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Major Incident

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Was advised to say hello to you lovely East Anglians in this forum... here is a repost of my introduction on the main Scuttlebutt forum.

A journey of a thousand miles...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

... begins with a signle step. Hi all, complete newbie here.

I'm currently in Calgary, Canada. It's a long way from the sea, and in any case, this morning it was -34 degC (-44 degC with windchill) so it's fair to say that any water near here really is like glass!

Next Spring I'm relocating to sleepy old Norfolk, and have decided to .... tadaaa....Become A Sailor. The only experience I have is a few days pottering about on a Hobiecat in Mexico. I have looked at the RYA training website, and think that my best bet would be to take the Competent Crew course, with the aim of progressing up to Coastal Skipper.

Has anyone done this route, and how long might it reasonably take to reach that level of ability? I'm a 41 year old family man, so have all the usual constraints there, I won't be free to indulge every weekend etc. Would 12-18 months be reasonable from complete beginner to Coastal Skipper? And can anyone recommend any sailing schools in East Anglia? I've seen a few through the RYA site but, obviously, personal recommendations are always to be considered.

Over the winter here I plan to do as much reading/studying as I can - in between the skiing! - and will get hold of Sailing for Dummies. Is it worthwhile ordering the RYA theory books or should I wait until after doing the Competent Crew course? Again, any advice here welcomed.

Finally, another, possibly more contentious point... I'd like to buy a boat, ideally something in the 21'-25' range, under GBP10k. Is there anything (legal) to stop me pottering about in it while I am going through the qualifications?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and advice, and more importantly, to finding my sea legs next year!
 
Welcome, and here's an invitation to come sailing in the spring. I live in Norfolk and keep my boat in Ipswich. Feel free to pm me for any local info.
Cheers
Pete
 
Jingsamichty said:
Was advised to say hello to you lovely East Anglians in this forum... here is a repost of my introduction on the main Scuttlebutt forum.

A journey of a thousand miles...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

... begins with a signle step. Hi all, complete newbie here.

I'm currently in Calgary, Canada. It's a long way from the sea, and in any case, this morning it was -34 degC (-44 degC with windchill) so it's fair to say that any water near here really is like glass!

Next Spring I'm relocating to sleepy old Norfolk, and have decided to .... tadaaa....Become A Sailor. The only experience I have is a few days pottering about on a Hobiecat in Mexico. I have looked at the RYA training website, and think that my best bet would be to take the Competent Crew course, with the aim of progressing up to Coastal Skipper.

Has anyone done this route, and how long might it reasonably take to reach that level of ability? I'm a 41 year old family man, so have all the usual constraints there, I won't be free to indulge every weekend etc. Would 12-18 months be reasonable from complete beginner to Coastal Skipper? And can anyone recommend any sailing schools in East Anglia? I've seen a few through the RYA site but, obviously, personal recommendations are always to be considered.

Over the winter here I plan to do as much reading/studying as I can - in between the skiing! - and will get hold of Sailing for Dummies. Is it worthwhile ordering the RYA theory books or should I wait until after doing the Competent Crew course? Again, any advice here welcomed.

Finally, another, possibly more contentious point... I'd like to buy a boat, ideally something in the 21'-25' range, under GBP10k. Is there anything (legal) to stop me pottering about in it while I am going through the qualifications?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and advice, and more importantly, to finding my sea legs next year!
Click to expand...

Hi to you to
No quals req at all but a depth sounder is handy :o at times.
you will be most welcome in Norfolk especially if you have a 6 toes :D ( on each foot ).
North Norfolk sailing is very restrictive due to shallow water estuaries.
Sailing from Suffolk is one of the best areas in the UK, lost of places to visit FOC as well as the usual marina berths
 
Welcome!

Norfolk is a lovely place to live.

12 to 18 months is more than adequate to get yourself up to a decent standard, but you'll spend a lifetime learning (and making mistakes :) )

There are also plenty of us mid forties family folk on here too, so you'll not be alone in trying to keep all those balls in air.... when the time comes ask here for advice on family indoctrination into sailing... while its a grand hobby/lifestyle on its own, its all the nicer for having the family keen and eager too, and its easy to make mistakes at the very beginning that set the whole thing off on the wrong foot.

If your maths is anywhere near half decent school level, then you'll breeze through the RYA theory, so yes, the books probably do make sense... besides, they make a nice way to while away a cold winter evening.

Hope to see you out there soon!
 
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Hello and Welcome!

My wife and I are dual citizens of the UK and Canada. We both spent our teenage years in Montreal which is where we met - an awfully long time ago now it seems - but we've lived back in the UK for most of the last 25 years.

For a completely unbiased opinion :D I strongly recommend a Leisure 23SL, 23 ft, 3ft draft, built in the early-mid 80's, a local East Coast boat and plenty around, good ones around £7-8k with an inboard diesel. Galley, loo, berths for up to 5, 5'9" headroom, robust and fun. We owned one up until end of April this year and loved her to bits, now gone to a very good home. Owners association is excellent, you'll find them on the Norfolk Broads as well, we looked at a couple for sale up there.

Best way to learn to sail is to go out and do it, use the magazines, books, internet and training courses to give you the background and enough awareness to stay safe but time on the water is best of all. Go out with other people as well, plenty of opportunity on here and the offer is there from us too if you want to come along. That way you'll get to sample different areas on the East Coast quickly and you may find one type of sailing, or location, strikes your fancy from that - a sort of try-before-you-buy. You have a choice of coastal sailing, inland waterways (the Broads), rivers and estuaries or long distance (over the Channel/North Sea) all on your doorstep. With the right boat you can do all of it :)

Did I mention grey skies, howling winds, the North Sea chop, Vomit Alley and the ice and snow? Ah, but you're from Canada so this will all be second nature :D Bring your ski suits for the winter sailing - on second thoughts, can you bring us all some??

Let us know of your progress and when you come over. I would suggest to fellow parishioners this may also present an excellent opportunity for a social gathering :)

Cheers

Neil & Molly
 
Thanks again for the warm welcome and the advice and offers to help - I look forward to perhaps taking you up on some of those next year (when I can remember what water in a liquid state looks like :p)

We're going to be relocating to South Norfolk, around the Diss/Attleborough area, so the Suffolk marinas shouldn't be too far away.

Here's to a winter of swotting up!
 
Jingsamichty said:
Thanks again for the warm welcome and the advice and offers to help - I look forward to perhaps taking you up on some of those next year (when I can remember what water in a liquid state looks like :p)

We're going to be relocating to South Norfolk, around the Diss/Attleborough area, so the Suffolk marinas shouldn't be too far away.

Here's to a winter of swotting up!
Click to expand...

Welcome to the forum. In less than an hour you could be at any of the marinas on the Orwell or Deben. I'm a bit further away, on the Norfolk/Cambs border (we only have the standard five toes this far North :))
 
Jingsamichty said:
We're going to be relocating to South Norfolk, around the Diss/Attleborough area, so the Suffolk marinas shouldn't be too far away.
Click to expand...

We are in Roydon, the village right next to Diss. Woolverstone is just under an hour by car and Brightlingsea where I keep my boat just over an hour.

To date I have failed in interesting my older 3 children in sailing (wife has never been interested) although this season I had some limited success with the youngest boy (almost 12). Joining Sea Scouts has been a big help there so if you have boys of Scouts age (10 to 14) get them to Dickleburgh Sea Scouts!

Snow currently falling here so UK is about to come to a standstill.
 
Hello. My niece is in Edmonton and her husband on the rigs in Alberta says that -35 is still t-shirt weather! My brother on Kootenay Lake is basking in -12 :D

I'm from the "get a boat and get out there" school of learning supplemented by Dayskipper and YM theory. I didn't sail anything until 2000 when I was mid 50s but immediately thought "I can do this". Attitude and application is more use than lessons IMO. Plenty of good people here to help get you sailing. Loads of lovely sailing in Suffolk and Essex and you'll soon make good friends with this forum lot. Oh thanks, if you're buying then I'll have..........:)
 
I agree. Although Coastal Skipper is worthwhile and laudable, it won't teach you anything about sailing or save you from embarrassing mistakes. In fact, nothing will save you from embarrassing mistakes apart from doing your sailing well away from anyone who might recognise you, which is why I have a reputation in my club of being a harmless old buffer rather than the menace to humanity that I should be known as.

It can be hard for people approaching middle age to get the feel of sailing, and I know many perfectly safe sailors who have never really "got it", but in Norfolk you have the Broads which are a wonderful place to get time on the water without costing much and without risk of doing much harm. The smaller the boat the better. I gained a lot from messing about in a lugsail dinghy when I was young and I doubt if you could do better. If you can work a dinghy round safely in a fickle wind and tidily back into a berth you are ready for almost any challenge on a cruising yacht. You can mug up on buoyage and navigation in a few weeks in the winter.
 
Roydon, eh? I've been through it many times - our house is in Kenninghall.

I was managing a drilling program last year up in the Fort McMurray area, and the coldest we had was -53C. I wouldn't say that -35C was "t-shirt weather" but it's true that you do get acclimatised very quickly. For example, we've just had an extended cold spell of nearly 2 weeks... a few days ago it was about -40C, and yet today we're up around zero. Yes, it really does feel forty degrees warmer than a few days ago. Going from -40C to 0C is exactly like going from 0C to +40C!!
 
No better way to learn than 'time on the water'. If you are serious about gaining experience I am looking for crew for the 2011 season. See my post in the SBC crewing opportunties section.

If you want a recommendation for a sea school, I can recommend Les Rant of East Coast Offshore Yachting. What he doesn't know about sailing isn't worth knowing. He operates out of Suffolk Yacht Harbour at Levington, which coincidentally is where I keep my boat.

My boat is 25 ft, so about the size you are looking at. This means if you wanted to crew on her it would give you a handy benchmark for when you are ready to buy your own.
 
Jingsamichty said:
the coldest we had was -53C. I wouldn't say that -35C was "t-shirt weather" but it's true that you do get acclimatised very quickly. For example, we've just had an extended cold spell of nearly 2 weeks... a few days ago it was about -40C, and yet today we're up around zero. Yes, it really does feel forty degrees warmer than a few days ago. Going from -40C to 0C is exactly like going from 0C to +40C!!
Click to expand...

If this is turning into a "I'm hard and not afraid of freezing me nutts off" thread then I have to report that -30C in dry F4 snow coated Finland is far far far more pleasent than -5C in F7 and slashing rain Scotland. Sailing all but impossible in either scenario but life expectancy in a T-shirt far higher in the former location.
 
Thanks eastcoastbernie - great advice. I will gratefully take any offers to help me gain experience.

Simon & Tanja - No, this isn't a "hard as nuts" thread. My view is that if it's at all cold, it's too cold!
 
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