Decisions

[akronbranch]

Hi All

Would like to hear your views on the following

I have decided i would like to sail more my experience is limited to sailing a dinghy a few times and crewing a friends boat a handful of times,both of these options means i have to rely on other people to take me sailing and as i work a rolling shift system i am often at work on weekends with my days off during the week.

my heart says get a 24"+ yacht that i could go further afield in but am aware of my limited experience

My Head says buy a wayfarer dinghy and gain experience whilst crewing as much as poss an a larger boat.

So should i do my day skippers and go for it or do get a dinghy and wait

your views and personal experiences would be much appreciated

Cheers

Akron branch

 

[CaptainBob]

Get the bigger boat. They're easier to sale than a dinghy and you can spend the night aboard. Look at a Westerly Centaur. I started in one - my first ever boat - with no sailing experience at all - and haven't looked back. Go for it!!

 

[Seajet]

It doesn't need to be as relatively big, expensive and unresponsive as a Centaur !

Lots of good boats around 20-25', though you may well need one which can take to the mud on a half tide mooring ?

 

[alahol2]

I would say go with your head.
The outlay on a dinghy is far less than with a yacht. There are far fewer 'extras' you have to think about (mooring, winter storage, equipment etc). Maintenance is far less. Dinghy experience is invaluable in a yacht. Crewing on bigger boats gives you a much better idea of what to look for when you come to buy a yacht, it also gives you more experience in handling a bigger boat. No reason not to do your dayskipper.
Will you be singlehanded or with family/friends?

 

[V1701]

If you take things easy, start off going out in gentle conditions, etc. there's no logical reason not to have a "bigger" boat. My first boat after a couple of weeks crewing was 30ft, first few times went out with experienced crew but wasn't long before I started going singlehanded. I did my DS a bit further down the line...

 

[jwilson]

Hi All

Would like to hear your views on the following

I have decided i would like to sail more my experience is limited to sailing a dinghy a few times and crewing a friends boat a handful of times,both of these options means i have to rely on other people to take me sailing and as i work a rolling shift system i am often at work on weekends with my days off during the week.

my heart says get a 24"+ yacht that i could go further afield in but am aware of my limited experience

My Head says buy a wayfarer dinghy and gain experience whilst crewing as much as poss an a larger boat.

So should i do my day skippers and go for it or do get a dinghy and wait

your views and personal experiences would be much appreciated

Cheers

Akron branch

If you want to sail well start with a dinghy, and even better do it at a club where there is some not too serious racing. When you are no longer in the last 5 out of 20 racing you can sail anything. In this country dinghies mean wetsuits, but they are fairly cheap.

As others have said, a bigger boat is in many ways easier, but you won't learn sail trim and efficient sailing half as quickly as in a dinghy, and the lighter and faster the dinghy (within reason) the more fun it will be and the better it will teach you to sail.

Wayfarer a good boat, but bloody heavy ashore.

 

[akronbranch]

I would say go with your head.
The outlay on a dinghy is far less than with a yacht. There are far fewer 'extras' you have to think about (mooring, winter storage, equipment etc). Maintenance is far less. Dinghy experience is invaluable in a yacht. Crewing on bigger boats gives you a much better idea of what to look for when you come to buy a yacht, it also gives you more experience in handling a bigger boat. No reason not to do your dayskipper.
Will you be singlehanded or with family/friends?

it will be a bit of both mainly my son/daughter and friends as the misses don't like boats almost to the point that some people do not like flying.

 

[akronbranch]

If you want to sail well start with a dinghy, and even better do it at a club where there is some not too serious racing. When you are no longer in the last 5 out of 20 racing you can sail anything. In this country dinghies mean wetsuits, but they are fairly cheap.

As others have said, a bigger boat is in many ways easier, but you won't learn sail trim and efficient sailing half as quickly as in a dinghy, and the lighter and faster the dinghy (within reason) the more fun it will be and the better it will teach you to sail.

Wayfarer a good boat, but bloody heavy ashore.

I do Have a busy year next year so maybe a dinghy for a year as i doubt i will get many trips out longer than i day and use it to learn the basics of sail trim etc.

what else would you suggest other than a wayfarer

 

[Seajet]

Or if you want a seaworthy, responsive boat which is happy drying out on mud;

www.anderson22class.co.uk

 

[blackbeard]

Hi All

Would like to hear your views on the following

I have decided i would like to sail more my experience is limited to sailing a dinghy a few times and crewing a friends boat a handful of times,both of these options means i have to rely on other people to take me sailing and as i work a rolling shift system i am often at work on weekends with my days off during the week.

....
Cheers

Akron branch

Not an either/or, there are many possibilities. Consider:

I used to sail with a club which owned a beautiful old classic yacht. Each voyage had an experienced and qualified skipper, mate, watch leader, deckhand - plus anyone who wanted to come along! Cost about £35/day plus food plus an annual membership fee, MUCH cheaper than owning a boat. Strong emphasis on training and a good learning experience. Some voyages offshore or ocean. Many such clubs, some with new boats.

Another way to get experience - sail in a flotilla. They tell me that someone with your experience will probably be made skipper as you will already know more than anyone else on the boat (I do not guarantee this)! Anyway, it should be fun in the sunshine.

You do NOT need to own a boat (of any description) to do a Day Skipper course.

While a crew is not absolutely essential it (sorry, she/he) is very helpful, both in a small yacht and in a large dinghy such as a Wayfarer. In particular, going off as a novice in a yacht single-handed, especially in crowded waters, will be an informative and character-forming experience. Some would call it a crash course (especially if you have to return to a pontoon, a buoy is easier).

Some dinghies are designed for single-handed use and could be what you want, but some tend to be a bit racy. Remember that if you go off in a dinghy mid-week you have NO safety cover so you will, for instance, need to be confident you can right a capsize. On the other hand, bumps bashes and groundings tend to be less serious in a dinghy.

Someone is about to post saying that what you really need is a Drascombe / Cornish Shrimper or whatever. I have no experience of these but they sound fun (if pricey for what they are).

Join a club with a crew list. Find a skipper who seems capable and sensible. If he shouts at you find a different skipper. If you find a good skipper remember to buy her/him a pint/ meal ashore occasionally.

Do not part with much money until you have found out what your requirements are.

Do NOT, repeat DO NOT, buy a tatty boat as a project - it will be expensive in the long run. Leave that to someone who knows what he is doing and what the costs are.

And HAVE FUN.

 

[duncan99210]

Don't fret about not having much experience. FWIW I did some dinghy sailing in my youth, some cruising with the Army over the years and not much else until we decided to sail away when I retired. You will find that a yacht is a much more forgiving vessel than a dinghy, will allow you to develop at your own pace and, most of all, not require you to get a wet bum every time you go out!

However, there is a downside to owning a boat of any sort; it has been likened to standing under a cold shower throwing bundles of cash over your shoulder. The bigger and more complex the boat, the bigger the bundles of cash!

All of the advice given by others above is good about joining clubs or going crewing is valid but your circumstances make that very difficult. Owning your own boat, especially one chosen to be easy to handle single handed, makes sense for you. Remember that a dinghy will almost always need a second person to launch it! Choose something that will fit the budget, will be easy to moor in your neck of the woods and you feel happy to sail and then get on and enjoy it.

 

[uxb]

I went from dinghy to windsurfer then a 27 foot boat. I crewed on a big boat for one day. That's was the sum total of my 'big boat' experience.

Sailing is sailing and a simple thing to do if you have a brain cell or two.(I've got two)

Racing takes a bit more brain power. Not much though.

Cruising - once you understand how a boat sails- is all about preparation, anticipation and patience.

RYA courses (and the RYA itself) are way over rated but of use to the hard of thinking.

Go for it and report back.

 

[doug748]

.... but your circumstances make that very difficult. Owning your own boat, especially one chosen to be easy to handle single handed, makes sense for you. Remember that a dinghy will almost always need a second person to launch it! Choose something that will fit the budget, will be easy to moor in your neck of the woods and you feel happy to sail and then get on and enjoy it.

Duncan has made some good points here.

I started with an Enterprise (too lively) and then a Mirror 10 (good for singlehanded launching/rowing/motoring) but did not keep them long. On your own, towing, rigging and lauching is a bit tiresome, particularly at the end of the day.
The price of small, old weekenders/cruisers is now so low you can probably buy one and write off the cost over a couple of years. A small bilge or lifting keeler will teach you a lot, and there's nowt like brewing a cup of tea in your own boat, however modest.

 

[ianat182]

As your target is a large boat eventually, now would be a good time to get your name on a moorings list and keep it updated annually,with occasional nudges to the list keepers, be they in a sailing club or a river/harbour authority.

Purchase a dinghy such as a Wayfarer or Wanderer which are popular starter and training boats, (which have a good re-sale market later) and the latter is OK for singlehanded sailing if no crew on the odd occasion.

Trailing and launching every time is to lose sailing time, particularly if on a tidal river that may already constrain launching times. Sailing club membership is not a necessity but will enable you to park the dinghy, and probably be more convenient for launching her; also the choice of volunteer crew may be a good start for a crewing partnership in the future larger yacht.
Competency in boat handling generally, in dinghies, can be replicated in the larger yachts, albeit slower and less speedy; add to this sail trimming and basic navigation and use of a compass you could take the Competent Crew and the Dayskipper Theory courses, the latter with more emphasis on chart reading and navigation, mooring etc.
Other courses useful could be the VHF/DSC radio certificate, and an RYA Diesel Engine Maintenance course.
If you do these courses during the winter you'll be well set to use the knowledge in the following summer, either on your own boat or crewing a club member's yacht, be aware though that all owners have' their way' methods of doing things that may not be strictly 'by the book' but stem from experience and convenience.

There is no need to purchase the 'Round the World' quality wet gear' but buy the end of season 'kit is the way to go for normal cruising quality clothing.

Finally, older boats between 17 and 26 foot are usually yachts that new owners purchase, from Silhouettes, Leisures, Sadlers and the Westerly range. Often well loved and used, and at a price that will not depreciate very much further when you come to sell, they will fit a first time budget of between £1500 to 7000 ; mooring costs to be added, plus insurance, and club membership fees.

Being available during the Winter layup and Spring antifouling occasions, assisting an owner is an excellent start to a sailing relationship, creating a good impression in the club too.

Good luck

ianat182