of choosing something else to do without having a lot of time and expense in the build or purchase of a boat you may not enjoy.

Good luck in whatever way you choose to learn to sail and I welcome you aboard.

[OldFrog75]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Another reason I recommend a basic course is if it turns out you don't like sailing you have the option of choosing something else to do without having a lot of time and expense in the build or purchase of a boat you may not enjoy.

+1 what he said...

[Adventurebound]

I have started sailing with a 21 ft trailer sailer. Cheap as chips to maintain and it's sitting near my workshop. Takes me 3 hrs to get it into the water and another 3 hrs back out. I enjoy that time and other boat people come around and some have advice worth listening to. Check the weather trend in Perth-thats why I am here pounding keys and not sailing.

[westwinds]

Chapman Piloting & Seamanship 67th Edition (Chapman Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling) This book is quite comprehensive.

The One-Minute Guide to the Nautical Rules of the Road, A United States Power Sqaudrons Guide. This book explains the rules and I find it easier to remember them with an explanation

Take the American Sailing Association courses 101, 103 104: Advanced Sail Training Courses - Endorsements from American Sailing Association

With these books and classes, I found I knew more than the folks at the little yacht club I belonged to for a year. Cost was $325/year. This gave me a place to store the sailboat on its trailer and I could leave the mast up saving an hour and a half per day getting the mast up the beginning of the day and backdown at the end of the day. If you go with the trailerable sailboat, get one with a keel that has weight in it unless you are sure you can get the boat righted if the sailboat tips over. If you go with a centerboard type where you move from one side of the boat to the other when you change tack or direction, you will eventually have to get it right side up and bail it out if you catch the wind wrong. Centerboard sailboats are smaller than keel boats. There are also sailboats with moveable keels (up and down) that are easy to put on a trailer

You may want to get The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats by Steve Henkel. He describes 360 sailboats under 26 feet. The only problem with his descriptions is he thinks inside volume is everything; however, sailboats a compromise. If you want a sailboat that is good in a storm, his criteria might not be the best.