I want to go sailing.

[MissMustardUK]

Hi and thanks for allowing me join this forum...
I am 63 years young in late October, female, I know very little about the sea and sailing. I have just joined my local (Tees & Hartlepool) yacht club, I have been out sailing (in yacht club races) with a couple of members 4 times in the last 6 weeks on a 38ft race/cruiser, which I really did enjoy. Now I want to know more ! I was supposed to be doing sailing dinghy courses [RYA Dinghy 1 and 2] but because of Covid 19 that is now on hold till next March, duh! Why a dingy you may ask, well start small, there is still plenty to learn from handling a small boat, learn, get more knowledge, then move up. I am looking forward to connecting with and hopefully learning from peoples with a wealth of experiences and knowledge.

Deanna

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Deanna.
There's no better way to learn the basics of sailing, than on a dinghy.

[Ded reckoner]

A small sailboat is great for learning how to sail since there is a lot of tacking and gybing done. I recommend you make it a sloop, so you can get used to managing a main plus a headsail. And, you can practice things like heaving to. When you get up to a big boat and make a passage, it could be you'll set the sails once and never adjust them before bringing them in. You can imagine this makes it difficult to learn much about sailing fundamentals. If you take any sailing classes, within a month of the class, bareboat charter the same boat and go out by yourself, with whatever crew you need, and replicate everything you learned in the class. This will make you much more comfortable bareboat chartering in your favorite vacation spot.

[barnakiel]

Sail, sail, sail, then sail more.


A boat from the club, rented, yours, or, lacking any of the above, stolen. Just sail.


Then read and learn. Sailing is not just being in the boat and getting hit on the head by the boom. It is much more. It is a universe of history, tradition, skill, folklore and technology that can fill up any gaps in your life not already stuffed with other stuff.


Welcome to the forum,
barnakiel

[TrentePieds]

Welcome to the forum, Deanna :-)

In understand that Tees and Hartlepool is a most versatile club with quite a variety of boats available. I learned to sail in Danish waters back in King Arfur's time. In the Scowegian Juniorbåd which is basically a 3/4 scale version of the Folkebåd of which there are many in the UK.

Dinghy sailing is, however, what sharpens the skills. I've taught many a uni-student on Jack Holt's famous Enterprise Dinghy which he designed the very year before I arrived on the shores of this 'ere colony. The Enterprise is obsolete now, but I still lust after the Enterprise's contemporary, the Wayfarer, which was designed by Ian Proctor. The Wayfarer is a smidge longer than the Enterprise and wears a spinnaker.

Both Holt and Proctor were southerners, of course, but we can forgive them that in light of the fine dinghies they designed.

Since T&HYC has such a versatile and varied fleet, I hope you'll take full advantage of it! Do go cruising by all means, but for thrills there is nothing like riding the trapeze of a well-handled dinghy :-). I've never been in a 707 but they look like fun. They are clearly a wonderful intermediary twixt the dinghies of old and the modern cruising/racing boat.

All the best to you, and do let's know how you get on.

TrentePieds

[Marathon1150]

Greetings and welcome. I also learned to sail in an Enterprise and believe that learning to sail in a dinghy provides skills and abilities that are easy to translate to larger boats but can for some, be more difficult to learn on a keel boat. During forty subsequent years of sailing the Enterprise (and Lasers) we bought increasingly bigger and more complicated keel boats. As some friends say - more strings to pull but otherwise its all the same thing, on a keel boat compared to a dinghy. We managed to cross the Pacific last year to Tahiti and when that part of the world opens up again will we continue our explorations.

To move from dinghy's to keel boats, we did several "cruise and learn" holidays which involved chartering a boat and hiring a skipper to teach us the important details. Then lots of reading and talking with other sailors continued to fill in the gaps. For me, learning more is often as interesting as the actual sailing. And sailing is quite magical and I never tire of it.

[Heathenly Twins]

Hi Deanna

You sure live in a good country for aspiring sailors! So many good boats to choose from should you decide to buy. Hope your learning process goes well

[Cpt Mark]

Welcome and great plan. All of the world class sailors started out in dinks. I learned on a 28' mono how to sail in classes but didn't really learn to sail until I discovered Lasers. Fast, fun, unforgiving. You make a mistake you'll know it quick because you'll be in the water next to your capsized boat. I don't know about you but I learned real fast what not to do to avoid that scenario. LOL Another great option is fun races. Here in the U.S. they are called beer can races. Boats of all sizes go out once a week. Sometimes you can go multiple times as different clubs have different races on different days. The secret to getting on one of these boats is to be friendly, honest, willing to do anything, learn and most importantly, show up for every race/practice on time. When people know they can count on you when the weather sucks as well as when it's great you'll be part of the regular crew. You don't need to know a lot. Once they get to know you you'll get the opportunity to learn as much as you want.

As Ded Reckoner said, once you can take a boat out on your own, do it. Invite other sailors and non-sailors. The best way to learn something, truly learn it, is to teach someone else.

Enjoy!

[MissMustardUK]

Hi and thank you to the peoples that replied to my very first sailing type thread, I have to say I am somewhat overwhelmed by the response. Thank you thank you.

I look forward to many more threads in the future,

Deanna

[Stu Jackson]

Welcome to our merry little band. You have a great attitude, have fun. Look forward to hearing about your continued successes.

[bartsbutt]

hi there Deanna
shame you don't live in my neck of the woods as I sail solo and would willingly let you sail with me
good luck in your search