new to sailing

[mrstecnotic]

hello everyone,

my name is nichole and i'm very novice at sailing. actually haven't had the chance to do it all. i wanted to know where i can find a place to get lessons and learn about sailing. i always wanted to do so. me and my husband owned fishing boats but a sailboat is def different. i eventually when i get good, i want to sail the eastern and western coast of the US including south America. are there any tips you can give me? what size sailboat do you think i should get? hopefully i dont sound like too much of an idiot...thank you very much for all the help.....

nichole

[MSN2Travelers]

Welcome to Sailnet Nichole,

There are quite a few Marathon's out there so its hard to give specific advice. I would look for a community sailing club or yacht club in your local area for lessons. Both will have regular club racing and you can gain valuable experience by crewing on somebody's boat.

Paid sailing schools are available all over the globe but I would look for options in your local area first.

And it is way too early to be asking about boats to buy. Most people have one or two small boats before they get the boat that will take them to sea.

Baby steps!

[DonScribner]

Nicole,

Welcome to the family! With a power boat you need to know four things; fast, slow, left, right. That's about it. Sailing is a little different.

We bought out first boat two years ago as a father-son thing. No sailing experience, no trailer, no truck, no regrets. Our Lancer 25 is on the larger size of trailerables but we can still tow and launch her with just two of us, ans she'll sleep 5 in a pinch. If I may be bold, pick up a copy of The Complete Trailer Sailor by Brian Gilbert (or something like it). He has loads of information on sailing, trailoring and boating. He also includes pros and cons, specifications, sketched and photos of about 50 boats, 12' to 28'. It can help you select the boat that is right for you. You can pick up a 20' on trailer for about $3000, in good shape. Trailering may not be ideal for some folks, but it is the mark for many others. If I had to moor or slip a 30 footer, I'd never have sailed. The costs are opressive on my budget. At any rate, do your homework before you buy.

Fair Winds!

Don

[SailingFred]

Nicole,

Im in the same situation...new to sailing and to the site. Maybe would could share resources that we find helpful if you like. I got some sound advice so far and can share it if you like...I started a thread and they posted some good input...the thread is under "new to sailing" titled: Seeking input to go from Scratch to Captaining

Might be helpful

[MikeinLA]

Welcome, Nichole. I can tell you what worked for me. Years ago, a buddy and I decided that sailing looked cool, so we went to one of those places that rents sailboats by the day. Part of "joining the club" was that you had to take their introductory sailing class (so you wouldn't wreck their boats). Four 4 hour classes on the water was all it took to learn how to make it go, stop and turn. Then we started renting boats on weekends and learned more from there. You'll be surprised how easy it is, particularly after you get a feel for the wind's direction and strength. Good luck and have fun. The nice thing is that God adds all the time you spend sailing on to the end of your life, so you're NEVER wasting time when you're sailing.

Mike

[TazMagester]

you can pretty much call any sailing club and they will find a way to get you on someones boat