Sailing confidence

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atelford

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Having sailed for a couple of seasons now I have sailed in a tidal lough rather than a sea. My confidence in sailing has always been low with the slightest hint of a blow or a heel causing me to slightly panic. Question 1..... will this ever subside ? I am now wintering in the sea which has been very choppy even on a calm day. The boat is small (17 feet) and when motoring out the outboard always gets a bit of a dunking in the swell. Although it has never actually done so my fear is that the outboard will dunk so low as to stall. It is a 4 hp mercury and apart from the odd seaweed tangle, rope tangle and lack of fuel it has never cut out. My fear is that the engine will dunk and I'll be on the rocks. I also have yet to put up the sails and go for it as the confidence is just not there. Is this ever going to subside ? Im now tempted to go and dinghy sail where the fear of being engineless or heeling too much wouldnt worry me. Im planning on doing the RYA courses but fear it'll be a waste if I dont actually start doing some proper sailing. Thoughts anyone ?
 
Sounds like you're being honest with yourself which is a great start. Too many are gung ho and thoughtless of the risk to themselves and others. A practical course will change your perspective for ever. You'll get great instruction and lots of practice. Alongside that get someone else to go along with you in your boat. I did that for someone moored next to us who was terrified after grounding on their first trip. You can hire instructors who will give you some lessons on your own boat - or ask on here. The only way to get over the fear is to go sailing. The best way to do it is to get a calm professional to show you 'the ropes'. Then get ready, cos you'll make lots of mistakes. Every time you go sailing, it will make you better; I'd rather sail with someone who's made 100 mistakes than someone who's made 10.

Good luck.
 
Oh no.... sorry. I have been out sailing in the tidal lough which is calmer and have done regattas etc so have done plenty of sailing when there has been an average wind and calmish waters.... but if it starts to get blowy and choppy..... the fear sets in
 
Go sailing in a dinghy with someone who really knows what they are about - something like a Wayfarer. Great fun and you really learn about sailing, the wind, what the boat can do etc etc. After that, the bigger boat will seem so much easier.
 
Two things you should have learned in the loch are 1, If you have trouble with the motor, sails could get you out of trouble. 2. Having sails up reduces the rolling etc. When I first started sailing I had similar fears, it may sound strange to most people but having sunk all my money into a boat I decided I had to make it work. At first I only went out when saw similar boats sailing, now I am often the only boat out.
Allan
 
We have friends where the wife was a dinghy sailor but the husband didn't like it blowing in their 20footer and insisted in pulling all the ropes tight and perhaps dropping sails and motoring on an outboard. He never would let his wife on the tiller or learn to sail a dinghy.

We took them away for a weekend (in our 31 footer) and had a really good sail, reefing as necessary but keeping on the pace. The answer for them was to buy a bigger boat (a 29ft Konsort) which is heavier, less tippy and has an inboard that makes motoring much more pleasant.

Motoring with a sail up can help steady things down rather than slamming in to waves.

I never dinghy sailed so I can't comment. A more experienced sailor will certainly show you how to do it better and how much more you can trust your boat than you actually do now - that's the way to go.
 
ONE: A 17ft boat (centreboard or fixed keel?) isn't going to give you the same sense of security as a 27ft or 37ft boat in identical conditions - so your caution, especially given the extraordinary weather we've had for the last two seasons, isn't surprising.

TWO: Move your boat to properly protected inshore waters, go out in calm weather (wait until you have a forecast of no more than F2-3), hoist the sails (put a reef in if you're at all concerned) and see how she handles.

THREE: Practice sailing as much as you can (where before you'd be tempted to start the engine): sail off/on pontoons, pick up a mooring under sail (can't be that difficult in a 17 footer), anchor under sail, weigh anchor under sail, heave-to and eat your sandwich, make up an arbitrary race course (two or three buoys) and time yourself around the course then see if you can better it, lob a weighted fender overboard and then recover it. This way you'll worry less about the engine letting you down, as you'll know that you can sail out of bother.

FOUR: Do a day skipper course (theory first, then a practical) and read as many books on sailing as you can - the point here is that with increasing knowledge and understanding your confidence will rise to a more normal level.

FIVE: Ask around your club (or marina) for other sailors to come out with you on day-sails, or pay a school instructor - there is nothing like having a more experienced sailor beside you exuding calm, showing you easier ways of doing things, etc, etc.

SIX: Equip yourself with appropriate safety kit - a lifejacket, suitable flares, a handheld VHF, a cheap handheld GPS to position-fix, etc - that way if you get into bother you'll have the means to raise help.

SEVEN: Sailing is supposed to be enjoyable if sometimes challenging - if you're worried, then you've done the right thing by thinking it through and asking for advice here.

BTW if you give some more information about your boat, where you sail, etc, you'll find loads of people with knowlege about your boat and the locality who'd be more than willing to give you specific advice.

Good luck

Babylon
 
I think it is completely appropriate to be cautious. It amazes me how many have little consideration for equipment failures, especially engine failures. The more I sail, the more I read, the less confidence I have!!

I have just have to take hold of myself now and a gain .... and push the boat out a little!
 
The trepidation never goes away for me - and shouldn't! It's really important to get to know what your boat likes & doesn't, where the limits are and use the boat within or near the limits depending on how much courage you have on the day. You will always (at least I do!) make mistakes and so long as it's part of the learning experience you'll suddenly find yourself remembering how much more adventurous you have become over the years!
 
I totally agree that you need to take care at all times. On my first sailing boat (Etap22i) I would not go out without two motors, the fixed outboard and one on a transom bracket. I now think of my sails as my second form of power. The list from Babylon above is a great start too. I would add harness and some way to clip on but that is a matter of choice. Above all I would say think quickly and act calmly. Never rush around the boat, practice moving around the boat calmly.
Allan
 
Are you in a club? Sail with a couple of others (different boats, different crews, different ideas will teach you a great deal). Many clubs do cruises in company, they are great social events & seeing others will help you understand what is safe & what isn't in any given situation.

As others have said a 17' boat in rough weather can throw you around a lot & transom mounted outboards will dunk & lift out in short steep seas (typical shallow water wind over tide conditions). But it is VERY unlikely to drown in my experience - much more likely to come out of the sea or cavitate.

Nevertheless, a 17'er is easy to handle, the strain on sails & sheets is far lower and you can row or scull her if the engine fails in calmer weather. In heavier weather, keep her well reefed down & she should be relatively easy to handle, and very manouverable. The engine should really only be needed for heading dead upwind.

Good Luck
 
Practice brings confidence but as stated above, most of us feel scared every so often. My tip is:try a flotilla holiday in the Med - warm tideless waters, other folk often inexperienced. We have always found the staff very supportive. OR try a shorebased 'Club' eg Sunsail
 
I have been sailing for years now and still have some confidence problems. Firstly I sailed other people’s boats for many years and never took charge, parked the boat, navigated with responsibility for the boat. I have now owned and sailed two boats which has really boosted my confidence, so I would say ownership and independent experience are paramount to increasing confidence.

I also condone a good theory and practical course; get yourself onto a coastal skipper nav course over the winter and then do a day skipper course if practical. If you have a 17fter then sailing a dinghy isn’t going to be too far away from what you are doing right now! If you want to learn to sail fast or race then get out in a good dinghy like a laser or laser 2000 with a competent skipper, however going out in loads of wind on an unstable fast dinghy may not be the best way of raising confidence.

I certainly would recommend a higher displacement boat with an inboard engine which should be more seaworthy and comfortable with the higher winds and sea states. If however you want to keep your current boat, you should realise its limitations and sail to them. If it gets unpleasant in a chop and in breeze then limit you’re sailing to less than a force 5 for the time being.

If you consider the above comments the confidence should come naturally over the next couple of years.

Sometimes even the best sailor’s confidence will get a knock if they make a mistake or get caught out in bad weather. The best thing you can do is to learn from the mistake and get back out their as soon as possible, otherwise you will never do it. My grandfather read one too many ‘learning from experience’ articles over the years and it defiantly had a detrimental effect on his confidence!
 
You should bear in mind that boats as small as yours have crossed the atlantic and done all sorts of incredible feats. And, as was highlighted during the fastnet race, a boat is in fact a very safe place to be and very very few boats sink because they are overwhelmed by waves. If you've sailed on smooth water, then you must be used to the boat tilting, so is it the bucking and the spray that cause alarm?

I agree with a number of the other posters - you need to have someone experienced go out with you a few times or you need to go out on someone else's small boat - that way you'll learn how to cope with bouncy, wet conditions.

Not sure that day skipper will help much, they are all, as far as I know, run on much larger boats than yours and I think it's the smallness of your boat more than anything else that is the problem.
 
I have just thought of something to add to my previous posts. If I had gone straight to my 33 footer, instead of starting with a 22 footer, I dont think I would be as good as sailing as I am. Don't get me wrong, I don't think I am good, just better for learning on a boat where things happen faster.
Allan
 
The boat will roll when sails are down; you need to put the sails up to balance the boat. Also, If there is no fear there is no fun; if you fear that the outboard will stall; get a 4 stroke 2.3 hp on the transom as well, this will give you more confidence. Put the sails up and motorsail to give you more control. You are not the only one who feels nervous when choppy. So, three quick wins: small spare outboard, sails up and motorsail. I pressume you have a hand held VHF radio and GPS; not necessary but helps to boost the confidence. Good luck.
 
Point one....it's a hobby and we do this for enjoyment. Go and do what you enjoy and don't feel the need to flog off to windward in gales if you don't find it fun.

Point two...there are a lot of b*llsh***ers around who will tell you tales of seas that towered over the boat and wind that touched 50 kts, learn to tell them apart from the real deal like RKJ.

Point three...my first seven years of boat ownership with a H22, I never went more than 40 miles from home port. I mostly covered Brixham to Dartmouth and back and I cherish every trip even now.

Point four....even after twenty years I still hate windward in more than a five if it takes more than a coup,e or three hours and have even been known to shout at the wind and waves when they don't play ball.
 
I started off in the Naval cadets on dinghys, then jumped up to 40fters as guest/crew on friends boats, but never had my own boat. Years later I was able to afford a 33fter (second hand and my first boat) The first thing I did was pay for a local experienced skipper to go out with me both for familiarisation of the boat and to refresh on many of the things that I had forgotten over the years. We went out a few times in differing weather conditions. This enabled me to quickly regain the confidence on my boat that I had had previously on those of others.

Never be too proud to ask for training on your own boat.

Being in charge of your own boat is completely different to being crew on someone elses boat.

I also find that preparation time on the boat is best done by just myself, before any non sailing guests arrive. That way I can do everything at my pace without the "are we ready to go yet" conversations. When guests arrive they just expect to hop on board and for you to sail away.( I learnt that the hard way)

Another tip I just remembered, my wife had no sailing expeience, so first time she went out on the boat, I took along my experienced skipper (now a friend) and asked him to do her inroduction to sailing training. That way it was a teacher student relationship, not a husband trying to teach wife scenario (we all know how that ends).

You have done the right thing by asking on here, and will get many good tips.

ps I have only just completed my first season of boat ownership and each time my confidence grows, I take it easy and slowly extend my range and weather conditions that I go out in, and the enjoyment increases with evert trip. Yes I have still made some mistakes, but have learned from them.
 
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