Greetings
Your never to old to learn to sail, first of all learn the basics of boat handing. First with a small
keel boat for stability rather than a small 2 man
dinghy where if you get it wrong you will get wet ( I hope you can swim) �� Look around for
training centre or sailing club that offer formal
training. When I started at 38 I read all the
books and thought I understood what I was doing, the first and second time out I capsized, I then went to a sailing club that offered RYA training the first twenty minutes were theory and explaining what we were about to do on the
water. Then I went with the instructor who demonstrated tacking around two bouys traveling across the
wind on a beam reach.
Learning to read the
wind is so important and remember it's not fixed it constantly changes and therefore to get the best from your boat you have to constantly adjust your
sails.
Learning in a small two man boat you have many things to think about,
helm, main sheet, direction, wind angle, wind strength and watching what other boats are doing. If your on a big boat with 5 or more crew you may have only one job to do and you may end up sitting on the rail as movable ballast, in this case you don't learn as quickly. Once you have the basics offer to crew for others on different boats, as you gain experience and understanding of boats you will understand what sort of boat you want to suit your local conditions and the type of sailing you want to do.
I don't recommend trying to learn in high winds 5 to 10 knt is fine to learn.
If you learn in a boat with a low boom wear a cycle helmet getting hit by the boom can spoil your day.
Have fun enjoy,
racing or cruising it's a great sport.
New to site want to learn to sail
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