Best way to start boating

[oldbloke]

The first place to look would be the "Crewing Opportunities " section of this forum.
Most yacht clubs will have a crew wanted/ available section on their website however most are for members and you would have to join first to be able to log on. At my own yacht club (not in your target area) I know there is a constant need for sane, companionable but not necessarily highly experienced bodies.
I think you would need to highlight the yacht clubs in your target area and phone or email them.

 

[KompetentKrew]

When did you start sailing?
Did you go from zero experience to singlehanding?
Have you ever had a problem that as a novice it would have been quite stressful to solve on your own? A fouled prop, a broken autopilot on a long trip, trying to pick up a mooring in F6+ with loads or other boats around, having to change the impellor with no wind and lots of traffic around…

I started learning to sail in 2018, then bought my boat about 12 months later.

I dedicated quite a bit of time to learning to sail, and got 80 or 90 days on board (including long passages) in that first year, but also I was lazy about learning and remained a plonker when I got my own boat; I made a tonne of mistakes, some of them expensive.

I think Day Skipper is quite a suitable qualification for day sailing a 20" or 25' boat around the south coast (and most mistakes made on a boat of this size will be cheaper). Keep your boat at Gosport or somewhere and be back before night, or sail down to Weymouth and stay overnight.

In the comment I replied to you suggested that you think it's easier to singlehand a motorboat - those can get a fouled prop too, and I guess changing the impeller or picking up a buoy is the same with either sailboat or mobo. I have singlehanded a couple of passages of about 6 hours with a broken autopilot and I agree it's undesirable and tiresome.

I feel like the concerns you're pointing out are amongst the inevitables of boating - things are going to happen sometime, but you can't prepare for everything and you just have to get on with it and deal with what's thrown at you when it does come.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Thank you! Would you know any clubs that I can do that please? I have found clubs but mainly for boat sharing rather than crewing.

I found www.PhoenixYachtClub.co.uk very good.

The first place to look would be the "Crewing Opportunities " section of this forum.

I've not checked this in years, but I didn't find this helpful when I was learning to sail.

There are some crew offered / wanted groups on Facebook which are quite active. I got a couple of international trips from the Solent ones.

 

[Hot Property]

Hi all,

I have been gradually drawn towards the sea and boats and that attraction is growing stronger perhaps due to mid life crisis

The last 14 months I have done a comp crew, a few of weekends of mile builders and I have booked my powerboat level 2 training for November. I'm leaning towards a motor boat as the sailing ideally requires at least another person to know what they are doing while a small mb could be easier managed by a person.

Buying a boat is more like a dream when I retire and I can use it enough days to justify the spend.

Are boat clubs the best way to build my experience and also see if the sea bug is here to stay or it will go away ?

I live 25 mins east of Oxford and the easier marina for me to get to is Shamrock quay in Southampton but I cannot find any boat clubs close to this area.

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

I'm on the Hamble so if you are looking for boating buddies then I'm up for showing you the Solent

My brother has just moved down to Warsash and keeps his cuddy at the same boatyard.

I've had cuddies, sports cruisers ribs and now back to a 20 ft cuddy.

Can be trailered by an average car too.

I also help organise a rally for sports boats at MDL Torquay which is the second bank holiday in May.

PM me if you are interested.

Here's the website with details:-

https://www.swsbr.co.uk/registration-2026.html

It doesn't work on a mobile for some reason so laptop or PC.

Our Facebook page is

Log into Facebook

 

[DownWest]

I am a bit leary about relying on things like autopilots. Back in 79 we we drove a new 32ft twin outdrive mobo from Vilamoura to Gib, the AP had a nasty habit of suddenly going full over to port. So, needed a helmsperson full time to disengage and correct, esp since the weather was a bit challenging.
On the way back, we wandered up the Guadalquivere to Sevilla for a week. This was November, so a bit chilly, natch, the heating was also tricky. Had to manually sort the relays to keep us warm..
Also engine hassles, so the boat was returned to the dealer.

My little micro cruiser, just coming out of the 'boatshop' (shed around the back) Has no such bits. I do have a tiller pilot, but the design has a rep for tracking well without.

Oh, it was a Coronet, so not cheap> We expected it to work, not so.

 

[ylop]

I started learning to sail in 2018, then bought my boat about 12 months later.

I dedicated quite a bit of time to learning to sail, and got 80 or 90 days on board (including long passages) in that first year, but also I was lazy about learning and remained a plonker when I got my own boat; I made a tonne of mistakes, some of them expensive.

Yea, so you got 90 days of experience before you single handed but think someone who has just done comp crew (didn’t say if that was even CC sail!) should have no problems singlehanding…

I think Day Skipper is quite a suitable qualification for day sailing a 20" or 25' boat around the south coast (and most mistakes made on a boat of this size will be cheaper).

I don’t disagree but DS is not usually targeted at Singlehanded sailing. If someone told me they were going to go from zero to singlehanded sailing I would suggest that after DS a weekend with an instructor who is experienced SH’er would be worthwhile to master the bits where usually a crew come in handy.

In the comment I replied to you suggested that you think it's easier to singlehand a motorboat -

No I didn’t read post 5 again. I was suggesting it’s easier to singlehand a small boat where everything is in reach and the method of propulsion was not important.

those can get a fouled prop too, and I guess changing the impeller or picking up a buoy is the same with either sailboat or mobo.
I have singlehanded a couple of passages of about 6 hours with a broken autopilot and I agree it's undesirable and tiresome.

I feel like the concerns you're pointing out are amongst the inevitables of boating - things are going to happen sometime, but you can't prepare for everything and you just have to get on with it and deal with what's thrown at you when it does come.

That was essentially my point (although I don’t necessarily agree they are inevitable) - but when the shit hits the fan there are a couple of things which help a lot: 1. Experience; 2. An extra pair of hands (even if that’s just someone else to work the radio or pass you a spanner).

The bigger the boat the greater the chance you need to be physically in two places at once. IMHO 30ft is a size that for lots of fairly routine things needs quite a bit of experience to handle alone.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Yea, so you got 90 days of experience before you single handed but think someone who has just done comp crew (didn’t say if that was even CC sail!) should have no problems singlehanding…

I bought a 40' boat and sailed off into the wide blue yonder. I sailed from NL to UK with the previous owner of my boat and visited unfamiliar harbours alone in my first year of boat ownership. I've only ever returned to a familiar port on a couple of occasions now.

I think someone with a freshly minted Day Skipper would be fine with singlehanding a smaller boat, say 20' - 25", in familiar waters. Yes, someone more experienced on hand is preferred for the fist couple of trips, but I think they'll then be fine going out day sailing from Gosport or Southampton in fine weather, force 4 or 5. At some point they're going to feel ready to go out in a stronger breeze.

No I didn’t read post 5 again.

Sorry, I thought I was replying to OP. The only thing I intended to address was the thrust of the comment with which they opened this thread, "I'm leaning towards a motor boat as the sailing ideally requires at least another person to know what they are doing while a small mb could be easier managed by one person."

 

[Little Ricky]

Hi all,

I have been gradually drawn towards the sea and boats and that attraction is growing stronger perhaps due to mid life crisis

The last 14 months I have done a comp crew, a few of weekends of mile builders and I have booked my powerboat level 2 training for November. I'm leaning towards a motor boat as the sailing ideally requires at least another person to know what they are doing while a small mb could be easier managed by a person.

Buying a boat is more like a dream when I retire and I can use it enough days to justify the spend.

Are boat clubs the best way to build my experience and also see if the sea bug is here to stay or it will go away ?

I live 25 mins east of Oxford and the easier marina for me to get to is Shamrock quay in Southampton but I cannot find any boat clubs close to this area.

Thanks for your help and suggestions!

I did my level 2 in Sept and the sea was choppy as hell, so in November you might find yourself in big seas and feeling a little queasy.

 

[jon and michie]

I first did my Powerboat 2 and Vhf courses - The first giving a basic understanding the 2nd in my opinion vital if anything went wrong.
do as much research on which type of boat you want - set yourself a realistic budget - my first boat cost me 40k but I added an extra 10k as a back up to allow for insurance, Marina fee, fuel, servicing and anything un expected for the first year - and that got me going without a hitch.