Learning to Sail

[Mosschops69]

Morning all

I'm looking for some help in learning to sail.

Having just come home from a family holiday in Cornwall, I decided that I'd like to become competent enough to be able to take my family out in a rented/hired boat on future holidays. So my initial aim is to learn enough to be safe, rather than buying a boat and avoiding death until I gain experience.

I'm aware of the of the RYA courses, but I think its really going to be hours on the water that will be the real learning. With that in mind I'm hoping to find somewhere that will not only offer training, but has 'loan' boats that you can take out solo to practice (or is there some other way to practice, you tell me?). I'm based in the Liverpool, so there are a few options open, but as yet, my emails to the local clubs have gone unanswered.

So my questions are these:

1. Is my plan both feasible and reasonable? Or will I need a boat of my own early on?
2. Is there a better way to learn to sail?

Also, I'm not discounting the possibility that I might throw a load of cash into the sea and buy a small boat in the future. But I'd rather wait to see if I enjoy it first.

Cheers
Mosschops

 

[johnalison]

There is another thread going on the same subject, as it happens. I don't know your area but am a little surprised at the lack of response from clubs. It might be better to turn up in person. Many clubs will have a website showing opening times, and this would give you a chance to sus them out, and vice versa.

 

[jonjo]

Morning all

I'm looking for some help in learning to sail.

What do you hope to be doing in 3 years time?

1. Presenting a certificate to a hire company during your main family holiday and spending a few hours sailing off the beach in an open boat with the family on board.
2. Sitting at anchor off the Helford River in your £25,000 family yacht which dominates all your leisure time and all available spare budget.
3. Dinghy sailing will be your no.1 family activity, you and kids will spend most weekends at a local inland sailing club near home.
4. Each year you will jet off and join a yacht flotilla in the sun and blow £6,000 on that each holiday.
5. A few times each year the family will head off to a campsite trailing a large dinghy which you will self launch down a slipway.

 

[Ripster]

Defintely try to join a local yacht club. This will give you access to like minded peops, many of whom will have boats and will likely be happy to have a novice along for a sail or as part of a race team. Do this at the same time as following the RYA route to DS or further. The experience will teach you basics of sailing and boat handling and also help you decide what type of vessel you might buy in future and avoid some of the pitfalls - of which there are many. Be warned though, if you get the racing bug, there is no escape!!

 

[Mosschops69]

There is another thread going on the same subject, as it happens. I don't know your area but am a little surprised at the lack of response from clubs. It might be better to turn up in person. Many clubs will have a website showing opening times, and this would give you a chance to sus them out, and vice versa.

I've noticed the other thread, we seem to have opened them within 10 mins of each other. It's only been a few days, but I'd have thought they'd be monitoring the members@ emails more closely. One is 5 mins from my office, so I can just show up and snout round.

What do you hope to be doing in 3 years time?

1. Presenting a certificate to a hire company during your main family holiday and spending a few hours sailing off the beach in an open boat with the family on board.
2. Sitting at anchor off the Helford River in your £25,000 family yacht which dominates all your leisure time and all available spare budget.
3. Dinghy sailing will be your no.1 family activity, you and kids will spend most weekends at a local inland sailing club near home.
4. Each year you will jet off and join a yacht flotilla in the sun and blow £6,000 on that each holiday.
5. A few times each year the family will head off to a campsite trailing a large dinghy which you will self launch down a slipway.

1. Deffo, would love to take a boat out whilst on holiday.
2. big nope, next big expense is a house move. If ever, it would be something very small.
3. potentially, but the No1 family activity will be driven by the Kids as they grow. They are 4&2 yo and might hate sailing. So this would be my side line.
4. another nope, sounds like fun, but not realistic.
5. Never thought of this, we do like camping and we're little more than an hour from the Lakes, so hauling a small boat is an option.

Defintely try to join a local yacht club. This will give you access to like minded peops, many of whom will have boats and will likely be happy to have a novice along for a sail or as part of a race team. Do this at the same time as following the RYA route to DS or further. The experience will teach you basics of sailing and boat handling and also help you decide what type of vessel you might buy in future and avoid some of the pitfalls - of which there are many. Be warned though, if you get the racing bug, there is no escape!!

I think this is what I'm after, it seems like some of the courses are just that, turn up, learn, go home. Whereas I'd like to take some time to apply it, without buying a boat.

Thanks all
Mosschops

 

[Jungle Jim]

QUOTE I'm aware of the of the RYA courses, but I think its really going to be hours on the water that will be the real learning. With that in mind I'm hoping to find somewhere that will not only offer training, but has 'loan' boats that you can take out solo to practice (or is there some other way to practice, you tell me?). I'm based in the Liverpool, so there are a few options open, but as yet, my emails to the local clubs have gone unanswered./QUOTE

Here you go:

http://www.liverpoolwatersports.org.uk/activities/SAILING/

Two weekend courses could see you up to RYA Level 2, at which point you can hire their boats and go out as often as you like. They aren't yachts but the skills you will learn will give you a good start when you get onto bigger boats. You'll probably get more of a response from clubs as well if you have some dinghy sailing experience.

 

[aquaplane]

Have you looked at Southport? I have only done the 24hrs but there is a club there.

To me it sounds like you want a dingy to play in on holiday until you decide on if you/your family and kids like it.

A family dinghy like a Mirror shouldn't break the bank, a Wayfarer will be a bit more but still at the bottom end of the boat owning spectrum.

If you want a day out on Windermere on a trail sailer we may be able to fix it up.

 

[Tranona]

Consider taking a sailing holiday in the Med. Neilsons and Sunsail do land based holidays with a range of activities for adults and children including learning to sail in small boats in the first week and taking a bigger boat out on your own in the second week. You will find out whether both you and your family like the idea, although the climate is not representative of sailing in the UK. Before your children go to school you can go early season, May or June when prices are lower.

 

[[3889]]

Dee Sailing Club near Heswall offer family membership under £200, offer training and have club boats on loan.
http://www.dee-sc.co.uk/

 

[CaptainBob]

Would just like to point out that you can buy a boat large enough for holidays with a young family which doesn't cost all that much and doesn't take up all of your annual budget and spare time. You could pick up something quite nice (perhaps a bit snug) for under £10k. It will take up quite a bit of spare time, but the more you DIY the less of your budget.

Did you know that if you anchor it's free (or very cheap)? You can anchor in the Helford for nothing. So if you find a cheap mooring to put your boat on when not in use and a decent cheap boat you can have some fantastic, cheap, family holidays on the hook. Way way cheaper than your recent Cornish excursion.

Also, don't overestimate how hard the sailing itself is. You can pick up the basics in a few hours. The thing that took most of my brain power was learning the chart work, lights, symbols, rules of the road, pilotage, weather, currents, tides. The academic side is much more demanding on a new sailor than the sailing, in my experience. RYA day skipper theory course is really excellent, interesting, informative and may be a minimum requirement by your insurer anyway.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Consider taking a sailing holiday in the Med. Neilsons and Sunsail do land based holidays with a range of activities for adults and children including learning to sail in small boats in the first week and taking a bigger boat out on your own in the second week. You will find out whether both you and your family like the idea, although the climate is not representative of sailing in the UK. Before your children go to school you can go early season, May or June when prices are lower.

+1

Except Sunsail have now given up shore based holidays. See http://www.neilson.co.uk/sailing/the-greek-ionian/stay-and-sail-vounaki-beachclub During the first week ashore, two adults take a course while kids are looked after ashore. Second week, you're in charge of your own boat, but with help immediately to hand from a lead boat with staff aboard.

Under £1,000 for all four, travel and all, if you go out of season.

Join the Cruising Association first (www.cruising.org.uk - meet them at the boat shows), and you'll get 10% off the holiday - more than repays membership fees - and you can then access further discounted theory courses after the holiday to learn more. You can also tap the expertise of some 5,000 members to see where you want to go from there, crewing with members from a variety of locations. Many members took up cruising as a way of life after this (very soft and pleasant) entry, tackling the hefty challenges of sailing in the English Channel once they'd gained the very basic skills. Some sticking to local sailing, others to cruising more exotic locations once the kids were earning . . .

 

[Mosschops69]

Thanks All for the replies.

I've watched a few sail training clips on youtube. The nomenclature is a learn curve in itself, not to mention the rules. I think I'll go for a the Dinghy training, and if I want to do a little more, I'll look at joining a club, if only to have somewhere to store a boat.

It is a shame that the clubs I have approached are not monitoring their comms. Did I read a thread complaining that the Coast Guard are doing the same on the south coast?

Mosschops

 

[Storyline]

Fwiw, here is what we did many years ago after buying a boat seen parked up on the dock road (Liverpool) with a sign saying For Sale £2,500.
First we enrolled in a night school course at Riversdale (shut now but there are others). Although my wife thought I was crazy buying a boat on a whim I did manage to convince her to do the course with me and it wss the very, very best sailing decision I have ever made.
The following spring we were both excited to put our navigation skills to the test so did a 5 day Day Skipper course at Plas Menai. This was residential (like uni halls) and each day we went out in Sonatas. A few months later we went back to Plas Menai and did 5 days aboard one of their Fulmars to do Coastal Skipper - fantastic fun !
The following year we realised our £2,500 jobby was no good as the engine was shot so sold her, bought a Westerly Pentland and a few weeks later, having been out on the river once we set off with 4 friends for Ireland. Knew the nav theory and knew how to sail a Sonata and a Fulmar but that was all. Made Ireland and learned so much in that two week trip.

So, to sum up. If you have a partner get them involved, do the nav theory and I can highly recommend Plas Menai. Very intense but after 5 days you know the basics.

 

[Skylark]

It is a shame that the clubs I have approached are not monitoring their comms. Mosschops

I'm a profound believer of any form of electrickery being the work of the devil!

Just turn up and speak to people. Dinghy training is a very good choice. The NW has many such clubs. The weather forecast for this coming weekend is perfect for you to make the first move. You may find someone looking for novice crew, you may even find your first dinghy, currently lying unloved in the overgrown section of the park.

Lots of fun in learning, take it in your stride and see where your interests take you.

You have Sunday evening homeward bound road congestion on the A55 to look forward to in the coming years, just like the rest of us.


Good luck with your new venture and keep posting.

 

[Storyline]

.....
You have Sunday evening homeward bound road congestion on the A55 to look forward to in the coming years, just like the rest of us.


Good luck with your new venture and keep posting.

That was one of the primary reasons we decided to move the boat to Scotland. Just one too many times stuck in the bank holiday traffic. 2-3 hours to get from Conwy to Liverpool on a bad one whereas we can be on the boat (in paradise) in just 6 hours now. However on a good day we could do doorstep to club launch in Conwy in just over an hour.

 

[Thedreamoneday]

Hi

West Kirby sailing club has been running adults training sessions on a Monday evening which has been very popular and successful.

If it's dinghy sailing you're after then this club is massively into dinghy sailing for both kids and adults alike and having the 'Marine Lake' 10 paces from the club means if you do decide to buy a dinghy as a member you can store it in the grounds for circa £100 pa and then get on the lake whenever you want.

They organise loads of races if you fancy that, have a great social scene and if you fancy moving on to something a bit bigger you can arrange to have drying mornings laid a just into the estuary.

If you're interested I'd go down on a Monday evening and get chatting.

Cheers

 

[Mosschops69]

Thanks Again

Good advice, though I'll not be dropping £2.5k on a boat any time soon. I'm really at the 'dipping the toes' in the water point, so I think I'll just have to show up one day and find out what there is. I might hang on until I find a teaster session, or go the whole hog and book a basic Dinghy course.

Mosschops

 

[Meli]

Hi, I was in much the same situation. read "Jack De Crow" and fell in love with the idea of having my own little boat and bought an old Mirror in very good condition.
Joined a small but reputable lake sailing club.
They included lessons in the membership fee.
3 years later, I'm still a novice. Finding the time is the hard thing. Good thing about the Mirror is they are a bit like faithful old dogs, always pleased to see you tolerant and almost impossible to tip.
Good luck