Getting a head start, best way to learn ?

[oneoone]

I am looking to get some lessons with the RYA, but due to covid-19 its going to awhile. Is there any good on-line resources/sims/videos that could help ?
Thank you

 

[Kelpie]

What exactly do you want to learn?

 

[Charlie Boy]

Get a dinghy and have some fun, it’s looking like a hot summer. It’s cheap and you’ll learn fast.

 

[oneoone]

What exactly do you want to learn?

Sorry about that, I guess you knowing what I want to learn would help My end goal is to sail a cruising yacht ( about 40ft ) but start off small. As I am totally new to all of this, I know I will have to start off small. As I said I have contacted the RYA and am looking into VHF and powerboat classes.

 

[lw395]

I'd suggest some books.
The RYA Yachtmaster syllabus/course book?
Tom Cunliffe's book on Yachtmaster?
There are online aids for learning and self testing things like navigation buoys and collision regs, lights etc.

 

[Easticks28]

Get a dinghy and have some fun, it’s looking like a hot summer. It’s cheap and you’ll learn fast.

Yes. The very best way possible. You will learn so much more about such things as trim, balance , the effect of sail trim and many other things than you ever will setting out in a yacht - even a small one. Walk first, there's plenty of time for running.

 

[Spyro]

No point doing rya powerboat courses if your aim is a sailing boat. I wouldn't advise starting with a dinghy unless dinghy sailing is what you want to do. Yes it will tell you the basics of sail setting and pointing it in the direction you want to go. You might get cold and soaking wet and the dinghy upside down and
You'll have to learn to right it etc. Hopefully that won't happen on a cruising boat. Quickest way to learn is get on a yacht with an experienced skipper who is also a good teacher. Some people are quicker learners and have a natural aptitude for it others will never get it. Good luck.

 

[Jungle Jim]

I second the dinghy sailing. I learned so much that translated to yachting, it meant when I finally set foot on a yacht I at least knew what most of the strings and flappy bits did. I was lucky to learn on a tidal river, the knowledge learned getting back on a slipway with winds from all points of the compass while the tide takes you sideways was great. It meant the first time I tried coming alongside a pontoon I had much less chance of it all going badly wrong as I knew what to expect from the different forces. Plus its great fun

 

[Javelin]

Not sure where you live or your age but in many ways you have come to right place as this place is a fountain of collective knowledge.

Dinghy sailing is great but its another rabbit hole that could end up taking you longer to reach your specific goal.

Your location would help as somebody on here will be able to steer you to the right Club/person/group that can help you.
Your age will help as this will help us again with the best route.

For example there are many sailors out there that sail on their own or just with one or two others that would love an extra body onboard.
There are many sailing clubs who would also love to have a new member and would help match you up with somebody to help.

 

[KompetentKrew]

As someone who started from zero myself a couple of years ago, IMO the best first book is David Seidman's The Complete Sailor (I think On the Wind is the same book under a different title).

Get at least 10 days on board before you think about the RYA theory courses, then do Kipper Sailing / Skippers Online, or with a local club, not Navathome.

For practical keelboat experience www.PhoenixYachtClub.co.uk were brilliant

I skipped the advice to start with a dinghy. I can't say I was right to do so - no doubt I'd have learned plenty, it just depends what your schedule is. Local clubs run courses for peanuts.

 

[RJJ]

I third the dinghy advice. I can't see why people always object to it.

Sailing is a compendium of skills, not all of which overlap. Dinghy sailing won't help you with anchoring, victualling, winch servicing, liferaft usage, crew management or diesel maintenance. To be a yacht master, in practice as well as in paper, you need to address those skills and many others.

Dinghy sailing will encourage you, much more quickly than bigger boats, to develop an intuitive feel for the wind, being overpowered, how to keep balance upwind and downwind, how to gybe smoothly in strong winds, how to stop and turn on a sixpence. Those skills are essential, and harder-won on a yacht where you also have to worry about all the complexities above in a less responsive platform.

There's a reason all successful big boat racers cut their teeth on dinghies. Dinghy sailing makes the actual sailing bit harder (and cheaper, wetter and more physical; fun in a different way) such that when you move onto bigger boats the actual sailing is easy.

 

[SlowlyButSurely]

I third the dinghy advice. I can't see why people always object to it.

Sailing is a compendium of skills, not all of which overlap. Dinghy sailing won't help you with anchoring, victualling, winch servicing, liferaft usage, crew management or diesel maintenance. To be a yacht master, in practice as well as in paper, you need to address those skills and many others.

Dinghy sailing will encourage you, much more quickly than bigger boats, to develop an intuitive feel for the wind, being overpowered, how to keep balance upwind and downwind, how to gybe smoothly in strong winds, how to stop and turn on a sixpence. Those skills are essential, and harder-won on a yacht where you also have to worry about all the complexities above in a less responsive platform.

There's a reason all successful big boat racers cut their teeth on dinghies. Dinghy sailing makes the actual sailing bit harder (and cheaper, wetter and more physical; fun in a different way) such that when you move onto bigger boats the actual sailing is easy.

And I would like to fourth the dinghy advice. The analogy I would use is that trying to bypass learning to sail in a dinghy is like trying to ride a motorbike without first having first learnt to ride a bicycle.

 

[stu9000]

The suggestion to get a dinghy and muck about is a good one. You will make mistakes and along the way get an intuitive sense of the wind, sails and how a boat behaves in different conditions. The energy inherent in a dinghy is small so you are unlikely to do a lot of damage to the gear or yourself.

You could compliment your practical experience with online theory work. Charts, tides, buoys. Competent crew, day skipper up to Yachtmaster.

It's a bit like passing your driving test. Zoom round the car park with your Dad to get a feel for things. Do a few lessons to the rules and be ready for the practical test.

All the best with it.

S

 

[jac]

I would 5th the Dinghy Sailing.

I would also add that many dinghy schools are now open but only for people to sail single handers so you should be able to get an RYA Dinghy Level 1 in a weekend or L2 in 2 weekends which will give you the basics to go and sail on a lake with rescue cover. Do that - Read the Day skipper books / online material and wait for social distancing to be relaxed enough for you to do a Day Skipper Practical. In the meantime go find a cheap dinghy - (tippy or not) and get used to feeling the boat sailing

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

No point doing rya powerboat courses if your aim is a sailing boat. I wouldn't advise starting with a dinghy unless dinghy sailing is what you want to do. Yes it will tell you the basics of sail setting and pointing it in the direction you want to go. You might get cold and soaking wet and the dinghy upside down and
You'll have to learn to right it etc. Hopefully that won't happen on a cruising boat. Quickest way to learn is get on a yacht with an experienced skipper who is also a good teacher. Some people are quicker learners and have a natural aptitude for it others will never get it. Good luck.

Having done a Powerboat Level 2 Course as a requirement for qualification as a Keelboat Instructor (with the Irish Sailing Association), I can say that there are learnings there that can be applied to your handling of a yacht under power, e.g. powergliding, also your handling of a tender will be better informed and you will be instilled with some discipline regarding occasions when it is vital not to have your motor in gear.
Through complete ignorance of where to start, my wife and I had our first sailing courses on 30 ft ex- one design racing boats in Croatia, then discovered a sailing school/club in Ireland where we did courses on 19ft dayboats. While we learned a lot on these boats, which did not tip us into the drink if we made a mistake, I feel that our trajectory was wrong, and it would have been more beneficial to have started on dinghies, to learn the basics of sailing and also the finer points, before progressing to the keelboats, as a halfway house between the dinghies and thecruising boats.
Someone said that the difference between dinghies and keelboats is that the 5 Essentials on a dinghy are; Boat Trim, Boat Balance, Sail Trim, Course Made Good and Centreboard, while the 5 Essentials on a Keelboat are; Boat Trim, Boat Balance, Sail Trim, Course Made Good and Chocolate ?

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

I would 5th the Dinghy Sailing.

I would also add that many dinghy schools are now open but only for people to sail single handers so you should be able to get an RYA Dinghy Level 1 in a weekend or L2 in 2 weekends which will give you the basics to go and sail on a lake with rescue cover. Do that - Read the Day skipper books / online material and wait for social distancing to be relaxed enough for you to do a Day Skipper Practical. In the meantime go find a cheap dinghy - (tippy or not) and get used to feeling the boat sailing

+1. Doing organised courses and classroom theory courses is the most efficient way of learning and having your own boat is the best way of practicing what you have learned.
The best way to start with your own dinghy is to sail quickly on a figure-of-eight course with the wind abeam (from the side), tacking (turning into the wind) through 180deg to change direction. This will work best if you are sailing fast. When you have mastered this, sail on the same course but in the opposite direction, turning down-wind, this is called gybeing.
You can gradually broaden the figure of eight so that instead of tacking or gybeing from reach to reach you are beginning to sail close-hauled before you tack, and to run before you gybe.

 

[coopec]

You could do what John Caldwell did!

In May 1946 John Caldwell set out to sail from Panama to Sydney to reunite with his wife who he hadn't seen for more than a year. Eager to reach his destination and unable to secure any other form of transport, he had to resort to singlehanded seamanship. After an ignominious scene in the harbor, where a tangled anchor led him to take an early dip, he spent ten days learning the rudiments of navigation and sailing from a book, before embarking on the 9,000 mile journey aboard the 20-foot Pagan. Ahead lay a mission that was to reveal in him elements not only of astounding courage and determination, but also of incredible foolhardiness. Within 500 miles of Panama John Caldwell had already been shipwrecked once and had his boat's engine and cockpit destroyed by an angry shark. Indefatigable, he decided to press on towards his goal.He endured the terrors and discomforts of life on the high seas and enjoyed the triumphs of fighting and winning against the elements. This is more than an exciting tale of sea-adventure. It is as compelling and unpredictable as a thriller. It is the story, witty and moving, of a man, motivated initially by love, and ultimately by his own fierce determination to survive.

Desperate Voyage

Farewell, Johnny Coconut

 

[oneoone]

Thank you everyone for the reply and input, I will definitely look into getting a dinghy as well is some RYA courses. As for John Caldwell, its one well of a story but im not sure my wife would be up for it

 

[Cactus Sailing]

You could do what John Caldwell did!

In May 1946 John Caldwell set out to sail from Panama to Sydney to reunite with his wife who he hadn't seen for more than a year. Eager to reach his destination and unable to secure any other form of transport, he had to resort to singlehanded seamanship. After an ignominious scene in the harbor, where a tangled anchor led him to take an early dip, he spent ten days learning the rudiments of navigation and sailing from a book, before embarking on the 9,000 mile journey aboard the 20-foot Pagan. Ahead lay a mission that was to reveal in him elements not only of astounding courage and determination, but also of incredible foolhardiness. Within 500 miles of Panama John Caldwell had already been shipwrecked once and had his boat's engine and cockpit destroyed by an angry shark. Indefatigable, he decided to press on towards his goal.He endured the terrors and discomforts of life on the high seas and enjoyed the triumphs of fighting and winning against the elements. This is more than an exciting tale of sea-adventure. It is as compelling and unpredictable as a thriller. It is the story, witty and moving, of a man, motivated initially by love, and ultimately by his own fierce determination to survive.

Desperate Voyage

Farewell, Johnny Coconut

sounds like the makings of a good book!

 

[Easticks28]

+1. Doing organised courses and classroom theory courses is the most efficient way of learning and having your own boat is the best way of practicing what you have learned.
The best way to start with your own dinghy is to sail quickly on a figure-of-eight course with the wind abeam (from the side), tacking (turning into the wind) through 180deg to change direction. This will work best if you are sailing fast. When you have mastered this, sail on the same course but in the opposite direction, turning down-wind, this is called gybeing.
You can gradually broaden the figure of eight so that instead of tacking or gybeing from reach to reach you are beginning to sail close-hauled before you tack, and to run before you gybe.

And when you can sail that figure of eight course without a rudder you will be at the standard for RYA level two, and will have a very good understanding of the interaction between sails, boat balance etc. When you can accomplish this without thinking you will probably be ready to move on.