Complete novice in need of advice

[Stevem099]

Hi, my names Steve. Firstly great forum some interesting reads. (Of what I could understand )
I live in kent uk and am just after a little bit of advice, I'd like to start learning to sail, but have never had much to do with boats I've been on a narrow boat and that's about it ..
What I'd really like to experience is sailing at sea, I've seen a few courses offered but there quite a lot of money for me to maybe get on board and discover it's really not for me, what would be the best option for just experiencing sailing?
Also I've seen a few places I could try sailing a dinghy in lakes would this be a good route to go down and work up to tuition on bigger yachts and the sea?
Many thanks In advance
Steve

 

[Lakesailor]

Hi Steve. Join a club. Make yourself known and be upfront about wanting experience. You'll no doubt get some offers of a sail here and there.
The same may apply to learning to sail a dinghy, which is never time wasted.
I agree with you about "real" training being a bit expensive if you aren't even sure it's for you.

 

[Searush]

Dinghy sailing & sailing a yacht are similar in principle, but miles apart in reality.

Dinghies are fast responding, lively & often wet. If you make a mistake in a dinghy you are likely to not be in it for long. You need balance & awareness of the wind as well as sailing skills. But anything you learn in a dinghy will help you with sailing a yacht. You could get or build a cheap dinghy for 1-200 quid & play about on a lake until you can sail or get fed up. If you do this at least get a buoyancy aid & read the Ladybird book of sailing or similar to get the general idea. I guess there must be some u-tube videos on the general principles as well. Best of all, if you can team up with someone else who can sail you'll soon pick it up.

Yachts are a lot heavier & slower to react, very unlikely to capsize but can still be wet! You have more time to think, but usually have a lot more to think about such as charts, tides, navigation marks, big boats etc etc. Yachts can cost from a few hundred to a few million, but that is only a small part of the outlay, you will need a mooring (or at least a decent car & large trailer for a smaller boat - even then there are charges for launching & mooring while afloat) Then you will need charts, safety gear and annual maintenance, so running costs can easily be £500pa upwards.

Suddenly a sailing course may not seem quite so expensive, especially as you get professional teaching. But I initially learnt to sail with the Sea Scouts & bought my first dinghy for £100. Some people have just bought a boat & taught themselves, but not all succeed. Think about what sort of sailing you'd like to do & join an appropriate club near where you live & give it a try. Some clubs actually do "learn to sail" sessions & even "try a boat" days.

 

[Pords]

Hi Steve. Bought my boat 4 years ago and new nothing about sailing. Joined a sailing club and Haven't looked back since. Wealth of experience always on hand and willing to give advice if you choose to ask. Learned a lot of things the hard way whilst out and about, but I like hands on and getting out as much as possible which works for me. Single handed mostly which I prefer, not that I'm a loner, but I believe this has benefited me in my competence and confidence when sailing. I'm located in kent and can point you in the direction of some good clubs on the medway river.
Good luck.

 

[bitbaltic]

Agree with all previous advice. Re. Learning on yachts versus dinghies, I'd like to add that the hardest way into sailing is yachting without courses beforehand. The way in which even a modest yacht will power up and require strong handling in a strong breeze can be very intimidating for people learning to sail- I have just been out tonight with a novice crew in the Oresund and seen exactly that with F6/7 winds. Of course there are plenty of people who prove exceptions to the rule but I would say if budget is tight, take lessons on or buy a dinghy; if you are definitely wanting to sail big boats, bite the bullet and get structured tuition (Rya, club or mates) first.

Cheers

 

[Tam Lin]

All the sailing clubs round this way are holding open days where you can go out on the water. This would be an ideal way to see different boats and it is free! Well at least until you join a club!

 

[chrisbitz]

If you can get to Upnor on the Medway one weekend, I can show you round Medway Yacht club, and then maybe take you out for a sail?...

I was the same as you about 2 years ago, and bought an 18ft micro challenger trailer sailer, and figured out sailing by watching videos, making friends and asking questions here...

 

[jac]

Lots of places will do open days / try a boat events.

A way off yet but the Southampton boat show also usually does them and are free. Those will usually limit you to an hour or two though but good to get a feel. Chrisbitz has made a generous offer which is worth exploring.

If you do try sailing and like it a little, then options are really:
Buy something small and cheap and learn yourself
Join a club and see if other members will take you out
Go on courses

Many places do a try sailing course which is just 1 weekend and can be combined with other weekend courses spread over 3 weekends to get you to competent crew status. The 1 weekend course may be a good compromise after doing a try a boat type event as you're not committing to 5 days on board and using up a good chunk of annual leave.

 

[onesea]

My suggestion No 1: Go meet chrisbitz,

I know nothing about him. Best start you can get, hes not even committing you to step afloat so you can always as they say in the papers make your excuses and leave .

I would try dinghies and yachts, they are different but what you learn on one will help you understand the other. Then decide what you want to do and how to achieve that in your budget, if you do it right it need not be that expensive...

Sailing is a bit like walking some race, some plod, some climb mountains, others keep to the flat. Lets go for a walk like lets go for a sail can mean so many different things...

 

[chrisbitz]

My suggestion no 1 go meet chrisbitz, I know nothing about him.

HEY!

Do you mean "no one", or "number 1"?

 

[Stevem099]

Thank you all for the in depth replies. A lot of really helpful advice there.i think this weekend I shall go down to local water sports/ sailing centre and have a chat about the dinghies, and I'd definitely like to accept chrisbitz generous offer so let me know when's best suitable for you or pm me contact details and I'll be there thanks again everyone I shall keep you updated and sure I'll be a regular on here if I enjoy it, asking many many many questions
Cheers Steve

 

[CreakyDecks]

Thank you all for the in depth replies. A lot of really helpful advice there.i think this weekend I shall go down to local water sports/ sailing centre and have a chat about the dinghies

Remember that they are likely to be a commercial operation and likely to be more interested in selling you something while helping you!
The best advice above (as a relative newcomer to sailing myself) is join a club. As mentioned, most clubs have open days around this time of year. The biggest secret in sailing, that no outsider would appreciate, is how often a lot of people with boats actually WANT someone to sail with them! To crew you don't need to know anything, just pull the blue rope when you are told to! So getting in someone else's boat, when you are a club member, is the easiest thing in the world - and it's free

 

[pmagowan]

Sailing doesn't have to be complicated and it is a lot simpler than most people think. I think the biggest problem is fear especially of being in control. The way to overcome this is to get some experience and I think what others have advised is correct. Remember that it will take a while before you are comfortable but all the scary things disappear as you get used to it. Read a few books, join someone like chrisblitz, join a club, get out in a dingy. You will have more and more fun until you can't stop yourself buying a boat.

 

[onesea]

Sailing doesn't have to be complicated and it is a lot simpler than most people think.

+1

 

[oldbilbo]

Thank you all for the in depth replies. A lot of really helpful advice there.i think this weekend I shall go down to local water sports/ sailing centre and have a chat about the dinghies, and I'd definitely like to accept chrisbitz generous offer so let me know when's best suitable for you or pm me contact details and I'll be there thanks again everyone I shall keep you updated and sure I'll be a regular on here if I enjoy it, asking many many many questions
Cheers Steve

Oh, dear. It sounds like you have 'the disease'. Please be aware there is no known cure.....

Of course, you're very welcome here, as everyone will tell you, and there are many, many ways of doing sailing. Finding out what you really like and what you're less exercised about can take some time and a range of different experiences. While I'd certainly encourage you to take in some structured training, I'd counsel you to leave that until you really know that 'there's no way out' and you're committed..... and what to! That could be dinghy racing ( dozens of classes/types ), dinghy cruising ( hair-shirt masochists like me ), warm water cruising ( flotilla hols are a good start ), cold water cruising ( around the UK ), even inshore racing once you've learned to be useful ( that doesn't stop one from being shouted at by the skipper/owner, but awareness that you're making a positive contribution helps dull the angst at not being First every time ).

Everyone but everyone on 'ere started rather like you - as a starter - and persevered until a few useful simple skills made one into someone that skipper/owners phoned up 'for next weekend'. So, everytime someone takes you out, ask them to teach you 'just one thing'..... and keep a private diary/logbook of stuff you learned - the good with the not-so-good. It's remarkable how quickly that will fill up, and as your knowledge and understanding grows, so your thirst for more will grow.

I'd counsel you NOT to spend serious money on 'stuff' at first, but do get yourself a couple of drybags - those from Aldi/Lidl are ideal - to keep your cheap sleeping bag, change of sox, etc., fit for use. If you're going to stay overnight on board anywhere, a cheap headtorch is v. useful. All the rest can wait.....

Must stop now. Otherwise, I'll be rabbiting on for the next week.....

Enjoi! And let's here from you re how you get on....

 

[lpdsn]

Thank you all for the in depth replies. A lot of really helpful advice there.i think this weekend I shall go down to local water sports/ sailing centre and have a chat about the dinghies...

Another idea to try is to get on a racer. There's almost always room for one more. Easiest place is the Solent, but there'll be club racing somewhere near you.

Be completely honest upfront about your experience.

The great advantage of racing is it'll take away a lot of the fear factor. Most boats will go out in a broader range of conditions than the average cruiser, and once you see that the rest of the crew are unfazed you'll take it all in your stride.

 

[Paddingtonbear]

Another idea to try is to get on a racer. There's almost always room for one more. Easiest place is the Solent, but there'll be club racing somewhere near you.

Be completely honest upfront about your experience.

The great advantage of racing is it'll take away a lot of the fear factor. Most boats will go out in a broader range of conditions than the average cruiser, and once you see that the rest of the crew are unfazed you'll take it all in your stride.

I know that this will start world war 3 but this is surely the worst of advice. Racers are generally arrogant, falsely macho idiots who think that they always know better than anyone else and almost never do or at least this is my experience of those in Brighton. A few years ago I attended an RNLI lifejacket clinic at the yacht club and a junior member of racing crew brought their lifejackets in for examination (after much hurrumphing by the skipper). Of the 13 he brought 8 were rejected as u/s. most lacked cylinders or they were seriously rusty and some even had holes in the bladders, these it transpired were taken from the marina skip 2 days previously and given to temporary crew members. Now I know that most on here come from the LIbby Purvis school of boating and think that any form or safety is for wimps inc. involving the RNLI but surely this attitude is more likely to put off a new recruit.

 

[Ripster]

This is not my experience at all. I have joined a few different crews over the last year or so as a novice racer and been treated really well. Perhaps I have been lucky but if you are upfront about your status listen and are willing to learn racing is a great way to gain knowledge. It's the advice I was given and it worked for me. Race crews will demonstrate how a yacht does work not just talk about it. Either that or get yourself on one of the "requests for crew" that do appear on here. Also join a club too. Have fun!

I know that this will start world war 3 but this is surely the worst of advice. Racers are generally arrogant, falsely macho idiots who think that they always know better than anyone else and almost never do or at least this is my experience of those in Brighton. A few years ago I attended an RNLI lifejacket clinic at the yacht club and a junior member of racing crew brought their lifejackets in for examination (after much hurrumphing by the skipper). Of the 13 he brought 8 were rejected as u/s. most lacked cylinders or they were seriously rusty and some even had holes in the bladders, these it transpired were taken from the marina skip 2 days previously and given to temporary crew members. Now I know that most on here come from the LIbby Purvis school of boating and think that any form or safety is for wimps inc. involving the RNLI but surely this attitude is more likely to put off a new recruit.

 

[chrisbitz]

I know that this will start world war 3 but this is surely the worst of advice. Racers are generally arrogant, falsely macho idiots who think that they always know better .

It's not going to start world war 3. But it is a lazy generalisation. SOME racers are idiots, just like some people with wooden boats are old sea dogs with white beards, and some forum posters are opinionated dumbasses...

But it's unnecessary to state such nonsense as bare fact.

 

[Thedreamoneday]

Hi, my names Steve. Firstly great forum some interesting reads. (Of what I could understand )
I live in kent uk and am just after a little bit of advice, I'd like to start learning to sail, but have never had much to do with boats I've been on a narrow boat and that's about it ..
What I'd really like to experience is sailing at sea, I've seen a few courses offered but there quite a lot of money for me to maybe get on board and discover it's really not for me, what would be the best option for just experiencing sailing?
Also I've seen a few places I could try sailing a dinghy in lakes would this be a good route to go down and work up to tuition on bigger yachts and the sea?
Many thanks In advance
Steve

Hi Steve,

I was in the same position as you 10 months ago, BEWARE it's addictive . You can make it as cheap or expensive as you wish, I'd certainly recommend joining a club, joining in and asking lots of what you think are silly questions, they're not, it's all part of the journey everyone has gone through, I'm asking them pretty much every day but if I look back the amount I learnt over these 10 months, it's huge!

I'm in a fortunate position to own an old small boat an a little Dinghy, they're both different but I think complement each other which has been great for me on my steep learning curve, I'd also recommend once you get the bug to consider the RYA courses which will give you some great experience.

My initial view for you though is to take up the very kind offer of going out, if you find yourself grinning from ear to ear (as I do) then join a club and get down there as often as you can doing anything you can.

Enjoy, its Brilliant!