How did you learn to be such a safe and capable sailor?

[Supertramp]

+1 for taught by Dad on small Westerlies, then charters and racing and dinghies sporadically. Bought my own 17ft boat at 50, and now 36ft.

Interestingly, I think my safety and capability depends on the boat and situation. I now singlehand a lot, before was with crew and often charters. When young I used to worry the boat would break as we tackled Scottish headlands in big winds (read Concerto). Now I worry about how thoroughly I maintained the engine and all the jobs I should have done but didn't, but most of all my own ability, capability and judgement. Not that it's bad, just that I see it as the weakest link despite growing experience.

 

[dansaskip]

I knew I was solely responsible for acquiring my education and had no illusion that someone was gifting me a set required amount of knowledge. There was no point where anyone said "right, you've earned your stripes, you're qualified" so learning feels like an endless process. I've always thought that was an ideal way to do it and while respecting the RYA greatly I wondered how many people get their certification while having little of the focused experience you get from being solo in your own boat, they might then buy quite a large boat relative to the limited experience and bite off more than they can chew?

I think you have hit on a very valid point here and to me it highlights the dangers of the "fast track" qualifications on offer which I believe lead to a false sense of competence .

Unlike many of the respondents I started sailing quite late in life. I never had the opportunity when younger. But I graduated from a dinghy to a small cruiser then later slightly larger (but still small cruiser), gradually going on more and more adventurous trips. I too regard learning as a never ending process. Now after about 33,000 sea miles I reckon I might be a safe and capable sailor but not a "know it all" - still learning, hopefully still improving!

 

[Praxinoscope]

The nearest box I can tick is the self taught under 26’, which I think may be quite common among forumites.
No real opportunity to play about on water until early teens when tried rowing, but then in late teens on a long weekend camping in Mevagissey, one of our group had a Mirror dinghy, first try at sailing (after rather boozy ‘scrumpy’ lunchtime) spent more time in the water than in the dinghy, but was caught by the bug, so built my own Mirror, sailed it for a year or two but then three friends said they were thinking of buying a small ‘yacht’ did I want to join the syndicate, didn’t Eve think about it ‘yes’ so we all went up to the Earls Court Boat Show and pestered lots of small boat builders, ended up on the Lesure stand and spent about an hour talking to Arthur Howard the designer. Come the Spring time we arranged a sea trial of a Leisure 17 with the agent in Portsmouth, after which we agreed to order one. Never regretted the L17, we raced (not vety successfully), cruised along the South Coast as far as Torquay and did Christchurch to Cherbourg a few times.
Until this time my learning to sail had been very much trial and error and lots of reading, the syndicate decided we should move up in boat size, I really wanted an Anderson 22 but the other three favoured the Foxterrier 22 more spacious, but I still think the Anderson a much better boat.
I felt that although this teach yourself method had worked to an extent I decided to follow the RYA shore-based courses to extend my knowledge, so attended classes right from competent crew to Ocean Yachtmaster, filled out my RYA G15/ and stuck in the relevant certificates, until I felt sufficiently confident to try for a YM, which remarkably I managed to satisfy the examiner that I sufficiently comptent to be awarded a YM Offshore, so a really great day when the blue-bound YM certificate of competence arrivéd in the post.
Unfortunately the syndicate slowly disintegrated , and the Foxterrier was sold, so for several reasons there were a few years when I was ‘without boat’ so crewed for others, and went on the committee of the local yacht club, did several years as Sailing Sec, and couple of stints as Commodore until I could again buy my own boat,.
Apologies for the rather rambling story, but as you can see the closest box I can tick the self taught under 26’ but the RYA shore-based courses are in addition.

 

[geem]

+1 for taught by Dad on small Westerlies, then charters and racing and dinghies sporadically. Bought my own 17ft boat at 50, and now 36ft.

Interestingly, I think my safety and capability depends on the boat and situation. I now singlehand a lot, before was with crew and often charters. When young I used to worry the boat would break as we tackled Scottish headlands in big winds (read Concerto). Now I worry about how thoroughly I maintained the engine and all the jobs I should have done but didn't, but most of all my own ability, capability and judgement. Not that it's bad, just that I see it as the weakest link despite growing experience.

I know the previous owners of your current boat?

 

[Daydream believer]

I wonder whether the fact that we have a free breakdown/rescue service has anything to do with it???

Absolutely

 

[laika]

Racing really really ups the game, whether it’s in your nature or no to be competitive
And there are so many great boat ideas that have come out of the racing including safety at sea I think

The first time I took part in club racing I was shocked by the apparent disregard for safety: less than fastidious use of lifejackets, few people with first aid or vhf certificates, use of human “preventers” standing on the coach roof and leaning against the boom…

The “safety ideas” I can think of attributable to racing seem to have been lessons learned following loss of life.

Racing upping the game with sail trim and helming sure. Safety? Not so much…

I think you have hit on a very valid point here and to me it highlights the dangers of the "fast track" qualifications on offer which I believe lead to a false sense of competence .

I suspect this may have been part of the OP’s point: the perennial post about “I did it this way which is the *right* way.

I did a fast track course and my first (and current) boat is 12m. Is that sensible, irresponsible or do you have insufficient information given those facts alone?

 

[ProDave]

It's interesting that over half the voters started on a dinghy, so presumably quite happy with a boat that tips them into the water from time to time. I have always regarded a boat as something that should do it's best to keep you out of the water.

 

[Praxinoscope]

Laika, I don’t think the apparent disregard you describe is constrained to the racing fraternity, judging by the poor VHF use one hears regularly I suspect a high proportion of boat users have never bothered with a VHF certificate, again I doubt many boat uses have a first aid certificate, (I do have an RYA First Aid at Sea) I have to admit to being a bit hit & miss as far as life jackets go, I wear one when sailing single handed, but only at night or in every nasty conditions when sailing with a crew. I am certainly guilty of not wearing a lifejacket when rowing my tender to and from my mooring.

 

[Daydream believer]

It's interesting that over half the voters started on a dinghy, so presumably quite happy with a boat that tips them into the water from time to time. I have always regarded a boat as something that should do it's best to keep you out of the water.

being tipped in has been part of the fun from 11 years old untill I finally sold my Phantom at the age of 74 & immediately regretted it. At 21 cruiser sailing was not really that much more refined. I only went overboard 3 times but balls out racing in my 20-30s was rather fun before I went back to dinghies & then sailboards. Before cruising again. sailboards are still in the garage & if I can sneek them out without the wife looking I will have a quick blast for old times sake. One never forgets the buzz of a 7.5 M2 sail on a short board

 

[Daydream believer]

I suspect a high proportion of boat users have never bothered with a VHF certificate,

I heard a Pan Pan over the weekend. A MOBO with duff engine. CG asked for position & reply was very approximate. CG asked for call sign as name was a bit difficult to understand. Reply was " what is a call sign?"

 

[johnalison]

It's interesting that over half the voters started on a dinghy, so presumably quite happy with a boat that tips them into the water from time to time. I have always regarded a boat as something that should do it's best to keep you out of the water.

I had a strong aversion to being tipped in but still enjoyed dinghies. Getting wet was a very unlikely occurrence in a heavy lugs’l dinghy, but even in my Firefly I almost always contrived to stay dry. My usual attire was a Viyella shirt and corduroy trousers, and buoyancy was not sufficient to allow you to continue, or even return without a tow, so I took extreme care.

 

[Adios]

I am not in any way against certification and training, but there is a belief that many of today’s sailors do a short period of training and then buy a ‘medium-sized’ boat of around 36’ because that is the sort of thing they trained on, and then go beyond what their limited experience has prepared them for. I have no information about whether they contribute to the accident figures, only that they are sometimes a menace within harbours.

Thats what i'd assumed but now seeing very few came the RYA only path and stayed (if 70 votes on here is somewhat representative) I wonder if the feeling of a 36ft boat being a normal size put them off in the long term. Either they didn't feel confident and didn't buy or they did and it put them off. I've tried to convince a few people that they should look for a more modest first boat but its always that they'll need something big enough to entertain another couple. No amount of reasoning will dissuade them, its the entire image of boating they have in their mind which attracted them. So then its bloke does course with lots of experienced help and crew, after completion he's essentially single handing the same size boat now with wife and 2 other passengers as added liability. Perhaps those times menacing harbours are enough to end their interest in boats, if they make it through that time then they're ok like the 3 people out of 70 that clicked that so far. I wonder if the RYA do any follow up on people a year or 2 after they completed courses, they really should to get feedback from those who dropped out after having so much enthusiasm to start.

 

[Wansworth]

A great deal of the publicity for cruisers shows an athletic man bravely guiding his yacht whilst a barely clothed female flaunts her charms at passing waves,whet is the newcomer toya thing supposed to think,certainly would be seen dead in a dinghy?

 

[NealB]

It's interesting that over half the voters started on a dinghy, so presumably quite happy with a boat that tips them into the water from time to time. I have always regarded a boat as something that should do it's best to keep you out of the water.

Yes, when racing a dinghy, eg for me, a N12 or Merlin Rocket, getting wet was all part of the fun and excitement, and was considered the price you sometimes paid for pushing things to the limit (or beyond: though, usually, we tried to avoid it).

I remember one time, late 70's or early 80's, at the Hamble Warming Pan. It was seriously cold, and very seriously windy. I was in my N12. Loads of boats were screaming down torwards the gybe mark, trying to spot the 'right' wave for our gybes. Three of us chose the same one, and we all capsized together.

Would I choose such a boat, in such challenging conditions, for my cruising nowadays? No, of course not.

To equate the two, seems, to me, to be missing the point!

 

[Lightwave395]

If you race dinghies and don't capsize occasionally you're not trying hard enough... as above, getting wet is all part of the fun of it.
I started out sailing with my best mate when we were 10 in a Heron on the Thames at Laleham, built by his carpenter Dad. We had no idea what we were doing and spent as much time in the river as in the boat but we sure learned what worked and what didn't.
As to safe and capable, as a 75 year old, despite having spent several years in N12's, a Contender and Enterprises followed by 15 years in 505's before moving into JOG, RORC and other double handed and solo racing I think I'm reasonably safe but never sure about capable as I seem to learn more about something every time I go out on the water,
I brought my 12M yacht back from Southern Brittany to Falmouth last year Solo, I did wear a lifejacket (and PLB) on the Roscoff to Falmouth leg so am I safe and capable ?
Possibly not as I didn't predict the 5 hours of thick fog (but neither it seems did the Met...)

 

[Praxinoscope]

A great deal of the publicity for cruisers shows an athletic man bravely guiding his yacht whilst a barely clothed female flaunts her charms at passing waves,whet is the newcomer toya thing supposed to think,certainly would be seen dead in a dinghy?

I had hoped that the barely clothed female was part of the gear supplied with the boat, sadly apparently not!

 

[Wansworth]

I had hoped that the barely clothed female was part of the gear supplied with the boat, sadly apparently not!

Is very clever psycologist have found humans quite capable of believing a different narrative to reality,that’s you at the hel whilst your wife who is actually knitting is err flaunting….

 

[Supertramp]

I know the previous owners of your current boat?

PM'd you.

 

[Adios]

A great deal of the publicity for cruisers shows an athletic man bravely guiding his yacht whilst a barely clothed female flaunts her charms at passing waves,whet is the newcomer toya thing supposed to think,certainly would be seen dead in a dinghy?

As you say the images that sell yachting are not like this but even if those images aren't what attracted them who is going to go through all the RYA training on lovely new 36fters and then aspire to this sensible starting boat? It would spoil anyone. Maybe RYA need a fleet of aging small Westerlys for the modest crowd to learn on.

 

[Praxinoscope]

As you say the images that sell yachting are not like this but even if those images aren't what attracted them who is going to go through all the RYA training on lovely new 36fters and then aspire to this sensible starting boat? It would spoil anyone. Maybe RYA need a fleet of aging small Westerlys for the modest crowd to learn on.

Lots of Centaurs around excellent boats to train on. And with a LOA enough to use for YM Offshore exam.