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You might. I sailed for years, got married, and introduced my wife to the sport. We have a 31 footer. I made a point of not trying to thrill her with lots of heeling on a windy day. She quickly got used to the healing. We're fifty-ish, by the way. Now she likes to curl up with a book on the low side of the boat when we're heeling.
Spend some time on shore looking at other boats sailing and heeling. Study it, and what you may learn is that the heeling you experience on the boat is PERCEIVED as being greater than what is actually occuring. Imagine yourself on one of the boats you're watching.
When you get back on the boat, look at the ENTIRE boat as you sail. Imagine the keel sliding through the water (with lots of ballast). FEEL the boat like it's a big surfboard and get in tune with the way it moves through the water like a big fish.
Don't get "localized", feeling the tilt that's going on under your butt, and watching your immediate area tilting, tilting tilting. That'll just make you focus on the heel and your fear. Experience the entire boat like it's a big dinghy.
With a competent skipper and a reasonable day, you're not going to get hurt. Sailing isn't for everyone, but for those who enjoy it, it's amazing. Maybe it's worth ignoring you fear and just getting in the groove to see if you'll be a sailor.
Sure it heels...it has to, it's just the way it behaves. The entire hull of the boat is designed to be used and to move efficiently through the water (from the tip of the keel up to the deckline).
My wife quickly got accustomed to the boat, and she seldom takes the helm. I believe, however, that one becomes more comfortable with heeling when they become comfortable at the helm, particularlty sailing to windward. As you gain competence at the helm, you find yourself more in control of the whole situation. Remember, to look at and FEEL the entire boat when you're at the helm. Feel and watch how it moves through the water. Give it a chance.
Yeah, sure, you can get hurt on a sailboat, particularly with a new skipper. You'll both be cautious about when to sail. Just cuz others are going out on a blustery day doesn't mean you have to. Let's face it, there's a whole lot more danger in your car. Next time you're on the highway doing seventy, quickly turn the steering wheel hard to the right, hold it there and see what happens. It's the same on a sailboat. You're in control. You do smart stuff, not dumb stuff and everyone's okay.
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