I new to this boating stuff

[ViperR6]

For a while now, i have been thinking about getting a boat, taking the course so forth & so on...

I notice there's a online course that i can take, pass a test & supposely have i have my lic.......

But really have no clue where to start..... So any advice & direction will be greatly appreciated.....

I am pretty sure there have been thread about this, if you can post the thread, that would be greatly appreciated also....


Viper

[CharlieCobra]

You could do what I did. Buy an old Mac 21 or similar trailor sailor and get out there and do it. That way, if ya hate it, ya didn't go broke finding that out. If ya love it, learning to handle that little boat in various conditions will teach ya much faster than starting on a bigger boat. By all means, take some classes, read some books and check out the content of the various sites and forums up here in never never land. It won't take long to learn to sort the wheat from the chaff and the sheep from the wolves.

[danjarch]

You can also check for local sailing clubs and groups, one of the local clubs around here own about ten day sailors and teaches youth sailing. They allow members to sail the boats, About every other weekend if memory serves. This club is jointly supported by the city, so dues were something like $12 dollars a year. A lot of local yacht clubs offer membership that have access to small boats for less then $100 a month. You might try going that route. You'd not only learn to sail but would most likely meet guys with bigger boats.

[hellosailor]

Viper, the online courses are typically boating safety classes and YES you want to learn about that. Especially online and free or near-free. There are many acccidents each from from folks who simply don't know the "rules of the road" for safe boating, give yourself an advantage and learn them.

Taking sailing classes is usually a pretty good way to get started, so you at leaast learn the basic correctly about how to work the boat--instead of having to unlearn things later. Once you are at a sailing school or yacht club or marina, there are always folks looking for crew, or willing to help out a newcomer, and by asking around you'll find that you can get lots more experience on a variety of boats--with a variety of sailors.

Wear proper soft-soled non-marking shoes (boating shoes or white soled sneakers will do just as well), pack light but make sure you are dressed for the waether (it can change quickly on the water), make sure you've brought lunch and plenty of fluid. And sunblock. (Sounds like a school kid trip list, huh?) But honest, if you show up prepared about the small important stuff like that, everything else will fall in order.

Sailors are easy, anyone bringing extra salty snacks or cold drinks tends to be invited back.

And if you do get seasick--it happens to many or most of us sooner or later. No one makes a big deal of it, as long as you do it over the side, and not on the boat.

[sailingdog]

Also, if you want to brush up on sailing mentally, I would highly recommend David Seidman's The Complete Sailor for you to read.

[ViperR6]

Thanks for all of the great advice..........


Viper

[sailingdog]

It is a good idea to get a handle on the terminology and vocabulary of sailing, so that you can communicate more easily with any boat you crew for. If you know the difference between a halyard (a line used to raise a sail) and a sheet (a line used to control a sail) and a dockline, it will be a good thing.