Learning to sail

  • Thread starter Thread starter syd
  • Start date Start date
syd

syd

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 Jun 2001
Messages
726
Location
Boat's in Chatham, I'm in Essex
Visit site
Hi all

I've had motor/fishing boats, on and off for the past 26 years and have decided I would like to give sailing a try.
I live on Canvey Island and have sent e mails out to all local clubs to no avail. Never having stepped foot on a sail boat before, I'm a bit reluctant to sign up for a course which'll probably cost a few hundred quid only to find out its not for me.
I'm looking for someone who can take me along with them and give me an idea of what to expect. Would split any expenses of course and buy a few rounds of whats your pleasure.
The allure of venturing farther afield without looking for the next diesel stop, and being able to make way without the roar of the engines has me intrigued. Been without a boat for a year now and am missing the waves.

Hope one of you kind people can help.
Regards

Sid
 
syd said:
Hi all

I've had motor/fishing boats, on and off for the past 26 years and have decided I would like to give sailing a try.
I live on Canvey Island and have sent e mails out to all local clubs to no avail. Never having stepped foot on a sail boat before, I'm a bit reluctant to sign up for a course which'll probably cost a few hundred quid only to find out its not for me.
I'm looking for someone who can take me along with them and give me an idea of what to expect. Would split any expenses of course and buy a few rounds of whats your pleasure.
The allure of venturing farther afield without looking for the next diesel stop, and being able to make way without the roar of the engines has me intrigued. Been without a boat for a year now and am missing the waves.

Hope one of you kind people can help.
Regards

Sid
Click to expand...

What a shame you are on the 'wrong' side of the Thames, for my club, once you had joined, has just the scheme for those in a similar position to you and which has had such success this past season. Read more here http://www.hooness.org.uk/index.php and then 'click' on 'Learn to Sail'
 
Like gin said - if you drove round to Medway Hoo Ness club would certainly find you a trial ride, subject to tide of course
 
Hi
Keep it in mind you may need to go out in one or two different weather conditions. A gentle sail on a clear day is very different once the wind gets up a bit. As a beginner you wouldn't want to be out in much more than a F4. Once a sailing yacht picks up her skirts and gets going with a bit of a heel on it can be exhilarating for some people and alarming for others until they get their confidence and understand that it is what the boat is designed to do. If you can only manage one day out in a sail boat aim for a windy one if possible.
Good luck Mick
 
I appreciate you have emailed local clubs, but anyway in view of where you live you have two obvious choices as I'm sure you know. Can I suggest you nip down to both Benfleet YC and Island YC on a weekend, corner some members and have a natter, and take it from there? I don't sail out of Canvey but the members of both clubs have always seemed a very friendly bunch when I've visited.
 
Cantata said:
I appreciate you have emailed local clubs, but anyway in view of where you live you have two obvious choices as I'm sure you know. Can I suggest you nip down to both Benfleet YC and Island YC on a weekend, corner some members and have a natter, and take it from there? I don't sail out of Canvey but the members of both clubs have always seemed a very friendly bunch when I've visited.
Click to expand...

Not acquainted with Island YC , but +1 for Benfleet YC
 
mickyp168 said:
Hi
Keep it in mind you may need to go out in one or two different weather conditions. A gentle sail on a clear day is very different once the wind gets up a bit. As a beginner you wouldn't want to be out in much more than a F4. Once a sailing yacht picks up her skirts and gets going with a bit of a heel on it can be exhilarating for some people and alarming for others until they get their confidence and understand that it is what the boat is designed to do. If you can only manage one day out in a sail boat aim for a windy one if possible.
Good luck Mick
Click to expand...
I once took my brother, who owns a 35' Broome on an inland lake, out for his first sail. Unfortunately conditions were a little fresh, about F4. In a gust, the boat began to round up and, it being our first sail of the season, my wife on the helm managed to correct in the wrong direction, resulting in a mildly dramatic 180deg turn:)
My brother sat with hands and jaw clenched until we reached our destination, where we were to meet his wife for lunch. He departed with her immediately after lunch and has not been seen on a sailing boat since:(
I hope Syd fares better!
 
Last edited:
You title your thread Learning to sail. Is that what you mean?
If so, then you can do no better than learn to sail a dingy, where you get a much better feel for the wind and its effects.
If you really mean try out a few sea/coast going yachts that you can sleap and cook on, then look round the clubs and forums for people looking for crew, there are many, but unfortunately most are looking for racing crew, which is a whole different ball game to a leisurely sail from port to port followed by a pie and a pint.
For the latter type of sailing, you are probably starting at the wrong time of year, as the boats are laid up for winter.
Being a MoBo owner, you should have all the ancillary skills, unlike a dingy sailor moving to a yacht and trying to get the hang of handling under power.
Whichever way you go good luck, but you will have to travel!
 
Actual learning to sail can be learned from books. What you want to learn is whether you like it and just what size and sort of sail boat will make you happy. That is not so easy. You are correct in seeking to get experience on sail boats of different sorts. Size is what matters. A 20 to 23ft can be nice cheap to run and give a lot of pleasure but if you try to go long distances in bad weatheer the size becomes a real problem due to excessive motion. So you ned something much bigger/heavier with attendant added cost.
Certainly compared to a diesel mobo the journey can be the joy and not the arrival.
good luck olewill
 
Syd.,how often do you visit Chatham, just put my 7m Pandora on the hard until end of March, but you would be welcome next season. Our club is small, but I have had loads of advice made a lot of friends, it's the Upnor sailing club, have a look at our website.
 
A dinghy sailing course is the best way to start because you are concentrating on sailing and nothing else. Then move to a yacht course where you aso learn to tie up to a pontoon, navigate etc
 
I'd go and ask around in person. Marinas, yacht clubs and boat yards. An email is probably not going to get you very far.

Here in Plymouth there is a club that will let you have a go at sailing on Saturday mornings (for a quid, I think!), you just have to show up and give it a go. Alternatively look at the notice boards in marinas that often advertise for crew. Try to avoid a racing crew - it's not the sort of experience you want as a newbie.

My first experience with yotts was with a woman who sailed a Sweden 42, she advertised at my uni. She was excellent as she talked to herself all the time and you know exactly what she was thinking - when she asked you to do something, you knew why and what you were doing.

Bear in mind a lot of boats are out of the water over the winter so you may not get very far until Easter at the earliest.
 
>YYou title your thread Learning to sail. Is that what you mean?
If so, then you can do no better than learn to sail a dingy, where you get a much better feel for the wind and its effects.

Precisely, that's what I said, going out on somebody else's yacht teaches you nothing unless you spend a week or more coastal cruising and get a chance raise and lower and sails, dock, helm for 24 hours, learn to navigate and dock etc
 
KellysEye said:
>
Precisely, that's what I said, going out on somebody else's yacht teaches you nothing unless you spend a week or more coastal cruising and get a chance raise and lower and sails, dock, helm for 24 hours, learn to navigate and dock etc
Click to expand...

At The OP's likely age I would suggest that that would be infinitely better than falling in the oggin every couple of hours
 
cavancullen said:
How did you do in the end?
does everyone agree that a dinghy would be best? I'm 26 and looking into learning how to sail myself.
Click to expand...

Some will advocate dinghy sailing as the best start for a number of reasons. First is probably how they started. Second it does teach you about the effects of wind on the boat better than sailing in a bigger boat - and punishes you more when you get it wrong. Third, there are probably more opportunities for dinghy sailing both on inland waters and coastal. Fourth, owning a dinghy if you get hooked is relatively cheap and opportunities for competitive sailing more numerous.

However, it is not essential if your intention is to sail cruisers, particularly owning a cruiser when the actual sailing bit is a much smaller proportion of the overall skills required for successful cruising. Some people even just buy a boat and get stuck in, learning as they go.

So, the choice is really up to you and many people miss out on dinghies and either go on a course sailing cruisers or learn as crew on others' boats - although it may be easier to get crewing if you can offer basic sailing skills.
 
If you want to learn to sail what I did is start in dinghies, you don't have to worry about navigation etc as you are close to shore. You learn very quickly how to tack, gybe and how the boat sails on different points of sail. Once you have done that sailing a yacht is easy. I bought a Shearwater cat to find out what fast sailing is like. Many years later I bought a steel ketch to go long distance sailing for six and a half years with Jane, who had also sailed dinghies. The only qualification we had was an RYA dinghy certiifcate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

A
Newbie question!
Replies
9
Views
475
Jacana139
Jacana139

Share this page

Top