Best/Safest Way to Gain Experience

croc9968 said:
Certainly from the discussion so far, there are many ways to approach this ....my overriding focus is safety (for others, for me) and experience/formal training certainly makes you more safe. I will do my DS but I think the advice from many of you that I learn from others and then put into practice what I've learnt on my boat is possibly a good way to go. Small steps; learning from others; practice myself; bigger steps; practice myself and so forth......I don't have an issue with dinghy sailing and there are certainly some advantages to having a go....In the meantime, during isolation, I have been reading Reeds (and others) and it has been an excellent knowledge base. I've also been taking the time to learn more about my boat, the servicing of the engine, electrics, plumbing......there are so many aspects to this......great fun though and I think the bug has bitten deeply
Click to expand...
Personally I would not necessarily do all the courses in sequence.
I would get the immediate help I need and map out a long term path to YM Offshore.

If you have a wife/partner you intend to sail with, it's worth investing in training for them though.
 
Croc, I see you put your location as Seaham. I've just looked at it on the map and if that is where you keep your boat then you have a challenge finding places to sail to.
I don't know the area but it looks like Hartlepool is your only day sail destination, otherwise a lot of your experience will be 'out and back' day trips. This will be good to get you started and it looks like you have a basin where you could practice anchoring.
It would be worth trying to make some contacts down at Hartlepool so that when you feel that you are ready, you could get someone from there to accompany you on a weekend sail to Hartlepool.
To gain more experience of other Ports I think your best option is to find others in different Ports to crew for.
 
Starting and stopping are worth about 50 miles each.
Also the significant practice of preparing for sea and arriving mean you understand why the theory is so important.

You get to handle the boat at close quarters and understand what you can persuade your boat to do. Boats are feminine and show that at every turn.

Make yourself some boat rules. That's about what your take is on lifejackets, the point at which you will not go to sea, when you will seek shelter and whether you or the crew consume alcohol under way.

I always ask myself how my justification for an action would sound or be treated at a public enquiry.

Do the theory course. It's like learning to read. All those squiggles on the chart start to make sense. Also the almanac stops seeming to be written in a secret code. It prepares you!

Oh and go sailing.

My first sail as 'the captain' was out of Cardiff in the Bristol Channel. Where a large sign in the cavernous lock says " It is the captain's decision to put to sea" Truly puckering moment.
 
LadyInBed said:
Croc, I see you put your location as Seaham. I've just looked at it on the map and if that is where you keep your boat then you have a challenge finding places to sail to.
I don't know the area but it looks like Hartlepool is your only day sail destination, otherwise a lot of your experience will be 'out and back' day trips. This will be good to get you started and it looks like you have a basin where you could practice anchoring.
It would be worth trying to make some contacts down at Hartlepool so that when you feel that you are ready, you could get someone from there to accompany you on a weekend sail to Hartlepool.
To gain more experience of other Ports I think your best option is to find others in different Ports to crew for.
Click to expand...

A great point...Seaham is behind a tidal gate +/- 3 hrs HW so my sailing time is restricted and so, it would be Sunderland and Hartlepool. Any further south and the majority of places dry out....although I am led to believe that this is a fairly safe area to sail (and certainly not as busy as the Solent where I did my CC)..The marina itself is tight, pontoons are narrow...tricky for novices
 
I'm no expert but learnt loads from crewing on various boats racing around the cans on a Sunday morning.
Its really interesting seeing how different people skipper and manage crew. I found this just as interesting as seeing the different sailing styles.
 
jwilson said:
And how many regard accidental gybes as not just possible but inevitable.
Click to expand...

Really? Does anyone here, notably we upstart interlopers who started sailing later in life and have only done minimal dinghy sailing regard accidental gybes as inevitable? I think this may be one of those "tsk...people today..." type beliefs. A crash gybe on a big yacht won't just dump you in the water, it can kill people and do an awful lot of very expensive damage which is maybe why I am painfully aware of what is going on with the wind, the sea state and who is in the helm when sailing near a run and especially by the lee. I suspect dinghy sailing encourages pushing things to the limit whereas outside of top flight racing, leaving a respectful margin of error for safety is more appropriate in a big yacht.

Do they teach you the dos and dont's of preventers in dinghy sailing?
 
Last edited:
Without wanting to hijack my own thread, what is pleasing to me (purely from a selfish self gratification point of view lol) is that no one has actually criticised me for buying a 30ft boat with so little experience of sailing....am I to take this as a stamp of approval for taking this approach to getting into sailing? For those with more experience of different types of boats, is the Maxi fairly forgiving.?
 
I'd learn the layout of the area where your keep the boat by doing some day sails in less than say 12- 15 knots of wind, until you know where you are at a glance and don't have to ponce about 'navigating'.

Next, sail these now familiar waters in more breeze, to say a proper F6. You can now learn to handle the boat in some weather without worrying about where you are.

Once you've done this, go out in the dark and see if you can find your way about.

You'll master this quite quickly, next pick a destination you've not been to before, plot a course and sail there in the day in decent weather.

Keep at it and you'll be salty in no time.

I'd also suggest not overloading the boat with complicated electronics and safety gear and the other tut the chandlers peddle, make sure the engine works, rig and sails are good and enjoy yourself.
 
croc9968 said:
Without wanting to hijack my own thread, what is pleasing to me (purely from a selfish self gratification point of view lol) is that no one has actually criticised me for buying a 30ft boat with so little experience of sailing....am I to take this as a stamp of approval for taking this approach to getting into sailing? For those with more experience of different types of boats, is the Maxi fairly forgiving.?
Click to expand...
Good boat, follow XYDave's plan of action and you'll be ok. I started with a 36ft boat and my mate 45ft, he's been all over the place now and very competent!
 
xyachtdave said:
I'd learn the layout of the area where your keep the boat by doing some day sails in less than say 12- 15 knots of wind, until you know where you are at a glance and don't have to ponce about 'navigating'.

Next, sail these now familiar waters in more breeze, to say a proper F6. You can now learn to handle the boat in some weather without worrying about where you are.

Once you've done this, go out in the dark and see if you can find your way about.

You'll master this quite quickly, next pick a destination you've not been to before, plot a course and sail there in the day in decent weather.

Keep at it and you'll be salty in no time.

I'd also suggest not overloading the boat with complicated electronics and safety gear and the other tut the chandlers peddle, make sure the engine works, rig and sails are good and enjoy yourself.
Click to expand...

I think that was literally what the previous owner did......the boat is minimally equipped and was used extensively as a day sailor
 
croc9968 said:
what is pleasing to me (purely from a selfish self gratification point of view lol) is that no one has actually criticised me for buying a 30ft boat with so little experience of sailing....am I to take this as a stamp of approval for taking this approach to getting into sailing?
Click to expand...

This is the PBO forum so I suspect no-one is going to challenge me if I say that understanding boat systems and maintenance is a safety-critical skill you never realise the importance of until you own your own boat. Robert Redford didn't learn to fix the hole in the side of that boat from an RYA course. I had a bunch of bits of paper and sea miles when I bought my first boat but fixing up that boat and maintaining it immeasurably upped my game. Mucking about with electronics, epoxy, rigging, plumbing, steering, whatever when you're not out sailing will make you safer and more competent faster. Also, by a cruel twist of fate, the best way to get invited to sail with other people is to have a boat yourself.
 
croc9968 said:
Without wanting to hijack my own thread, what is pleasing to me (purely from a selfish self gratification point of view lol) is that no one has actually criticised me for buying a 30ft boat with so little experience of sailing....am I to take this as a stamp of approval for taking this approach to getting into sailing? For those with more experience of different types of boats, is the Maxi fairly forgiving.?
Click to expand...

I am sure the boat will be fine, it will teach you more than any course. Save the cash to spend on the boat and avoid the hearty bores that can abound in outdoor training. It's a win, win job. The theory stuff you have tackled is well worth it, though.

As someone said, don't underestimate day sailing it can be as testing as many passages. Mind though, the hours may not count in your logbook unless you stop overnight.
.
 
Pick nice weather, no strong winds, and sail your own boat, and bring a friend - it's a fin and spade so should handle easily. Don`t know where you sail but watch out for tides.

Go for it - nothing beats the feeling of leaving your berth for the first time on your own boat - forget about mile building, get confident and just potter, varying the conditions until you are confident to do that first longer passage.

People charter every year with the same experience as you. Good luck!!!
 
Baggywrinkle said:
Pick nice weather, no strong winds, and sail your own boat, and bring a friend - it's a fin and spade so should handle easily. Don`t know where you sail but watch out for tides.

Go for it - nothing beats the feeling of leaving your berth for the first time on your own boat - forget about mile building, get confident and just potter, varying the conditions until you are confident to do that first longer passage.

People charter every year with the same experience as you. Good luck!!!
Click to expand...
Need a DS/ICC to charter surely.
 
croc9968 said:
Without wanting to hijack my own thread, what is pleasing to me (purely from a selfish self gratification point of view lol) is that no one has actually criticised me for buying a 30ft boat with so little experience of sailing....am I to take this as a stamp of approval for taking this approach to getting into sailing? For those with more experience of different types of boats, is the Maxi fairly forgiving.?
Click to expand...
I reckon its a brilliant idea. Why sail any other boat for a while when you've got your own? Good plan to get some help to start with. then find some friends and get going. Then family.

Hope you enjoy it all!
 
Sharky34 said:
Need a DS/ICC to charter surely.
Click to expand...

I was quite shocked at the leniency in Croatia when I bought my boat there ..... RYA shorebased courses qualify you to charter.

In accordance with Article 4 Paragraph 3 of The Ordinance on Boats and Yachts (Official Gazette No. 27/05, 57/06, 80/07, 3/08 and 18/09) certificates issued by the competent authorities of other states that have concluded bilateral Memorandum of Understanding with Croatian Administration are recognized for operating Croatian flag boats and yachts as in the table below

.....

69. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Royal Yachting Association (RYA) Day Skipper Shorebased Certificate competence to operate:

- boats used for private purposes,
- bareboat chartered boats,
- yachts used for private purposes up to 30 GT,
- bareboat chartered yachts up to 30 GT,

in internal waters and territorial sea of the Republic of Croatia and waters accessible from the sea, under the condition of holding an appropriate national or foreign certificate for operating radio station if there is a radio-telephone VHF station or a GMDSS-VHF station on the boat or yacht.
Click to expand...

Page 29 of this document issued by the Croatian maritime authority.

https://mmpi.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/MORE/More 7_19/TABLICA_ENG_srpanj2019 5-7_19.pdf
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top