Complete Novice

[Marc1t]

Right hear goes!
This I my very first post & hopefully not my last. To all you experienced sailing yacht owners. I am one of those people you see when sitting on your boat strolling up & down the quay with the family in admiration asking myself what that rope does, what's that thingy's for etc etc & wishing I was the one sitting on the boat & not on the quay with the bag of chips!
So, let me first say in sailing a yacht I am a complete novice, apart from in a dingy, I have done very little sailing, but I have reached the time of my life, & now have the time & am more secure when I would like to give it a go & learn how to sail properly. & I am seriously thinking of buying a boat to learn with.
This might seem a giant leap for a beginner, but I'm a know what I want kind of person, a qualified aircraft engineer, very capable of the maintenance & aware of some of the problems I'm likely to encounter.
Obviously I'm not stupid enough to buy any old boat on ebay & sail singlehanded to France on my maiden voyage.& I know most of you will come back & tell me loads about the pitfalls & trepidation of owning & learning to sail a yacht. Which hopefully is what this post is all about.
My first thoughts are to buy a small, maybe around 25ft second hand 4 berth trailer yacht which I could put somewhere close to home & renovate to a seaworthy (or more seaworthy condition). & in the mean time, if this is the best way to go? take sailing courses & qualify to some degree?? with the RYA & interspersed, when my own boat is back in the water in seeking some experienced tuition, in my own boat maybe from a yacht club before venturing out on my own.
I work for a company which has a yacht club/section, & 2 quite large yachts with experienced skipper to learn on. its not always easy to get out due to a long waiting list & a bit clique for me, but it is possible to gain RYA qualifications through them.
These are just my first thoughts & I hope I haven't come across as a complete numpty. I really want to proceed in a responsible manor for everyone's safety,
& would welcome any alternative thoughts, comments, advice, ideas, what type of boat, training I should be looking for etc or anything for the newbie
Many thanks for reading, & I look forward to your comments

 

[Thedreamoneday]

Right hear goes!
This I my very first post & hopefully not my last. To all you experienced sailing yacht owners. I am one of those people you see when sitting on your boat strolling up & down the quay with the family in admiration asking myself what that rope does, what's that thingy's for etc etc & wishing I was the one sitting on the boat & not on the quay with the bag of chips!
So, let me first say in sailing a yacht I am a complete novice, apart from in a dingy, I have done very little sailing, but I have reached the time of my life, & now have the time & am more secure when I would like to give it a go & learn how to sail properly. & I am seriously thinking of buying a boat to learn with.
This might seem a giant leap for a beginner, but I'm a know what I want kind of person, a qualified aircraft engineer, very capable of the maintenance & aware of some of the problems I'm likely to encounter.
Obviously I'm not stupid enough to buy any old boat on ebay & sail singlehanded to France on my maiden voyage.& I know most of you will come back & tell me loads about the pitfalls & trepidation of owning & learning to sail a yacht. Which hopefully is what this post is all about.
My first thoughts are to buy a small, maybe around 25ft second hand 4 berth trailer yacht which I could put somewhere close to home & renovate to a seaworthy (or more seaworthy condition). & in the mean time, if this is the best way to go? take sailing courses & qualify to some degree?? with the RYA & interspersed, when my own boat is back in the water in seeking some experienced tuition, in my own boat maybe from a yacht club before venturing out on my own.
I work for a company which has a yacht club/section, & 2 quite large yachts with experienced skipper to learn on. its not always easy to get out due to a long waiting list & a bit clique for me, but it is possible to gain RYA qualifications through them.
These are just my first thoughts & I hope I haven't come across as a complete numpty. I really want to proceed in a responsible manor for everyone's safety,
& would welcome any alternative thoughts, comments, advice, ideas, what type of boat, training I should be looking for etc or anything for the newbie
Many thanks for reading, & I look forward to your comments

Hi,

I was in the same situation as you 18months ago, I'm now Qualified up to DS level, race on a yacht close to where I live, have my own little Westerly in a marina, booked a two week flotilla holiday which starts on Sunday (excited) and did a full nights sail for the 1st time 2 weeks ago, an I just love it!

For what it's worth, my view is get down to a local club, get yourself on RYA course get yourself a little boat and get out there as every time I go out I learn more and more!

Good luck

 

[fireball]

well - you seem to be thinking about it the right way anyway ...

in more recent times, people would just turn up and buy the biggest boat they could afford then get on and learn from there. That's the problem with easy money and relatively cheap boats I guess...

The way forward depends hugely - time, money and who is involved. You may want to sail, but your family may have other ideas or ideals ... A F6 blast about is great fun for some but a horrifying experience for others.

The RYA courses are a good start though and you'd probably be best doing something like Day Skipper just to see if it's something you want to do. From there (if appropriate) I'd probably suggest doing a flotilla holiday somewhere nice with the family and see how they like it.

We've recently gone full circle - starting out in dinghies, buying yachts, sailing around for a bit, now having sold the yacht and keeping the dinghy. There are bits we miss with yachts, but the option is there to either go back to ownership or charter for a quick fix. The bits we don't miss are the ties and the thought that we need to use the boat as otherwise it's a wasted resource.

 

[johnalison]

Hi and welcome. This sort of question crops up om time to time and invariably results in a multitude of different answers, so here goes.

To sail well requires experience and this means time and lots of it. Whether this is better done under instruction depends on what is available to you, your aptitude and how much money you care to spend. I tend to be sceptical about over reliance on instruction, but it has its uses and can get some people going. Many people, including me, think that there is no substitute for starting small, preferably in dinghies where the behaviour of boats and how the wind operates is more directly experienced.

If you have access to safe water, such as a river or estuary, it is quite possible to buy a small boat of about the size you say, or perhaps a bit smaller, and do a bit of reading and learn on the job, maybe with the help of a friend or two. This will require some nerve and a thick skin when other people would be embarrassed. Most sailing clubs are not cliquey and many are hungry for new members. They can be a rich source of experience and advice and many of us would advise joining one. Crewing for other people will be educational, but will not provide the experience that enable full confidence. There is no mystery or magic about sailing, it is just physics in action.

 

[jac]

Welcome to the madhouse!

As others have said, a combination of time onboard and courses is the best way of developing skills.

From Bracknell, the Solent is just over an hour away and provides a safe (if busy) environment to learn, lots of clubs, boats, schools.

Find a club you like and that welcomes non boat owners, together with a friendly school for some courses. Get a couple of weeks total experience, maybe a theory course then get something small, maybe trailable or able to take a cheap mooring and go do it.

 

[MoodySabre]

I had never sailed until I was 54. Bought a Snapdragon 26. On quiet days get out there, put the sails up, fiddle about and get the hang it. Day Skip theory in the winter at local evening class. Experience builds and confidence grows when it gets a bit gusty or the sea gets up a bit more than last time. Got a Moody 31 and now relaxed about North Sea crossings and coping with weather and seas that would scared me stupid a few years ago.

Don't wait until you think you know everything. Get on with it.

 

[Biggles Wader]

However you choose to progress I would try to make use of your company sailing section.That looks like an opportunity too good to miss.

 

[Marc1t]

Thank you all so much for your replies. Some great advice! Iv always wanted to sail a yacht, & until now it has been out of my reach. but now I want to go for it. Im finding out about my company yacht club, they have 2 Benateau Oceanis 37 yachts to play with & is a recognised RYA training & exam centre, so will be using them as much as possible for the experience & the courses/ qualifications. In the mean time will save hard for my own yacht. please keep the advice & comments coming I am hungry to learn.
Many thanks & I cant wait to be out on the water.

 

[RobF]

Depending on how supple you are, you might want to do a dinghy course first. Being small and light they tend to give instant feedback as to whether you are sailing well. I'm sure there are a few reservoirs near Bracknell. Other than that, try a 'Start Yachting' course which is a taster weekend for yachting and will give you a go at handling and sailing a yacht and is designed for people like you who want to see whether yachting is something they like. As others have said, to become really competent takes a long time.