How much experience did you start with?

[T37Chef]

Originally Posted by Sabreman

It's not about titles ("I'm a racer", "I'm a cruiser"), it's about enjoying what you're doing.

That could be a great signature line

[smackdaddy]

Chef, you can't possibly be thinking of adding more to your signature line!

[T37Chef]

Sure, maybe a picture or two!

[ryanjenkins]

Originally Posted by Superpickle

I know less than Nothing about Sailing, But, as soon as I can, Im Buying a Boat and Jumping in with Both feet.. Full on Live aboard. me and One 50lb dog..

same here man, same here!

[PCP]

First I dreamt about sailing and then I read a lot of books about sailing and cruising. Back in the 80's I bought an old 24ft traditional wooden boat, repaired it and learned how to sail it, alone.

With that knowledge, I have modified the boat, making it more stable and faster (more sail).

That boat was a great learning machine. A lot of sail, no winches, nothing in the interior, no electricity, no radio and as navigation instruments, a compass. It couldn’t be simpler.

Every year, after 15 days of maintenance work, my wife and I sailed away for 45 days. Coastal cruising, but always out of marinas. We have done many thousands of miles on that boat.

But I was young, very fit and had no kids.

If I were 50 years of age and just started to learn how to sail and cruise a sailing boat I would pay the best practical lessons I could afford. It is a much safer approach and certainly a much faster way to learn how to cruise safely. And at 50, time is an important thing.

In Europe the best schools are the British and the French ones and probably the most famous is "The Glenans"

The big trip: Sailing in Brittany | Travel | The Guardian
The big trip: Sailing in Brittany | Travel | The Guardian
Les Glenans : sailing shcool, courses in english
Les Glenans : sailing shcool, courses in english

They have 14000 courses a year.
They have very good learning books, but I don't know if they have them in English.

Are there schools like that in the US? What are the best?

[kjango]

A year & change ago & having not set foot on the deck of anything for 35 years , but on the run from a nightmare 14 month marriage & 2 years of court dates , I got the bright notion no one could find me on a sail boat . I bought a boat in Mass . & a week & a half later I was sailing for Maryland . I also had " no fear " & at the time viewed that as the only positive thing I was bringing to the endeavor . Every day aboard the Skipjack has been better then the day before . Hell , I even enjoyed the couple of " we're all gonna die " days . I'm never going back . I love this life . My ex & the courts & the U.S.govt. ???.......f#$k em & feed em fish heads . Any promise made from any cruiser means more then crap spewed from those guys . I hope I never live on land again . Starting with neither fear or experience seems to work out ok if " properly motivated " . hahahahahhahahahhahahaha

[Superpickle]

Originally Posted by kjango

but on the run from a nightmare 14 month marriage I got the bright notion no one could find me on a sail boat . I bought a boat in Mass . & a week & a half later I was sailing for Maryland . I also had " no fear " & at the time viewed that as the only positive thing I was bringing to the endeavor . Every day aboard the Skipjack has been better then the day before . Hell , I even enjoyed the couple of " we're all gonna die " days . I'm never going back . I love this life . My ex & the courts & the U.S.govt. ???.......f#$k em & feed em fish heads . Any promise made from any cruiser means more then crap spewed from those guys . I hope I never live on land again . Starting with neither fear or experience seems to work out ok if " properly motivated " . hahahahahhahahahhahahaha

Yup, you BET, Its been almost 2 years for my Nightmare.. and im Bailing out as soon as i get my Chute on I will have to Look you UP..

Paul...

[unomio]

Book-learning, I mean. We started with over 40 years of sailing experience _each_, all coastal. 20 years in the Navy gave Bob an idea what it would be like to be alone on the big ocean; I had only magazine articles and books. All the cruisers gushed about how wonderful the life was, and the articles almost always had happy endings.

Well, we're nearly three years into cruising. One heart attack, a cancer scare, and permanent a-fib only slowed us down. I'll confess I was (and am) terrified. I don't know enough, and I never will. Every article I read just drives home that conviction. We're not young, and we're not particularly strong. But the fact is that almost NONE of the cruisers we've met so far are young. Most are drawing Social Security, in fact. I'm discovering that while many have more experience than I do--and the confidence that comes with that experience--not many really _know_ more than I do. They've helped me be a bit less scared.

Another thing I've discovered: cruisers really reach out and help each other. You can learn a lot and gain confidence by actually meeting the real people, hearing about their experiences, and reading their emotions as they tell their tales. A few try to make everything sound like one big adventure, but if you really pay attention you'll realize that they were scared too. Once you've been there and done that, you're less scared.

I think it's possible to read so much you scare yourself into not going. We almost did, and that would have been a shame. I do wish that I'd taken a women-only class in offshore sailing, just to convince myself I could do it. But my advice would be to get out there and sail the boat. Start with short cruises and keep working up. Take one leg of a cruise with friends. Charter a boat somewhere exotic, with a skipper if you're concerned about your own ability. Keep pushing the envelope and doing things that are out of your comfort zone--not foolhardy dangerous things, just something a little beyond where you've gone before.

It keeps us young. Sort of.

Sue

[OziDude]

Finally after 30 years of putting it off Im on my way to acheiving my dream of cruising and living aboard. I have allowed people to influence my life way to much in the past and have listened to nothing but negativity from those around me. I'm older and hopefully somewhat wiser now.

There was such a big difference between what my ex-wife thought was important and what I did. I lived in the marriage for years denying my idea of cruising and living aboard because it wasnt what my wife wanted. My late mother passed away with so many regrets and it took that for me to wake up.

I have minimal sailing experience with only a couple of twilight sails out of Townsville, North Queensland. I know that I can take instruction well, having pulled this, pushed that and watched for this.

This was a couple of years ago though.

I'm ready for this next stage of my life. I'm nervous but determined to meet the challenges that lay ahead. I'm a practicle person and learn by doing so most of my experience will come from actually getting out there and doing it.

I will take a course or courses on safety and gain some experience by doing a little crewing and of course reading a few books about sailing. The experience of others doing the same thing will be invaluable.

A great thread....

Ozi

[Superpickle]

Ozi, your Absolutly RIGHT. you OWE it to yourself..

My wife wanted Desperatly to be up here in the frozen Norf near here familey..
We had the Move from hell and after 24 hours on the road, 40 hours no sleep , we pulled into her sons place, knocked on the door @ 2330 hours, he opens the door, says not a word, stares at his mom and turns his back to get the phone,, Wife BOLTS and runs across the street and Off we go to find SOMEplace to stay so she can have a MELTdown.. The basterd NEVER has apologized or even talked about it. Whole dam familey is a bunch of Dicks and I WANT OUT, but She wants to STAY and COMPLAIN.. SO, she can do JUST that, WITHOUT me..

Hope to see you on the Waves some day we can split a pitcher of Strawberry Margaritas..