So me and my dad went and bought our first boat with no sailing experience

[nightowle]

I hope you create some follow-ups to this. As a journal of sorts, it will beome an inspiration to other newly minted sailors that need some encouragement.

Gloves.....did anyone mention them? When the sheets run blindingly fast through your hands on an unintended tack or jibe, you'll be glad you're wearing gloves! And I was really happy to see that your Dad had on a pfd. Good man!

[Snowtanned]

1st boat, with no experience? You are to be commended.

Don't be afraid of your boat.

[stormsvale]

Originally Posted by landsend

Had a good laugh.
Currents in a lake?
And I thought power boaters were clueless!
Carry on.

Surface currents are wind driven.. look up EKMANN SPIRAL or Ekmann Circulation.. In a first level physical oceanography text book.

[cr180]

Good for you and your Dad!! You will get it! Y’all seem to have a great attitude about the situation and are willing to admit you know very little, so every trip out will be a learning experience. That as well as the reading and talking with other sailors you will do. You’ll figure it out little by little. You’re no longer a ‘wannabe sailor’, but an actual sailor! Don’t listen to the nay sayers. We went through the exact same thing back in our early 20’s. Bought the sailboat, (a small catamaran) spent several hours at the ramp stepping the mast, putting on the sails, etc., had no clue whatsoever. We actually flipped our boat, (turtled it) and had to flag down a small power boat to help us get it back upright. No one hurt, except for our pride, a good day on the water and much learned! You will never forget the first day!!!

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by landsend

Had a good laugh.
Currents in a lake?
And I thought power boaters were clueless!
Carry on.

Plenty of lakes have currents. Two near me, both man made TVA lakes. Currents are mostly down deep, but have some effect at the surface.

In one I dive at 325' down the rocks in the original river bed are mostly clear of silt because the river is still running down there.

Prevailing winds move the water around the hills and valleys that are now submerged. Of course there's also some current near the outflow at the dam end of the lake.

[MicHughV]

If I had to post a video of my first sailing experience people would still be rolling in the aisles, laughing their heads off...

There is a learning curve involved.....you've just taken the first step on a long walk....it gets better with each trip....

[stormsvale]

Welcome to sailing!!! Good on you! Most of us started out figuring it out as we go. My first trip as skipper was shall we say interesting. To be honest my dad put a lot of trust in me loaning me his boat. Many years and lots of racing single handing and crossing oceans I have learned a lot but still not perfect... we are human... It is easy to be critical harder to actually do it. How many times did you fall off your bike before you got it.
Sounds like you have the right attitude! ENJOY! It will only get better!!!
Mike From Stormsvale

[grantmc]

Awesome video, really enjoyed it. Welcome to CF, and hoping to see much more. Great that you both kept calm.

When I saw the first view of the boat I thought 'cool' a bilge keeler and I was reminded of someone else that did pretty much the same thing as you. His name was Shane Acton; bought a little boat almost identical to yours and taught himself to sail. After deciding he'd mastered the basics sailing about the South Coast, he thought why not sail to France? After all it's only 20 miles between Dover and Calais; how hard can it be? He wrote a couple of books about his adventures; Shrimpy Salils and Shrimpy Sails Again. Well worth reading, and I'm sure will give you some inspiration as to what you'll soon be able to do with your boat if you choose.

[capn_billl]

Originally Posted by landsend

Had a good laugh.
Currents in a lake?
And I thought power boaters were clueless!
Carry on.

Small narrow lake fed by a large river, and drained by a weir.

Currents? YES.

[djousset]

I so enjoyed this, excellent job!
(not dissimilar to one of my first trips out...)

[wolfgal]

Make my day!!!

back when i was a, early teen, my father got me all-looking-forward-to this 36' ketch he planned to buy. he showed me pictures and told me where we would go and what my jobs/duties would be... i was SO looking forward to sailing with my dad and was more than happy to do all those hard jobs.

and i will always remember that sinking feeling when he drove into the yard with a trailer carrying a 17' motorboat instead... yes, we did enjoy the boat for years and years, but something was always missing, something really big!

my guess is that, perhaps one day, long from now, you might reflect upon this first day of sailing and feel the strongest urge to thank your dad for have given you wings... there is just so much to love about sailing! enjoy!!!

and thank you for sharing!

wolfgal