Novice advise

[silvertop]

Fast approaching retirement, and a widower. Whats the connection? OK, Two questions.
1 Which comes first, Chiken or Egg. Do I learn to sail first then buy boat, or buy boat and learn while enjoying.
2 Being a solo learner what is the largest boat I should contemplate on learning to sail with.

Thanks in anticipation.

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[Talbot]

If you are already convinced that sailing is for you, I would recommend that you learn first with a full practical and theory day skipper course at a good school. This will not only give you the information you need to start this way of life, but will also provide a lot of information towards the type of boat that you will want to buy.

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[silverseal]

Start with a dinghy, so learn the rudiments. Then get some experience as a crew for someone else, learning on the job so to speak.. then with the experience you have gained, make the plunge. You might like to also consider various RYA courses, which is rather like have a driving instructor, rather than a family member teaching you to drive.

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[aitchw]

Join a sailing club and learn to sail a dinghy. If you are lucky enough to live near the sea you may find a club that has both dinghy and cruising members which may give you the chance to sail other people's boats. The bigger the variety the better as you will be much better placed to make the decision about an appropriate boat for you when the time comes. If you have no experience at all sailing don't buy a boat until you know the basics at the very least. Previous advice on RYA courses is obviously good but it would better still to be able to sail with others to cement and develop what you learn.

Good luck and good sailing.

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[FullCircle]

I started with no knowledge, but in the creeks and rivers of the East Coast. I joine d a little local yacht club (Wakering YC). I bought a Corribee bilge keel 21 footer, and motored around for a bit, a couple of weekends. Then I hoisted the foresail. Dropped that and hoisted the main, so adding knowledge every trip. I also cadged lots of crewing and bought the whole shelf on sailing and watercraft.
Sailing in itself is nice, but learning watercraft and studying the nature around , and just plain sitting at anchor watching it all go by is the best bit.

PS, there is nowhere to store the ale and sarnies on a dinghy - and they capsize a lot easier than a Corribee (about 3 grand).....

I concur our other friends comments - do take the courses, there will be a suitable school near you somewhere...


Enjoy

Jim & Lynn

<hr width=100% size=1>Second Chance - First Love. Look for the Yellow Dinghy in Burnham.

 

[Hardley]

Lots of good advice has already been given to you, but, I would question if you are agile enough to take up dinghy sailing, had to give that game away myself after 30 years, could not move fast enough, too much swimming could put you off a great sport.
Try a sailing club or friend with a small fin or bilge keel ,day boat.
Or spend £2000 for an 18ft boat, there have been good reports on this type of boat in recent issues of PBO.


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[AlexL]

firstly make sure sailing is for you - we did a Comp crew course about 3-4 years ago and loved it, at that point we decided we would buy a boat one day - so why not by now and not waste money chartering. We did a day skipper course and then bought our current boat - spent a couple of days doing some own boat tuition stuff on our boat and then went out on our own.
You will learn ALOT more skippering your own boat than you will crewing on others boats, or doing courses. We started out just doing little day sails and worked up from there - at the start of this - only our second season we crossed to North sea, at night, to belgium, having done our first crossing last year, in company, during our first season.
We have loved every minute of it, met some wonderful people and thouroughly enjoyed the whole boat ownership thing.

The only warning I can give your is - Remember that it is YOUR dream, and some people will tell you that you are nuts if you do what we did, and how you should serve a 30 year apprentiship in dinghys first, or how you shouldn't go sailing without experience (how do you get experience then?) etc. etc. I would say listen to all the advice, ignore some of it (including this if you want to!) but don't let anyone put you off your dream.

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[simonfraser]

buy something simple and stable, e.g. Hirondelle catarmaran under 10K, start with light airs, go on a course if you must.
boats don't lose a lot of value, not like cars, all you have to lose is some time, you could drown, but hey do somthing with your retirement!

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[MarkV]

There's dingy sailing and there's dingy sailing, The club I sail with do a lot of crusing in wayfairers as well as an occasional race, it seems far more relaxed than some, so half the trick is in picking the right club.

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[William_H]

Go to a club and hang around talking to people and cadge rides take courses too its all part of the fun and very sociable. Do not try to sail a dinghy they are just too treacherous for us old folks. A boat around 18 to 23 foot with a cabin self righting and unsinkable is what you need if it has a trailer you can save a lot of money in slipping fees take it home to work on and tow it to far away places. Sailing is all crisis management so you will need a sense of humour regards will

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[aitchw]

How right you are, Will, about the 'crisis management', especially if you are at the shoestring end of the game.
Howard

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[jonjo]

Re: Need more info

Where do you see yourself in 3 years?

a - Going out for pleasant solo day sails in a sheltered estuary?
b - Coast hopping along the southern Brittany coast with a variety of mates as crew?
c - Sipping a sun downer in a Caribbean anchorage?

What is your budget?

How fit and agile are you?



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[muminator]

I agree with other comments. One thing my husband and I found particularly useful was joining a Sailing Club. Our lovely, friendly little club has a "buddy" system, with more experienced and qualified sailors taking us novices out or staying close by when we sail out on rallies. Also RYA approved schools are a great way to learn and to meet like minded souls.

Enjoy!

<hr width=100% size=1>Definition of an expert: An Ex is a has-been, and a Spurt is a drip under pressure...

 

[silvertop]

Hi Folks

A big thankyou to one and all. All of the advice has been read, and no doubt will be read again. I have to say that I will heed all the advice given and as sugested earlier, will take note of some of it, but will always remember it all. Yes I have decided to buy then enjoy the learning, yes I will be seeking one to one tuition, but in the mean time I can enjoy the learning. I specificlly liked the idea of motoring around just to get the feel, then try hoisting the differant sails just to see how they react. My choice will probably be 18/19 ft'er.
Where do I see myself in three years ? Well I hope to be competant and capable of coastal trips and the occasional cross channel to northern France, who knows. Three years ago I was quite happy touring around the country with my Partner by car. I lost my Partner and decided I needed a more singular method of travel, so I took to a motorcycle, past my test a year ago and next month I am going touring down through France. So why should sailing be so difficult.

I will keep you all informed, and who knows i may well be the one moored up beside you in some far away port, watching the sun go down.

thanks to you all

Don (Silvertop).

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[ex-Gladys]

As both a motorcyclist and a sailor I would caution your comparison... Wheeled transport is a lot less complex than water borne.... You don't get to ride on many moving roads; roads are laid out , if there's enough depth you can go (almost) anywhere on the water. If you get a problem on the road you can bring out the toolkit (mobile phone and RAC card) and get rescued.... It goes on and on.

Whilst none of it is rocket science, boat handling in particular is something that needs to be learnt, and is very different between boats. It's also amazing how much damage you can do with 3 ton of yacht at 1 mph.

<hr width=100% size=1>Larry Botheras

Anderson 26 "Amber"

 

[silvertop]

Point missed. I was not trying to compare motorcycling and sailing, comparison was the advice given at 59 I was told too old to start riding motorcycles, too dangerous. etc; etc. here, the advice not so much dangerous but long and indepth learning, with years of apprenticeship to the professionals. Take away motorcycles, take away sailing, my comparison was, if you are capable of learning something that is totaly alien to your every day life style, you can do it again. The comparison was the ability to learn, not the actual objects.

Don (silvertop)

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