Newbie

[petedg]

I keen to take up yacht cruising most probably in the mediteranean as I am living and working in Switzerland. However, as a complete beginner I have some questions and I'd be pleased to have comments/suggestions/ideas from more experienced sailors.
My plan is to first complete the RYA competent crew followed by the RYA day skipper or coastal skipper. I then plan to purchase a small (9-12m long) second hand yacht with some room and comfort for 2 people to live aboard for 3 or 4 weeks at a time.
My questions are:-
Do I have the priorities right with regard to the skills I will need? I'm trying to build up a checklist of how I should best proceed and what I need to do.
Any recommendations for a suitable yacht? For me comfort and seaworthiness are more important than speed. Something from Dufour or Legend were my initial thoughts.
Thanks in advance to all those who take the time to respond.

 

[Deleted member 478]

Welcome to the forum

I'd start by reading a few books:

Sell up and Sail
The Cost Conscious Cruiser
Cruising on a Small Income

Those three will give you a really good idea about what a cruising life is like. Maybe you'll be inspired, perhaps not?

 

[snowleopard]

9-12m is not 'small'. For a beginner I would go for something in the 7-10m range.

One certain thing in your situation is that the boat you realise you need after a year or so of experience will be quite different to the one you think you'd like from reading about it.

Your best bet is to sail on other people's boats for a while before you make up your mind.

To acquire good sailing skills, consider starting in dinghies. Their sensitive reaction to your actions will teach you much better than a big heavy keelboat.

 

[moondancer]

The commonest phrase I hear from 'newbies' at the boat shows are 'I am not worried about sailing performance....'. Things very quickly change once people have sailed a bit.

Fully agree with snowleopard that the one thing that is certain is that your first boat will only last you a year.

If you live in Switzerland why don't you try a hand at sailing in Lake Geneva. There is a big Surprise (very similar to the Sonata) racing fleet there often looking for crew.

 

[ajt]

Have you considered this Option?

 

[ChrisE]

Your priorities seem OK to me, snowleopard is right when he says that 9-12m is not small but we started off with a 11.7m boat that we still own 12 years later. The learning curve steep though and my advice would be to buy whatever you like the look of but ensure that it is a standard model that could be resold if you find that sailing is not your thing.

 

[zefender]

You haven't mentioned whether, as a complete beginner, you know whether you enjoy sailing. I think I would be inclined to take a pre-flotilla sailing course (practical) and a Day skipper training book to gen up on the theory. I'd then book a 2 week flotilla holiday. It'll give you some experience of sailing but with help available. A Villa flotilla is another option (one week training, the other on a flotilla as skipper). Then, armed with the knowledge as to whether you like sailing or not, I'd then crew a bit before taking the plunge and buying something. But if you are essentially after a holiday boat, I would consider almost any volume manufacturer and maybe (if you're right about 3-4 weeks use only) think about chartering and not owning.

 

[dpapaharisis]

Hi there,

Quite similarly, I like the idea of sailing and I d like to learn. The idea of both courses ("learning to sail" and two week practical) sounds great - not only to learn to sail but also understand if sailing and living aboard is for me.

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

Thanks!