The best way to learn how to sail

[Jim Cate]

Although I must confess I have been known to have a little private hack with another boat from time to time just for a laugh but club racing..???

Ahhh, Phil... when two yachts are on similar courses a race is happening. We always respond by paying more attention to trim and such like... yep, we're racing... unless the other boat proves faster than ours... then, well, we're just out daysailing!

Jim

[Adelie]

Buy a Laser.
Go sailing for 2-4hr twice a month.
After a 6mo-1yr sell the laser.
Buy a Cal20, Catalina22 or Santana22.
Repeat but with 1 or 2 crew this time.
Practice man overboard with tennis balls. Will be an eyeopener.

All of the above boats should be saleable at a price near what you paid for them.

The goal is to learn to SAIL before getting lost in the weeds of all the cruising stuff:
Heads
motors
Electronics
Radios
Nav Lights
Galley
Official paperwork
etc

[SV_FlyingTigress]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Buy a Laser.
Go sailing for 2-4hr twice a month.
After a 6mo-1yr sell the laser.
Buy a Cal20, Catalina22 or Santana22.
Repeat but with 1 or 2 crew this time.
Practice man overboard with tennis balls. Will be an eyeopener.

All of the above boats should be saleable at a price near what you paid for them.

The goal is to learn to SAIL before getting lost in the weeds of all the cruising stuff:
Heads
motors
Electronics
Radios
Nav Lights
Galley
Official paperwork
etc

I would just revise the above, starting with the Catalina 22 type to "fix it up at a basic level to get into some of the sailing-specific boat maintenance and then sell them for *more* than you bought them for to pay for your materials+.... rinse and repeat.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Buy a Laser.
Go sailing for 2-4hr twice a month.
After a 6mo-1yr sell the laser.
Buy a Cal20, Catalina22 or Santana22.
Repeat but with 1 or 2 crew this time.
Practice man overboard with tennis balls. Will be an eyeopener.

All of the above boats should be saleable at a price near what you paid for them.

The goal is to learn to SAIL before getting lost in the weeds of all the cruising stuff:
Heads
motors
Electronics
Radios
Nav Lights
Galley
Official paperwork
etc

I’d amend that to sail the Laser 2 to 4 hours a day! At least that’s what I’d like.

[JPA Cate]

Practice man overboard with tennis balls. Will be an eyeopener.

When we did MOB drills, we used flotation cushions, but it has to be under sail. No starting the meat slicer (spinning props and people in the water being potentially VERY dangerous).

Adelie's list is one way to do it.

Yes, one does get to the point where there is that sense of oneness with the wind, sea, sky, and boat, but no one can tell when it will happen for someone. I had learned where all the lines were at night with no illumination, before that sense came for me, most often during the period when the world comes awake, and the sun comes over the horizon. For me, it was after my first gale, quite a long way into my sailing life, not as fast as fingers knowing the frets.

Ann

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by underblu

I taught myself how to play the guitar by just playing and figuring things out as I go. But buying a guitar (or even several for that matter) and teaching yourself how to play seems far less daunting than buying a boat and teaching yourself how to sail.

I’ve only sailed small sunfish type craft when I was a kid where flipping over was half the fun. I’m not sure I remember much technique and if that is even applicable with larger sailboats.

Anyway, if anyone has any pointers or stories they’d like to share
about how they got into sailing it would be appreciated.

Sailing is easy. The best way to learn is to just go do it. I took lessons and joined a club for a few months. Then got a 39 foot boat.

[KingRichard]

I'm fairly new to sailing, but I also play a little guitar. I had the same experience when learning to play where it seemed like all of a sudden your hand(s) just worked, you broke through the ceiling. That hasn't exactly happened with sailing yet, at least not in the same way. I think the reason is that sailing is so much more multifaceted.

The closest synonym might be that daunting feeling. Last year was my first singlehanded trip on my 26ft boat, the engine broke. I was camped in a small secluded bay on the far side of the lake, no one in site and no cell service. Although terrified, I weighed anchor, navigated out of the bay, and sailed across the lake back to the dock. A level of that fear dissipated, I had broken a ceiling, so naturally I took on a new one, conquered that and now I'm chasing another.

I had a bit of boating experience, so I went out and bought the 26ft boat having never been on a sailboat. I like hands-on learning and teaching myself as I go, but if I had it to do over again, I think I would go buy a Laser rather than start with the 26. It would be easier to learn the fundamentals without all of the other distractions.

Hope that helps.

[lifeofreilly57]

If you are living close to the water see if there's a local yacht club that has a racing program. Most beer can racers are always looking for crew, since most people racing in weeknight racing series have jobs and family responsibilities it's sometimes difficult to find cew. You'll learn more in one season of crewing on a race series than you would in several years of messing about on your own.
If you happen to get on a boat with a good captain and attitude you can learn quite a bit and work through several positions to learn the basics.
When I used to race in weeknight series I had a number of people rotate through crew positions, since all had jobs and families it could change from week to week.
Whether you decide to race your own boat or just want to cruise for fun, the lessons you learn on sail trim and the capabilities of a boat will stay with you.
Good Luck

[lo2jones]

Learning and buying: who ever said “buy a 16’-20’ boat” is a wise man or woman. A small boat is the best teacher. When you do something wrong the boat stops; when you do something right you are awarded with immediate acceleration. You learn to start being the captain right away, and the boat teaches you everything else…almost. ASA or US Sailing courses teach you in a structured way almost all you need to know. Common sense doesn’t come with your certificate.

[Seabeau]

Many years ago, as a teenager, I taught myself the fundamentals of sailing, by first renting small catamarans, while on vac at Hilton Head SC and Jekyll Island GA, with my family. Later, I bought an old 18 monohull and got into the "Meat and Potatoes" of the real craft of sailing. I've done everything possible to do with a small boat, except sink one. I came close to that a few times, but no cigar, and no regrets for the experiences. Furthermore, I am now in my seventh decade of life and still love it with a passion.

[RedneckRedcoat]

We had a powerboat for 5 years so knew alittle about the water. We sold that and bought a 27 foot CAL 227. We did the ASA 101 as an introduction for just learning about sailing , spent the next year every weekend and holiday on the 227. We then bought a 40 jeanneau did the 103-104 on the 40 and haven’t looked back since. The instructor of the 103-104 said he could tell we had done some sailing before and that made a big difference.

[Ltfdrebbin]

I grew up sailing a Sunfish.
Rented beach cats here and there and got an occasional ride on a monohull over the next 25 years.
3 years ago we bought a 44 foot Mono. I knew I could catch the wind and make the boat go where I wanted, but I had no experience docking. We hired a captain for a day and mostly practiced docking.
Looking back after 3 years- bigger boats are more expensive. Things break and I have made mistakes. All of that costs money. Although set up nicely for single handed sailing, I have not done it. So I've missed opportunities to go on the water due to the boat size/my level of experience. On the plus side for a bigger boat- The bigger boat is also very comfortable for our family and friends. It allows us to go out when the waves are bigger and the wind is blowing harder.
I agree with what everyone said above- people at the dock are friendly and helpful. Google, Youtube and forums like this are a huge help, and I've made some friends that have a lot of experience, and they have been very patient with me.

Hope our experience helps you.

[danstanford]

Making your way upwind or downwind is not difficult and if you have the aptitude/desire to do better you can read here or in sail trim books and try to get faster. Racing is the single easiest way to learn what makes the boat go faster and pointers are usually available if you ask while on a boat with someone experienced. A word to the wise to wait till the skipper or trimmers are relaxing on the way back in rather than during the race when their mind is completely immersed.

Some of the best skills to make sailing more fun and less stressful is boat handling and docking. Most sailors say this is the most stressful thing about sailing and I can remember it as such too. Again, asking someone good at it is the best technique.

[sailorladd]

Yours is a very similar story to mine
I taught myself how to play guitar, I started at a very tender age around five or six, and I believe I am an accomplished guitarist with several bands under my belt.. (although I realize that self praise is no recommendation lol)

I decided, at around the age of twenty to build a boat and sail around the world and I taught myself how to build one and learned (the hard way) how to sail and navigate (celestion)

I really believe we are all capable of doings things we believe we cannot. It is an attitude thing, and once you have "learnt" to adopt this attitude, there are no limits... I also taught myself how to write a book and have one on amazon, all about building and sailing the boat I called Deja vu... the name of the book as well.. actually, Days of Deja vu. I know, shameless plug.

[Nicholson58]

#1. Join a racing crew. Take any position and learn your way through the various jobs. Preferably, boat less than 30 feet. If you can, find a small boat fleet such as Melgus or other class boats.

#2. Acquire a small boat 16-21 feet with jib and main. There are a lot of such monohulls found near inland lakes. Something one or two can sail, easy to rig. Near us in Traverse City, Michigan, Interlake. Looks OK, nice trailer.