How does one get into sailing?

[brother52]

I have been interested in cruising for a long time and came to think that this lifestyle will suit me best at a certain stage in my life. That stage is, however, about 8 years away from now. Naturally, I would like to use this time to become as competent sailor as I can.

What avenues, if any, are available for me to do that? I'm 37 y.o. man based in London. I never sailed before as where I come from there's not much opportunity to do that.

I've met up with few sailing groups that you can find online and while the crowd was quite nice the focus seemed to be on recreation rather than on sailing skills. I realise there are RYA courses, but I reckon it would only make sense to take them now if there was a way to apply the skills right away lest they get rusty over the years?

I gather there are races, which seem to be more of my type of thing as I like pushing the boundaries and the sports element. But is there a path for a complete novice to become a racing team member? I'm happy with a long path if it is a reliable one. I checked out RORC website and it seemed to require a good number of offshore miles logged to be eligible. Are there events with lower barriers to entry? Or is one better off building their miliage up with RYA courses?

Sorry if all this sounds naive or incoherent, I am just at the very beginning. Any advice or comment would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Tranona]

Welcome to the forum.

There are many ways to get into sailing. The most obvious is to do a residential RYA course up to Day Skipper. The most important outcome is that you will soon find out if you like it or not before you invest more time and effort. From there you can join a club - many clubs welcome enthusiastic crews, sign up with crewing agencies, join charter parties and look for crewing opportunities on deliveries.

If you turn out to be a good crew you will not find any difficulty in networking to get opportunities for widening your experience.

 

[sailorman]

join a sailing club that suits the type of sailing you are interested in

 

[lustyd]

I would start with the competent crew course from the RYA. Do it somewhere like the Solent and enjoy yourself. The next stages can be discussed while on the course but will depend on how much you enjoy yourself. The Day Skipper will probably not be suitable if you have no sailing skills at all since it focusses on taking charge and navigating the boat. Comp Crew will take you from zero to being comfortable sailing in a week which will either give you the motivation and direction you want or it will show you that sailing is not for you.

I'll warn you though, if you like it you won't wait 8 years but instead you'll start enjoying life right now!

 

[awol]

I would suggest a start in dinghy sailing. I believe there are a wide variety of clubs around London - go along, smile and I'm sure you will be welcomed.

Why dinghies? Well, it sounds as if you want to learn to sail and dinghies are, in my mind, the best way to learn the interactions between wind/sails and hull/water while having a lot of fun and not spending huge amounts of dosh, unless you really want to. RYA dinghy courses are great and will certainly let you know whether you like the challenges or not.

Good luck!

 

[lustyd]

I would suggest a start in dinghy sailing. I believe there are a wide variety of clubs around London - go along, smile and I'm sure you will be welcomed.

Why dinghies? Well, it sounds as if you want to learn to sail and dinghies are, in my mind, the best way to learn the interactions between wind/sails and hull/water while having a lot of fun and not spending huge amounts of dosh, unless you really want to. RYA dinghy courses are great and will certainly let you know whether you like the challenges or not.

Good luck!

+1 - Dinghies are definitely the way to learn how to get a sail boat sailing. I'd still recommend the cruising course as it's live aboard etc. but dinghies will let you learn the skill and probably more locally.

 

[chinita]

+1 - Dinghies are definitely the way to learn how to get a sail boat sailing. I'd still recommend the cruising course as it's live aboard etc. but dinghies will let you learn the skill and probably more locally.

+2

Dinghy sailing will also boost confidence when having to deal with wind conditions when you move on to offshore sailing.

Day Skipper theory and practical are fine but cannot replicate the skills you will pick up in a dinghy. Any fool (like me) can get through a Day Skipper course, the aim is to pass everybody, not fail them.

You cannot bluff in a dinghy!

 

[GuyS.]

I gather there are races, which seem to be more of my type of thing as I like pushing the boundaries and the sports element. But is there a path for a complete novice to become a racing team member? I'm happy with a long path if it is a reliable one. I checked out RORC website and it seemed to require a good number of offshore miles logged to be eligible. Are there events with lower barriers to entry? Or is one better off building their miliage up with RYA courses?

Although membership of RORC does require a certain number of racing miles to be completed, they operate a crew register scheme where you details will be passed to owners and skippers, so it is worth a call to their office. Reliability and enthusiasm can be far more important than sea miles in your log

 

[Reverend Ludd]

join a sailing club that suits the type of sailing you are interested in

That's good advice, what are you interested in ?

 

[pagoda]

+2

Dinghy sailing will also boost confidence when having to deal with wind conditions when you move on to offshore sailing.

Day Skipper theory and practical are fine but cannot replicate the skills you will pick up in a dinghy. Any fool (like me) can get through a Day Skipper course, the aim is to pass everybody, not fail them.

You cannot bluff in a dinghy!

I have to agree with this. -well worth it.
It is perfectly possible to start off in yachts, but you will miss a lot of wind-water- boat sense. Yachts are very forgiving by comparison with dinghies!
Another good way to gain confidence is to try a sailing holiday in warm water -Neilson or Sunsail etc . Combined beach/dinghy/flotilla versions exist and are in my experience seriously enjoyable.
You're under no obligation to start off in UK weather conditions

Graeme

 

[YachtAllegro]

Don't forget there are two types of RYA courses. The cruising ones (competent crew, dayskipper, coastal skipper, yachtmaster) are not really about learning to sail, they're about learning to skipper a crew. If you want to learn to sail, you want the dinghy ones (level 1 - 4/5ish).

This basically seconds the advice above - learn to sail in a dinghy, then move to a big boat and learn to cruise. How you actually go about it depends on how you like to learn. I bought a cheap secondhand dinghy, read some books, then went out on my own, made mistakes and learnt from them. But that's just me - other people prefer being taught on courses, or learning in a more "apprenticeship" way by crewing for someone. But that basic route into sailing is a well-tried one with a lot to be said for it.

Cheers
Patrick

 

[Lakesailor]

How does one get into sailing?

Wait for a moment of weakness.

 

[epervier]

How does one get into sailing?

it's easy, when you get your release paperwork from the asylum, join a yacht club

 

[[70521]]

Hi and welcome

Go and try it, try all the types you might be interested in from Windsurfing to sailing across oceans and then concentrate on that.

 

[lustyd]

Don't forget there are two types of RYA courses. The cruising ones (competent crew, dayskipper, coastal skipper, yachtmaster) are not really about learning to sail, they're about learning to skipper a crew. If you want to learn to sail, you want the dinghy ones (level 1 - 4/5ish).

This basically seconds the advice above - learn to sail in a dinghy, then move to a big boat and learn to cruise. How you actually go about it depends on how you like to learn. I bought a cheap secondhand dinghy, read some books, then went out on my own, made mistakes and learnt from them. But that's just me - other people prefer being taught on courses, or learning in a more "apprenticeship" way by crewing for someone. But that basic route into sailing is a well-tried one with a lot to be said for it.

Cheers
Patrick

Competent Crew, as I said in my earlier post, is all about learning to sail and nothing to do with skippering a crew!

 

[chinita]

Competent Crew, as I said in my earlier post, is all about learning to sail and nothing to do with skippering a crew!

I beg to differ. Competent Crew is all about learning how to be Competent Crew.

Nothing to do with skippering, I agree, but also very little to do with learning to sail - unless you are one of the rare 'born sailors'.

My SWMBO went straight to Day Skipper Theory and Practical Combined. There was no requirement for her to have completed Competent Crew.

The course was 10 days and, within the next 10 days she had forgotten 90% of what she was taught. By her own admission she could not 'sail' across the Serpentine.

Se learned all about bits of a boat, how to steer a course, basic navigation, mooring in a marina but would freak if i asked her to take the helm on a F5 run and watch out for a gybe.

As for 'mile building' - what a joke. You can 'build' 70 odd miles whilst off watch and down in your bunk. The remainder in a 24 hour period can be 'built' whilst sitting in the cockpit with self steering engaged.

 

[prv]

I beg to differ. Competent Crew is all about learning how to be Competent Crew.

Nothing to do with skippering, I agree, but also very little to do with learning to sail - unless you are one of the rare 'born sailors'.

My SWMBO went straight to Day Skipper Theory and Practical Combined. There was no requirement for her to have completed Competent Crew.

The course was 10 days and, within the next 10 days she had forgotten 90% of what she was taught. By her own admission she could not 'sail' across the Serpentine.

I'm confused. You're using the example of someone who didn't do Competent Crew and doesn't know how to sail, to demonstrate that Competent Crew doesn't teach people to sail?

I completely agree that Day Skipper doesn't teach you to sail, it's assumed (and stated in the syllabus, I believe) that you should already know how to sail before starting the course.

I don't know if Comp Crew teaches you to sail, as I never really did it[1]. But I have no reason to suppose it doesn't, and what you've posted (about someone who didn't do it either) doesn't contradict that.

Pete

[1] I was given the ticket at the end of an Army race week, where the chief instructor said if I went to his office, bought a logbook, and showed him some knots, then he'd assume we'd done everything else during the races and give me the piece of paper to stick in it.

 

[YachtAllegro]

Competent Crew, as I said in my earlier post, is all about learning to sail and nothing to do with skippering a crew!

OK, my post was phrased badly. I agree Competent Crew is not about skippering, but its not about learning to sail either. You'll learn what's what, how to tie some knots, how to steer and come alongside etc. You won't learn about the points of sail and how to get a boat from A to B by wind power. That's the preserve of the dinghy sailing courses. (Or, to be fair, the rarely found but apparently sometimes offered keelboat sailing courses - similar to the dinghy sailing levels but for small, usually open I believe, keelboats).

Cheers
Patrick

 

[chinita]

I'm confused. You're using the example of someone who didn't do Competent Crew and doesn't know how to sail, to demonstrate that Competent Crew doesn't teach people to sail?

No, i gave an example about someone who was permitted to do Day Skipper without having done Competent Crew. Asking her to do Competent Crew beforehand would have priced themselves out of the market.

I will give you another example of someone who did Competent Crew (or whatever it was called thirty odd years ago):

Me. And it did not teach me how to sail.

Just remembered - it was called 'Offshore Hand'.

 

[photodog]

OK, my post was phrased badly. I agree Competent Crew is not about skippering, but its not about learning to sail either. You'll learn what's what, how to tie some knots, how to steer and come alongside etc. You won't learn about the points of sail and how to get a boat from A to B by wind power. That's the preserve of the dinghy sailing courses. (Or, to be fair, the rarely found but apparently sometimes offered keelboat sailing courses - similar to the dinghy sailing levels but for small, usually open I believe, keelboats).

Cheers
Patrick

On my coastal skipper practical course there was a guy on there who couldn't actually sail the boat competently....


Those rya course are very good.... But better still if you are a good sailor... And to be agood sailor you need to start on dingy's All IMHO of course.

Competent crew teaches you how to tie a bowline, put a line on a cleat, and not fall off.

To the op.

Go dingy sailing. Then do the rya day skipper night school. Then the rya day skipper practical. Then rent a boat in Greece in the summer for a week and bash it around.

Job done.