Learning

[dpapaharisis]

I am new to all this but I really like the idea of sailing and I d like to learn. I am trying to work out the best way to start and I read about courses "learning to sail" and two week practical with learning the first week and being part of a flotilla for the second which sounds great - not only learning to sail but also understanding if sailing and living aboard is for me.

Can anyone recommend any starter courses in the UK (east or south) and any flotilla based courses in the Med?

Thanks!

 

[Stingo]

A better way is to find someone that owns a boat and then to become their new best-friend-ever. It helps if you arrive with a case of their favourite beverage.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[MarkGrubb]

Hi Dimi,

Others may well disagree, but for sailing coarses I find sunsail at Portsolent good value (or did about 4 years ago). They run the full range of RYA coarses and the Competent Crew coarse may suit your needs. When it comes to bareboat charters they not good value though, plenty of cheapers places roud the solent. This is of coarse assuming you want to learn on the south coast. But the solent is a good place. Plenty of bouyage, shipping, tide and small harbours to practice. I always did my courses in December when the weather is still mild but the rates are cheaper. You are also more likely to have a few windy days, which is good experience.

In general I think the quality of the coarse is probably more dependent on the instructor and others on board, rather than the school, and that mainly comes down to luck.

The med. is nice if you want a holiday in the sun, but if you fancy some challenging sailing and learning then why not do a week on the south or east coast and then a week on the Scottish West Coast, either on another coarse or some sort of mile building experience.

As suggested another way up the learning curve is to find someone looking for crew. There are plenty about. In my oppinion the best way is to combine the lot and do some structured training and some crewing with friends. You'll learn quickly.

Cheers,

Mark.

 

[dpapaharisis]

Thanks a lot for the advise. I ll try and pick the area and timing of my courses well.

The med idea just sounds really appealing. Not sure if it's the idea of sailing in the Med or the learning....

Regarding crewing, where can I find more info? I know it's some time away, but I d like to try and find out a bit more!

Thanks!

 

[claymore]

Hi Dimi
I'm always on the lookout for crew. I just seem to get them ready then they beggar off to another skipper which gets me down a bit - sort of feels like pumping up the tyres for someone else to ride the bike if you get my drift. Anyway - your profile is a little scant on detail - whit kind of a lassie are you?

 

[Richard10002]

Get in touch with Rob and Jules at www.rusailing.com in Lagos, Portugal and do a Competent Crew course with them.

They are lovely people who love what they do and who went well beyond the call of duty for me on my Yachtmaster Course, and Janet on her Competent Crew course in May this year.

and Lagos, Alvor, Portimao etc. is a lovely area to introduce yourself to sailing. We kept Rogue there from September 2006 to June this year, and were really sorry to leave.

 

[dpapaharisis]

Hi claymore. It's good to know that people are looking for a crew. I am probably a danger to myself and other at the moment. As I said I like the *idea* of sailing, but I ve only done it once so far (plus quite a bit of windsurfing when I was younger).

On the other hand I ll certainly give it a shot in learning. I ll probably go for a little intro course and then try and spend a few days on a yacht as crew (if there is an offer there I ll probably take it! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif)

Is it Scotland you are based?

 

[jimbaerselman]

To answer your original question, Neilson have been running exactly the sort of two week holiday you describe since 1981. Go Neilson to see the detail.

The method is very efficient since you learn the basics with no interference from tides or bad weather. You get lots of hands on experience, then polish off with a week afloat with no instructors aboard, though they are on call to help all the time.

After that, if you want to sail anywhere along the Atlantic Europe coasts, you'll need to add experience with tidal heights, tidal streams, poor visibility, commercial traffic - and you'll need to learn navigation too. But with the first step under your belt - it is easier.