power boat to sail how easy is sailing

[rowey2006]

hi, maybe thinking of changing power boat to a sailing boat.

with my motor boat just start the engine and go.

is sailing easy and simple or will i have to have many hours of traing.

thanks
marc.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Many many hours, but that's all part of the fun.

Best way to find out is to go sailing. You could do worse than ask around here.

 

[Kilter]

Easy enough to learn; IMO it's best to learn on dinghies and then move on to bigger boats

 

[RupertW]

Troll or not, I think it's more a question of having the will and desire to make the change. If you really get a buzz out of using the wind and weather to get places in all sorts of different conditions then you'll be fine to start learning. If you find that it's boring and/or uncomfortable even when sailing well then no amount of training will help.

Being at my most cynical, I'd say that the way some people sail with all the labour-saving devices, and use of motor to go upwind or achieve a high "average" speed -you'll find you need virtually no extra training at all provided you're already a competent boat handler and navigator.

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]
with my motor boat just start the engine and go.



[/ QUOTE ]

with my sailing boat just start the engine and go too <g>

Went out with Janet, (little/no experience), the other week and there was a fairly generous swell... didnt put the sails up as I just wanted her to be able to motor around on the helm without worrying about the wind and sails. Well... we rocked and rolled like a good 'un... probably a bit like a motor boat. I know if we had put the sails up, it would have steadied us a lot.

Anyway.. from being a very wary when the boat rocked a couple of degrees moored at Glasson Dock, (6 months ago), she helmed happily for a good couple of hours with the odd break.

I would probably suggest doing a Competent Crew course, some of which will be teaching a grandmother to suck eggs, but you would get the feel for the differences as well as the principles, without there being any pressure.

Others might say Competent Crew is not the right level given that you already have lots of boating experience, so it might be more appropriate to do Day Skipper, perhaps the practical course with or without the exam if you want the experience without the pressure, (not sure if you have to do the theory first... probably... which is why I suggest Competent Crew.

It's good to be out with someone who knows what they are doing, and whose job is to show you the ropes. You'll progress much faster then with your own boat.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

At risk of being flamed, I'd say that, on the whoile, you probably need either more free time or more flexibility in when you take it and how long it lasts.

You are in Cherbourg and its flat calm. Its late Friday evening, you are due at work on Monday with an 09:00 meeting. This is the third day its been like this but the weather may be breaking. Your auxiliary tank will get you about 100m at 5 knots.

And so forth

Its also beaiutifully quiet and very rewarding to patient SWMBOs who don't need to be at the shoe shop before it closes...

 

[RupertW]

I think that's a fair point, and not one I'd really thought of. I suppose I always think of mobos mostly only going out when it's calm rather than "enjoying" Force 0-7 and getting roughly the same speed regardless.

But certainly you can't do much with weather window of only a few hours, and leaving the boat for a week has to be part of the experience sometimes, although it's probably been 10 years since I've had to. The alternative is plug on into a 6-7 regardless and into the dark to make it back home, which you have to keep telling yourself is really rewarding.

 

[Lakesailor]

It's easy. Loads of people do it. So it can't be that hard.

 

[gandy]

Is easy to sail. But you never stop learning how to sail better, that's part of the fun.

 

[ColinHuggins]

Probably a darn sight harder than simply sailing from scratch because you will have to lose the expectation of what you can do/where you can go in X hours.

Learn in a dinghy without all the distractions of a cruiser and take Competent Crew at the same time. A concentrated week of each will make a huge difference, well worth the investment. Otherwise you'll just "sit there with the sails flapping" - and Trouville will tell you all about that . . .

So hit the RYA search button for training establishments near you, or where you would like to holiday. There was enthusiastic feedback quite recently about the Island Cruising Club's activities in Salcombe - you could look there.

 

[Frontier]

I would try it a bit first. You need to know that the thrill of feeling your way will not wear off.

I think I would enjoy it for a while but I want to be able to get somewhere else quickly if I needed to.

I was in the IOW on Cowes week, couldn't get a berth so just nipped back to the mainland, some raggies had taken all day to get there from Lymington, and was proud of their achievement. I am not knocking that, I fully appreciate it, but I would not have fancied doing that all day then having to head off to Gosport because there were no berths available.

Mind you there was a small yacht in PBO this year that with the right OB engine can do 20+kts, so that might be a good compromise /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[BlueSkyNick]

[ QUOTE ]
Mind you there was a small yacht in PBO this year that with the right OB engine can do 20+kts, so that might be a good compromise /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[/ QUOTE ]that would have been a McGregor26 - A compromise maybe, but not a good one.
Not highly regarded amongst the sailing community.

 

[Frontier]

yep I can understand that, I guess I latched onto the speed mobo element totally missing the point about true sailing.

Is it that it does not sail very well or is it an image thing?

 

[Kawasaki]

Don't think its an "Image thing"
Some say they don't do anything properly.
IE Sail nor Motor.
A Mate has one and it has taught Him loads.
Cos it was His first boat He has been introduced to 2 elements power and sail.
Has also confused Him cos He don't know which way to go next!
I too have a penchant, one day to go raggie ish but it would have to be a Cat.
SWMBO Won't do "tilting"
Plus I think I would need to be "retired" to have the time to get places.
Right now it's still a Mobo for Me cos in 6 hours I can cover 72 miles ish wich gives Me lots of options where I cruise.
The advantage of Sail for Me ,eventually would be the capability of a longer Range.
Not relying on" fill ups " apart from the Wine store that is! so often.
But then again by the time one retires one becomes less active maybe.
One then requires a Mobo cos it requires less agility.
It's a bugger int it?

 

[banger]

Hire an engine less traditional yacht on the Norfolk Broads, you will learn more in a week than in a year of RYA day Skipper Courses

 

[tcm]

Sailing is miles easier than motorboating qv humans sailed the Atlantic by 1492 or earlier, but not under power for another sveral hundred years. Thus sailing is doss-easy, altho many who cannot handle planing/power boats may try to pretend otherwise.

However...sailing the very same model of boat as another person - but a teensy bit faster as per racing - is not at all easy. You have to have just the right amount of sail and tension and blah.

 

[ColinHuggins]

Re: Sail to Power

[ QUOTE ]
But then again by the time one retires one becomes less active maybe. One then requires a Mobo cos it requires less agility.

[/ QUOTE ]

AND less crew.
AND it's dry.
AND its warm.

BUT less challening unfortunately.

Aye, there's the rub . . .

 

[Boeingdr]

Re: Sail to Power

I made the change from a 24ft Rinker to a 26ft sailing yacht last year.
Did day skipper theory and practical prior to the season.
Learning to sail is not difficult, learning to sail well will take alifetime.
Recommend volunteering to crew some small racing keelboats if possible, I did that for a few weeks and learnt a lot about using the wind.
I have never sailed dingys but the racing helped with my wind awareness.
If you want to get a long way and back ina day dont do it, if you want to enjoy the experience of getting from A-B make the break, the whole sailing experience is so much more satisfying.
Another thought if you will be single handed at times start smallish 24-30ft..
Thoroughly recommend it!

 

[alant]

Varies from person to person, but can't be that difficult cos I do it!

Get some sailing time in before you decide. Courses/dinghies/beg a sail with a raggie (they don't bite)etc.

(1) Sailboats can be easier to park, since your in the water not on it.
(2) Like most things that are practical, once you know the basic principles & use lots of common sense, it gets easier.
(3) Lower fuel bills?
(4)Quiet & peaceful.
(4) Feel the wind (+ best to know where its coming from).

Go on try it, should be fun /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif