How best to learn to sail a large boat when i'm inland?

[Lasivian]

Originally Posted by Snore

Mea culpa, Mea culpa- mea maxima culpa

Damn! I was hoping you knew something I didn't LOL

[Lasivian]

Thanks folks. I appreciate all the info.

This was mainly about what insurance companies would require. I checked with my insurance company and they would give me liability insurance with zero skill, at a shockingly reasonable rate. ($500 a year for a 30' sailboat)

That all being said it might be a bit naive of me, but i'm not concerned about my capacity to sail once I get an intermediate amount of knowledge. (I can hear you groaning now, but you have to rememebr there are those of us that know what we know, and take small steps to learn what we don't know, and that's just how we do it.)

The suggestions to be "volunteer crew" are right up my alley, beacause I learn best "by doing".

Thanks!

[Adelie]

Get a Laser and start sailing now. Probably be able to sell it close to the purchase price when you move up.

[wesevans]

Charter a large boat with a captain to teach you how to sail, Go to a school that teaches you how to be a captain (Chapman in Florida) there are others, Crew on a Caribbean 1500 regatta. Book on a sail and learn from East coast US to the Caribbean, These are a few options. Highly recommended you get experience before you buy the boat.

[Scotty Kiwi]

How do you know if you do or don't get seasick without having been on the Ocean?
I don't know too many Ocean people who are completely unaffected by seasickness.

[Sailing Sangha]

If you get down towards Oregon coastline, look me up. I'd be willing to do some offshore and give you some experience in addition to all the other learning and experience gathering mentioned above.

[Mithril Bham]

Get dinghy certification USSA on a lake.
Read Chapmans.
Read Nigel Calder
Everybody gets seasick except my wife.
You will find that out someday if you pursue this path.

[RobPatterson]

No problem. I did it. I moved aboard from far inland and I recommend moving to a land based place very close to your boat for a short while while you sort out your boat. Hire a captain that your insurance company accepts and go sailing so the captain can teach you and vouch for you to the insurance company. Do a lot of day cruises to build skills. You can do this while living full time on the boat. Do a lot of coastal cruising to build skills. After a while you'll be OK to do an ocean crossing. Your time frames depend on talent, how fast you learn, and how much help you get.
Go for it!

[Mauruuru]

Begin at the beginning while waiting for the on ocean opportunity read and view everything you can about boat dynamics and sailing instruction online can provide-great base!
Then go to a sailing course and get some real on water experience with an instructor freshwater works too . Hardest sailing I ever did was storms on lake Erie. Then go do it because that’s the only way to do it

[RoseLoper48]

Friends of mine did just what you are contemplating. They were from Colorado and wanted to sail when they retired. They read a lot of books, practiced sailing on small local boats and gained experience. They purchased a boat in Seattle and took sailing lessons there on their own boat. When they were ready to sail south they hired a Captain to sail with them to San Francisco. There the hired Captain left and they continued south to Mexico to enjoy years of sailing around enjoying life. Make a plan and just do it.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Houston450

Come spend a week in Texas onboard a Lagoon 450 or Leopard 44. We teach both ASA and NauticEd. Boat s are available to charter too! Www.yachtcations.com or chris@yachtcations.com

Those boats are too big, heavy, and slow.

To learn sailing well, you need a lightweight, fast sailboat. One that reacts immediately when you pull a "string."

One that is affected by the placement of your body.

One with tons of sail area as compared to displacement.

One that is on the edge of control most of the time.

These type boats teach you sailing quickly and you must pay attention all the time or else you'll get wet

[Ken Fry]

Originally Posted by Halien

I also have a Capri 25 in Spokane. That boat's for sale. It's great for Coeur d'Alene or Pend Oreille. I singlehanded it from Port Townsend to San Francisco. I'm not sure it's the best boat to learn on, but it's a good boat.

I'd say that it is awfully close. A Catalina 22 would be maybe a little better, (because it is smaller and lighter)... but your Capri is for sale, and right there in Spokane, and owned by someone who could speak to how to go about preparing to sail oceans.

Sailing inland is a very good start to the experience of sailing, and makes the learning process more manageable because you don't need to be aware of as many things as once (such as tides and currents) so you can focus on sail trim, and boat handling.

Dinghies are great for learning too, but not quite as forgiving as a small keel boat.

[Sailorman4009]

I like you started sailing on inland waters. I purchased a used Catalina 25 and rebuilt her, then sailed her on the Columbia river around Portland, Or.
Even with the sizable river getting a feel for control and sail function was difficult as we were constantly having to tack due to hitting the other side of the river. Just too narrow for real experience.
You may find Lake Cour d'Alene a good learning ground with a smaller boat. It is sizable but again there are rocks so watch your charts.
But to get the real experience of open ocean sailing I would recommend contacting people sailing out of Puget Sound and work a deal as a free crew man for day sailing or even a weekend run.

People always have boats and no one wants to go with them. So they solo, which is not really as much fun. Sometimes they will invite people to come along for the experience and skill set. They can be either good or bad instructors. Its a crap shoot.

Lastly, don't buy a big boat until you know something of how boats all fit together. I see it every day at the boatyard guys buying boats and they never leave the dock or yard because they bit off more than they could chew.
Never buy a boat without a full survey. I promise the cost is worth it.

Good luck finding insurance other than liability or fire.

I hope your dream comes true.