Complete novice in need of advice

onesea said:
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.
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I know him, he's alright!

He's started racing recently so hoping he doesn't change into one of these racing types Paddingtonbear seems to meet everywhere (Brighton)..... :-)

If the OP lives in north Kent a membership at Medway Yacht Club would be a good place to start looking for crewing opportunities. I joined 5 years ago and knew absolutely no one there to start and now have many decent sailing mates there including Chrisbitz.
 
I started off just as you are about to! I went along to an open day at a sailing club in the Solent, great day out, and got a taster of dinghy sailing to a small degree.
I then joined a sailing club that has an RYA school attached and learnt to sail in dinghies, got wet a few times in the process! but brilliant fun, learnt so much.
After a couple of years I then went onto do my Comp crew (some may argue why as I'd been sailing dinghies, I felt for me it was the correct thing to do), I then went onto do day skipper Theory and Practical, had a week mileage builder sailing to France, learnt loads more!. Just completed my Coastal skipper Theory and Practical and bought my own boat last year. I'm now learning all about it. This Forum is a fantastic place to get ideas, help and to have a laugh etc.
My advice to you for what it's worth would be to take up Chrisbitz very generous offer and have some time with him, if you like it join a club as so many have stated, you'll learn loads and have fun in the process. (joining a club is not expensive, it surprised me how cheap it was!) Then if you like it, progress to doing the big stuff.
Do come and post your findings, we would love to hear back from you. All the very best
 
Russ the Diver said:
After a couple of years I then went onto do my Comp crew (some may argue why as I'd been sailing dinghies, I felt for me it was the correct thing to do), I then went onto do day skipper Theory and Practical, had a week mileage builder sailing to France, learnt loads more!
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Doing competent crew is a great way to spend 5 days on a boat when you're starting out. I'm surprised so many people miss this course out before presenting themselves for dayskipper or even coastal. Guessing it's a male ego thing.

Assumed pre course knowledge for comp crew is zero, so no pressure to be able to do anything and you get the rest of the week to get your bearings and enjoy the experience.

The only problem is when someone has presented themselves for day skipper without any miles/experience and you're effectively their crew. You should be able to learn from these 'more experienced' people, not teach them how to tie knots and show them how clutches and winches work....

Same with the shore based navigation class. I'm assuming most of us would read the book before we go?

Day one of our course bloke at the back 'I don't understand, what's a degree?'. Patient explanation by instructor for 30 minutes .... 'I don't get it.' Later on.... 'My boat does 25 knots why do I need to worry about tide?'.....well it effects the sea state and more importantly the depth of the water........'I don't get it.'

Locally to the OP you have Elite sailing based in Chatham, they've been going for years and the instructors and owner are nice guys, no connection just completed courses in the past and see them around in all weathers. Or Chris can show you some of his magic!
 
xyachtdave said:
Doing competent crew is a great way to spend 5 days on a boat when you're starting out. I'm surprised so many people miss this course out before presenting themselves for dayskipper or even coastal. Guessing it's a male ego thing.

Assumed pre course knowledge for comp crew is zero, so no pressure to be able to do anything and you get the rest of the week to get your bearings and enjoy the experience.

The only problem is when someone has presented themselves for day skipper without any miles/experience and you're effectively their crew. You should be able to learn from these 'more experienced' people, not teach them how to tie knots and show them how clutches and winches work....

Same with the shore based navigation class. I'm assuming most of us would read the book before we go?

Day one of our course bloke at the back 'I don't understand, what's a degree?'. Patient explanation by instructor for 30 minutes .... 'I don't get it.' Later on.... 'My boat does 25 knots why do I need to worry about tide?'.....well it effects the sea state and more importantly the depth of the water........'I don't get it.'

Locally to the OP you have Elite sailing based in Chatham, they've been going for years and the instructors and owner are nice guys, no connection just completed courses in the past and see them around in all weathers. Or Chris can show you some of his magic!
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Baffaling!!

I had a similar situation on my DS theory, one of the guys asked what's port & starboard?!!!

+1 about comp crew, you can take your time and watch without the pressures of actually doing.
 
Thanks again everyone. Lots of great info. I like the idea of keeping a little pocket book to note down the handy things I learn. Learning lots on this forum already keep finding myself loosing track of time whilst reading anything from "toilets" to to the "best route to holland" lol all of which I've found really rather interesting.. I will have to find out my work schedule before I can get to see Chrisbitz but will deffo be going as soon as possible, I'm actually living in ashford at the moment so went for a drive yesterday for a look around rye harbour, noticed they had a sailing club but couldn't see anyone a round for a chat.
I also popped into a place that offers dinghy sailing rya courses and had a chat, really friendly guys and explained what they do and offer, so am also thinking of having ago there as well as it's local and if I enjoyed it would be very easy to pop down there after work for a sailing fix lol
Many thanks
Steve
 
Hi all. Just thought I'd give you all an update..
Well this past weekend I went and completed my level 1 start sailing, in a dinghy. And I absolutely loved it! Such a thrill, first day was rather windy. I capsized within 5 minutes but slowly started getting the hang of it and by day 2 our little group was racing round a triangle :) sadly the wind died off in the afternoon but can't have everything I suppose. The place where I did the course where brilliant, really friendly and relaxed.. I need to brush up on my theory side of things I could remember the points of sail as fractions but struggled with the names. Was a lot of info to take in. Anyone recommend good books or are the rya sufficient? I've yet to meet up with Chris but hopefully soon are schedules will allow this.
As for now I'm unsure what to do.. The original plan was to get into yacht sailing and I've noticed they do similar courses for yachts.. However the temptation to buy a second hand dinghy just to get back out there in the mean time keeps popping up.. Ether way I feel rather hooked lol
Many thanks
Steve
 
Take your time but if the right dinghy pops up at the right price, do not turn it down.

Ask advise of course but if you have storage for it and a way to transport it to affordable water to use its fun just being afloat as you have discovered. I would not rush out into owning a bigger boat so easily but depending on your budget you should pick up a plastic tub on trailer for 3-400 pounds.

Not all will be suitable but a few questions on here will soon help and answer lots of questions you never thought to ask...
 
Good to hear from you and that you have a good day out. So often we get someone like you looking for advice and they never post again.

Cheap small dinghy at a local club is the way I would go. Something that is raced there will always resell.

Get some time in on the water.

Resist the temptation to upgrade just sail the snot out of what you got for a while. Do a RYA competent crew course this will give you some time on a bigger boat and you will get a chance to make up your mind what direction to go.

Virtually every great racing sailor started in dinghies. What you learn transfers to big boats if you decide to go that way.
 
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Nothing quite like having your own boat, even a small dinghy. Get something vaguely popular, and in ok condition and you can easily sell in year or two when you become clearer on what you want to do. If planning on sailing outside the safety net of sailing club rescue boats then buy something more solid and sedate to minimise the risk of capsize.

My 2p.

Keep going with the courses, either dinghy or yacht. Buy the dinghy, try and get together with chris and if you like yacht sailing, join a yacht club and offer yourself as crew. Someone who can genuinely sail a dinghy is one step above a total beginner but there are a lot of differences and new skills to learn.

Some dinghy clubs will have an offshore section as well where members will charter a boat somewhere. Maybe another good way to get some big boat experience with friends who can sail.
 
Thanks for advice. I think I'm going to find some water and get a dinghy. Read a few books etc and practise and then decide where to go from there. Maybe more dinghy courses or as TQA suggests a competent crew course, after that I maybe useful to people and be handy to have aboard a bit more!
As for dinghies a lot of the water round here (rye/Sussex)is old quarry pits or of course the coast (which I don't fancy just yet) I quite like the look of a "topper" just wondered on your guys opinions on these and also I saw this and thought it was awfully cheap and local but can't find much info on them.

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=331245304169

Thanks in advance
Steve
 
Stevem099 said:
I quite like the look of a "topper" just wondered on your guys opinions on these and also I saw this and thought it was awfully cheap and local but can't find much info on them.
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Toppers are great, but arguably best for kids as they are quite small. A laser is very similar but bigger - also great fun. There is a very active racing scene.
 
Any of these types of dinghy are liable to be rough if they are cheap. They all have "standard" issues which you can find out about by visiting their association websites or just type "Topper dinghy problems" into Google.
Old sails aren't too much of a problem but holes and leaks in the hulls are. Also beware of assuming that replacement parts will be fairly cheap. Rudder assemblies for Toppers are about £200 for instance.
 
Ah yes I've just had a look at spares prices for toppers! Suddenly the cheaper ones don't seem as cheap if there missing bits! The boat I was in this weekend was a laser pico. Which seemed a nice size and manageable weight (could haul it up bank myself) anyone have an opinion on ebay link? Also I don't mind doing a bit of work on one to make it usable my house mate is into hovercraft racing so is quite a dab hand at fibreglass repairs.
Cheers
Steve
 
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Well I think that Express looks a little cracker for single handed or crewed starter.

Combi Trailer so wheels do not get wet if the price does not start leaping up to much and the amount you pay you can afford to loose why not. It will not be a forever boat you will be restricted to handicap racing (probably). It will give you a taste of sailing at affordable rate as long as you can store launch and sail at reasonable cost.

You do not need to rush out and buy this one something similar might well be along before long. Although I still think she would be a sensible starter...

Take someone who knows about these things along for your viewing and have cash in your pocket you would be amazed at what happens...

Just remember do not spend allot on it as you will be buying something else within 18 months as you will have a better idea of what you want.
 
Stevem099 said:
Ah yes I've just had a look at spares prices for toppers! Suddenly the cheaper ones don't seem as cheap if there missing bits! The boat I was in this weekend was a laser pico. Which seemed a nice size and manageable weight (could haul it up bank myself) anyone have an opinion on ebay link? Also I don't mind doing a bit of work on one to make it usable my house mate is into hovercraft racing so is quite a dab hand at fibreglass repairs.
Cheers
Steve
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Unfortunately, they aren't made of fibreglass; some kind of thermoplastic I think...
 
lpdsn said:
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.
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I think that being shouted at for some inevitable elementary mistake is not something for the complete novice, or anybody, IMHO:)
 
Hi all,
Thought I'd give you another update, today I managed to meet up with Chrisbitz at Medway sailing club. Had a fantastic day, firstly I'd like to thank him again, top bloke,really friendly and laid back Even when I was asking stupid questions or shrieking in sheer panic the first time the boat really lent over in the wind :D..so for that I definitely owe him a few more beers :) I really learnt alot, and got to meet a few other forum members who all where very welcoming and chatty!
All in all a great day and great first experience of a sailing club. After being on a bigger boat now I think this is much more the route I'd like to go down over dinghies,
Thanks again to everyone I met today.
As usual since coming home I've thought of a million other questions to ask! One which springs to mind is can anyone recommend any worth a read sailing books?
Cheers Steve
 
Assuming you mean to learn from, you could do a lot worse than start with the RYA books for competent crew and day skipper theory - even day skipper practical if you want.

Usual style of the RYA books is lots of pictures/ diagrams and these are the same. Don't bother with anything specialist yet and many "other " books can be a bit dated / americanised so start with the basics, get some more practice in and have fun.
 
Stevem099 said:
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?
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I do not wish to appear nasty, but to be honest, if you cannot afford to go on a course you cannot afford a yacht
that means that if you want your own boat a dinghy is more likely to be within your range
As others have said join a sailing club. Do not buy a dinghy until you have crewed on a few. Just because a mate at work has a "nice" dinghy going cheap does not mean it will be right for you.
Find out what others at the club are sailing & it is often best to get the same sort
Dinghy sailors will always stop to help those with the same class of dinghy as it keeps their class going. It also helps with getting you accepted in a club as those with similar boats will talk to you
What you should not do is go out & buy some old dog dinghy & sail about on a pond on your own
You will soon be fed up

The other alternative is to find some cruiser owners looking for crew. I think the tendency here is for racers to want crews. That once again means joining a club (a yacht club rather than a dinghy club) & pushing yourself forward.
Some forumites will turn their noses up at racers but you will learn far quicker on a racing yacht than a cruising one
Also a club that does weekend racing means that crews turn up at 08-00 hours on a sunday morning, race for a few hours then go home at 15-00 hours having had some intensive sailing & a few beers afterwards. You quickly become part of a team & make friends
Furthermore that sort of sailing means you can adjust your timetable to get lots of sailing in. ie you can plan every sunday well in advance

Sailing now & again with a cruising type will mean erratic timetable, lots of cancelled trips ( bit windy today, got to take the mother in law to the vets, let's not go etc etc) , late returns home etc & because cruisers tend to try to sail the easy route you do not get forced to try the "difficult" bits so often.
A racing boat has to gybe here tack there, sail in that direction, put up the spinnaker, go in any weather etc etc so you are forced to learn quicker
 
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