as you get better.........

[powerskipper]

And your confidence grows
Do you

go out in weather that a few years ago you would not have?

you know when not to go out as you have seen it with the conditions forecast and did not like it.


you plan loads of trip venturing further a Field to unknown water more.




But how long does it take to get to this stage.


1 season, 2 or 3 or 4. how long did it take for you?

I am asked this question quite a lot and the only answer I can give is "you will know when you are ready"

 

[Mirelle]

Sooner or later you misjudge it

and get clobbered by an ordinary summer gale, thanks to being clever with the forecast and/or bored with waiting for a slant and/or in a rush to get home at the end of the holiday.

Then you are OK for a bit until the next time.

 

[graham]

I dont think there is an answer to this question ,it all depends on the individual ,do they thrive on a challenge or prefer the old familiar places?

I know people who have been sailing very competently for decades but rarely venture outside their comfort zone of familiar harbours in settled weather.

At the other end of the scale I know people who have sailed to Ireland and onto the med within a few years of moving up from sailing dinghys.

 

[longjohnsadler]

Well IMHO

You've got to push it a little bit or you never learn.
Thing is, the forecast is never 100% so you need to have a plan B, C etc.
But you can't learn it from a book or totally rely on someone else.
Bit like life really. Quite a lot of common sense.
I love these philosophical questions...

 

[VicMallows]

Well, after many years of the 'tough luck; vacation time was booked 6 months ago' and even worse the 'have to be back for 9am Monday' scenario ..... I for one now wait for decent forecasts. But I guess I do at least KNOW that I don't like it in particularly nasty conditions.

Vic

 

[duncan]

go out in company on trips that others have done but are new to you; ideally wher the other craft is more seaworthy (ducks) too so that you can have the confidence to offload your crew to relative luxury if conditions become less than pleasant.

 

[Koeketiene]

Very much up to the individual I think.

When we bought Yanita I was the only one in the family who could sail - Mrs Yanita & the children had never set foot aboard a yacht. First trip was a cross channel crossing; just us and Murphy (everything that could go wrong, did go wrong).

The "in at the deep end" approach worked for us. Four years later the family is a well oiled machine, everyone knows what to do, and can do eachothers job. AND they do it the way I taught them. After 4 years of repairing the boat in various places along the Channel, we're crossing Biscay to Spain this summer and the Atlantic next year (or the one after that).

 

[Sammo]

Julie

3 golden rules

(1) Never go with your delivery skipper – them boys go whatever the weather.

(2) Never join a 1 month cruise for just the last week.- hardened crew

(3) Never scare the wife – stick to F5 or less - unless you prefer gardening.

Im sure there`s more

.................

 

[starboard]

You may get better but you will never stop learning!!! Enjoy the good times and learn from the bad times.

Paul.

 

[LittleShip]

It takes one rough trip to learn not to go out and that the pub is lots more comfortable /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[snowleopard]

if the weather is bad, stay in port - there's always another day.

keep a pile of books on board

sail south, not north

i don't do rough, wet or cold any more

 

[pragmatist]

[ QUOTE ]
i don't do rough, wet or cold any more

[/ QUOTE ]

Is that after the delivery in Longbow ? /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif or just becos you're down-under enjoying the sunshine ? (Norfolk 5 inches of snow today)

 

[kingfisher]

You are always at that stage!

At the start of my sailing career, crossing the Westerschelde from Terneuzen to Flushing was a big trip into the unknown.

Then doing it in an F4 was considered by me as heavy weather sailing.

Now I cross the channel in an F8 and think of that as heavy weather sailing, and a night time enty into Tréguier is taking too many risk, but going for it.

 

[Matrosen]

At the boatyard in the south of France, where I bought my boat, the yard owner told me the story of two years before when an elderly couple (early seventies) came and told him they wanted to by a boat from him but which would be suitable for them as they had never done any sailing. He had suggested that perhaps they should get a little experience before they bought but, no, they were adament that they would buy one now (they said that they were to old to waste anymore time!) and anyway they had read many books on the subject! Eventually he sold them a boat (I don't knew what make, but an AWB).
Ten weeks later he had a post card from South America telling him that they had had a wonderful trip over and they were off through the Panama Canal!