Hello all,
Been on a sailboat a few times. Although the
fish got an extra meal the second time, I loved both experiences and committed myself to
learning this season. (I immediately bought ginger candy,
oil drops for behind the ears, and those silly wristbands so I would be prepared for the next trip. I'll laugh hard if any of those
work but I wanted to take that path before moving to Bonnie. I'm pretty careful about what I put into my body.)
I've gone to the websites of a few places in Chicago that offer
classes and am really not sure how to compare one against the other except based on
price and other less important factors (e.g., location, parking). I'm considering the
Chicago Sailing - Sailing Rental, Classes, and Charters course because I can ride my bike to the location and not have to worry about parking (which, in Chicago, is a nightmare). But I'd much prefer someone who has experience with taking
classes to help me better decide how I should be approaching my decision. If you have a recommendation in Chicago (or a place I should stay away from based on your experience), I'd welcome the feedback.
What are my goals? Sure, I've dreamed like most others to circumnavigate the globe with my
books, my guitar, and nothing around but
water. (If you heard me play guitar, you'd understand why it's better no one is around.) But navigating Lake Michigan solo with confidence seems like a great short-term goal as I learn the different features and setups of a
boat. (Someone told me that if I can learn to sail in Lake Michigan, with the
wind constantly changing, it will probably be very easy for me to sail the ocean. I find that hard to believe but I don't have knowledge or experience otherwise to challenge it.) From there, I'll try sailing around the US coasts with my medium goal of getting to HI. And, from there... who knows?
I'm also debating putting up a blog to document my steps to learn how to sail, the skills I learned and experiences had while going about it, suggestions for others, etc. However, there seem to be so many sailing blogs out there and I'm not sure if it would be valuable to anyone. Based on all the blogs you've read (especially beginner blogs), do you feel anything is missing from them or wish they had discussed some aspect more?
Thanks in advance for your help and ideas. Long-time lurker on the forum, but didn't register until recently.