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Overwhelmed sailing novice seeks advice

4K views 24 replies 18 participants last post by  Geo56 
#1 ·
Hi everyone! I just joined this forum and I would appreciate any advice members can give me on the best and most cost effective way to get some sailing experience.

For a little background...I live in Toronto and this Feb. I enrolled in a sailing school in Florida and enrolled in ASA courses 101, 103 & 104 an intense week. That is the extent of my sailing experience. While it has always fascinated me I never did anything about it until now. While I successfully completed the courses and my instructor said I am ready to sail I still feel overwhelmed by solo sailing - which is my goal.

None of my family or friends are into sailing and my dream is to own a boat in Florida, live on it for weeks at a time and be able to solo sail to the Caribbean! I'm 56 with grown kids and semi-retired so if I don't do it now I never will!

What is the best and most cost effective way for me to develop experience to the point where I can solo sail in the Gulf? Is there a form of sailing school that would assist me with this? I've heard of sailing clubs but because I don't live in Florida do they make sense? Would it be cheaper and better to get this experience somewhere other than Florida? Are there Captains/Skippers I can hire cheaply(!) to go out with me? If I rent a boat would the rental come with a skipper? Ultimately I'd like to buy a boat but until I get that experience and comfort level I don't even know which type of boat or features I am looking for....

Any advice, assistance or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks for your time!
 
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#2 ·
Join a sailing club where you live now. You can crew for others, on their vessel, either for free, or a portion of the operating expenses for the cruise. This is a great way to gain insight on the size features of many vessels that will work for you, and gain good practical experience.

Once you decide which vessel is your dream boat, you can then travel to Florida, and buy the boat that best fits your needs.
 
#3 ·
You could try the Humber College Sailing Club on your own doorstep.

Humber Sailing Club

If you want some Caribbean sailing experience you can charter and get a skipper / instructor.
 
#4 ·
If I were in that situation, and knowing then what I know now, I would get a dingy, say a used Lightning for no more than $3k and sail every possible chance until I would feel that I could handle that boat come what may.
Look, we ALL went through the same anxiety you feel now. Just get out there and make that boat rumble.
The advantage of a used Lightning is that you will get back almost all of your original investment.
Dick
 
#5 ·
Not a bad position to be in. If you are able to travel to Florida regularly then I don't see a problem with your plan. Buy a boat, find a marina in a bay somewhere (many to choose from in Florida) and if you are able to spend 2-3 weeks at a time, several times a year sailing it you are ahead of many boat owners that live within an hour of their boats and don't sail that often.

You may find that talking to your friends about sailing in Florida every month or so will inspire some to want to join you. I wouldn't worry too much about building experience. If you manage to sail as often as you predict your competence level will increase on a steep curve. You should have enough of the basics from your classes to get you off the dock and into protected waters. From there it is just a matter of taking it easy and pushing your own limits when the time is right, you'll know when that is.

I recommend getting a boat that you can manage alone when necessary. Keep the systems simple but don'e make yourself so uncomfortable living on board that you won't want to make the trip dreading "camping" when you arrive.

I would suggest that you look at the west coast of Florida, even the panhandle area as it is MUCH less expensive to keep a boat. The bays open to the Gulf and you will never lack sailing destinations and opportunities. It is a fun trip around Key West and over to the islands.

A lot of folks own vacation homes in Florida, think of your boat as your vacation home and it doesn't sound far fetched at all. We have started referring to ours as a floating condo since we are planning short trips and not much out of the bay this year.

Stick around the forum, you will hear everything from "sell it all and circumnavigate now" advice to " don't do it, can't be done, you will certainly sink your boat, lose your fortune and start wearing a funny haircut if you keep a boat anywhere but in your yard on it's trailer" all part of what makes Sailnet a community.

There is a wealth of knowledge and experience that you will gain from around here.
Cheers!
 
#23 ·
Go for it! Sail in Lake Ontario. You sound like your in the same position as we are. We took ASA lessons last summer on Lake Michigan. I'm 59 and my wife is a few years younger (not allowed to say). We are in the final stages of buying our first sail boat and can't wait to get it in the water and do our first sail. If you don't do it you will regret it. Just do it and let us know how it works out for you. Best.
Thanks for the encouragement! It's reassuring to know there are many like me with similar aspirations!
 
#7 ·
There are specific periods when sailing boats move and many of them are seeking crew;
October/November; US east coast to the Caribbean or Canaries to Caribbean
April/May; Caribbean to US east coast or Europe
When we do long passages we will usually take a couple of crew and we will always choose a totally inexperienced crew member with a good attitude over an experienced one with a bad attitude, as would many skippers. A lot of us actually prefer novices, because many experienced crew can be PITA's and have a lot of "bad habits". I say this to give you encouragement; this is one of the very few places where a good attitude outweighs experience, by far.
If you get lucky, your skipper might pay for your repatriation (we don't), but if not, you must have funds enough to cover a flight to your country of origin from where ever you leave the boat or you may not get aboard a boat at all.
Also, IMO sailing schools will not give you the skills nor the confidence that a 1500 mile ocean voyage will. Save your money for airfare!
Good luck.
 
#15 ·
There are a number of free crew sites on which boats looking for crew and crew looking for boats can meet. Try to sound interesting and present yourself as honestly as you can, responding to boats that interest you.
When we are looking, I am drawn to interesting sounding people who have a better reason to go sailing than "I've a summer off from college..." or "My dream is to sail....". Art or philosophy students might be a bit more interesting to spend 15 days at sea with, rather than a student of business or the law. I always ask a prospect to tell me about themselves and those who's reply gives me a real insight into who they are, move way up the list. There are a lot of folks out there looking to go sailing on the web, so you have to make an impression; you obviously are not going to be hired for your experience, at least until you have some. Read all the ads you can, posted by people like yourself who have little or no experience before you put yours together. I will never even respond to mile counters (people who think the number of miles they have sailed is important), or someone who thinks they can cook at sea because they are a professional chef ashore. "I sailed on a lake a lot as a kid, but..." doesn't hold much water either IMO, if I'm looking for offshore crew.
On the other side of the coin, choose a boat carefully; you are putting your life in the hands of a complete stranger. When a match works, it can be a lifelong friendship; when it doesn't it can be pretty unpleasant for all.
If you are free to walk the docks, Newport, RI & Annapolis, Md are two places a lot of boats depart from. There are a couple of "cruiser's regattas" (check the ARC website, to name one) that sail south each fall; find out where they are staging from and go walk the docks.
If you have the will, you can find a boat and begin the adventure, good luck.
 
#10 ·
Hey Geo56,

Given that you live in Toronto, I'd suggest that you consider joining Harbourfront Centre Sailing and Powerboating (HCSP) Club on Queen's Quay. The marina and club house are located at the intersection of Queen's Quay and Reese Street.

The club has a fleet of shared sailboats ranging from 20 to 35 ft which are available to members at no marginal cost. You can either skipper yourself or go out with someone more experienced as crew. There are a number of race nights and social sails every week.

It is by far the most cost-effective way to actively sail in Toronto.

HCSP is having an open house weekend on April 27 and 28th (look it up). You can check out the boats and get free rides :)

I've been a member for the past couple of years and have greatly enjoyed it :)

Hope this helps,
BR
 
#12 ·
Ok, here's what I did. I wanted to sail but I did not come from a sailing family and had no access to a boat. I read a lot.

Find out the racing schedule for your area. When there is a race, big boat or one design go down to the docks and just walk up and down saying, "Anyone need crew?". Ask everyone. Someone always needs crew. I never once did not get on a boat. I did this a lot and in time if you work out they will start to ask you back for the next race and on and on. Pretty soon you will be a regular member of a racing crew.

One day the skipper will turn to you and say, "Hey Geo take the wheel while I take a leak." And then you will be at the helm and having a great time.

One day the skipper will say, "I have to get the boat up the lake for the next race. Is anyone available who can help me deliver the boat?" Then of you go on a nice overnight trip with a small crew and you can be asssurred of getting some helm time while the others drink beer.

The very best way to learn to sail is to learn how to race. Trust me. This worked for me.
 
#13 ·
Geo,

Buy a trailer sailer in the 20 foot range and sail every chance you get. You'll make lots off mistakes, most won't be life threatening. Learn to laugh at your own buffoonery and beat the other guys to it. Most of all, have fun and sail your ascot off. Experience can't be taught in a class, it can't be acquired through time, it can only be earned through the school of hard rocks.

Don
 
#14 ·
All good advice, I might add the value of the tiller in one hand and the Mainsheet in the other, in a small dinghy such as a laser, sunfish or butterfly. You can really learn to feel in these things, as they're so responsive. Move up after sufficient time. Sail/crew as much as possible (that's what I'm doing right now)
 
#16 ·
I am one of the "buy a boat" group.
Grab a trailerable dinghy/laser for home up north and sail the crap out of it on a local lake or puddle. Small boats are great teachers because you get wet if you make a real mistake.
If your dream is to have one to stay on down south than find a friend with some knowledge and get one, hang around and make friends at the marina down there and you are sure to find someone experienced to go out with until you are comfortable.

Life is short;)
 
#17 ·
Buy a Cataline 22 or similar boat for next to nothing and keep it on a trailer near the Gulf. When you come down, set her up and sail.
My club (Apalachee Bay Yacht Club) actually has a Hunter 23 for use by members and you get facilities. Other nearby clubs prob do too. You could come down, live aboard (get yourself a cheapo Wal Mart Air Conditioner) and sail. You can always find experience ppl locally who want to sail for an afternoon.
Eventually, you'd find a bigger boat you want.
 
#18 ·
I would expect it to be much more cost effective to sail where you live. Lake Ontario is a world class freshwater sailing destination. being a partner in a boat might also work for you. Many people in the area sell partnerships of their boats to off set the docking and maintance fees. The more you sail the better your going to get at it. One way to up your hours on the water is do it close to home.
 
#20 ·
A couple of suggestions. One is to co-own a boat already at a club. Our dock neighbours actually have this arrangement and it works very well for them. Their experience varies considerably but the lesser experienced have the benefit of the other folks (4 all told).

Humber is a basic course and the trick is to get out there sailing as much as possible. Good for the basics, not so much for ongoing actual experience. You can join Humber as well (fairly pricey in my mind) and you can crew as many times a week as you want. Boats vary from 24 ft to 43 ft.

You can also join most of the clubs in the GTA as a social member and then crew on race nights - great experience in all kinds of conditions. I also have been seeing advertisements for the Island yacht club (I think) that I believe have some club boats you can use? Not sure about the details and, of course, cannot find the ad now that I want to look at it!

Finally, and many may disagree, but my take is that if you can handle Lake Ontario, you can, for the most part, manage ocean conditions! Lake Ontario can be tough at times. We recently sailed the BVI's and my wife was amazed at how much easier it was than our little lake! Consistent winds and swells far apart making for a much gentler ride that 2 metre waves close together!
 
#21 ·
Go for it! Sail in Lake Ontario. You sound like your in the same position as we are. We took ASA lessons last summer on Lake Michigan. I'm 59 and my wife is a few years younger (not allowed to say). We are in the final stages of buying our first sail boat and can't wait to get it in the water and do our first sail. If you don't do it you will regret it. Just do it and let us know how it works out for you. Best.
 
#24 ·
I for one thank you from the bottom of my heart for not asking about sailing to Australia with just your ASA classes under your belt, and for continuing to participate in your thread with more than just your initial post!

A piece of advice that I would add is to pay attention to learning navigation and rules of the road in addition to boat handling. Unfortunately these are things that you can kind of fake for a long time, and many people do. But these people are not safe and neither are the people around them.

Sailing is something that you can definitely do, and it has the potential to become something that you'll love with all your heart. Best of luck to you.
 
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