Noob in San Diego

[Ld00d]

Just joined the forum and I'm new to sailing. Started taking a basic sailing class on a sabot last weekend in Mission Bay.

My goal is to (eventually) get/rent a small family cruiser and maybe beat up north or out to Catalina with the wife and two small kids.

Anyway, any tips on the best way to learn and the best options for chartering or mooring or whatever that anyone has would be appreciated.

Also, thanks to those who have posted the articles. All of the stuff I've read on here has been extremely informative.

One more thing. I read somewhere of "SD's boat buying checklist", but I can't find it anywhere. If someone has a link, that'd be awesome.

[bobperry]

LD:
The best advice I could give you would be to start small. Learn in a boat that will quickly reward your efforts and quickly let you know when you are doing it wrong. This probably means a centerboard dinghy of some type or maybe a small keel boat like the Schock 20. There are a number of small keelboats in So Cal that would work for you. With a small keelboat you will not have to worry about teaching your kids how to swim while you learn how to sail.

Enjoy the adventure and get back to us on your progress.

PS
Tell your kids you love them everyday.

[MikeinLA]

I would check out Marinasailingclub.com . They have a base in San Diego and offer lessons as well as boat rentals. This is how I started years ago. At that time, Calypso Sailing Club was around (not sure if they still are) and I took their 4 hour intro lessons and started renting their boats on the weekends. Started on Cat 27s, but you could charter any size you like. By trying different boats, it also gave me a good feeling of what I wanted when I finally purchased. Check them out. BTW, I have no affiliation, nor have I ever used Marina Sailing.

Mike

[Ld00d]

thank you both for the info.

i'm on the fence currently on whether to take a 14 ft holder class or just head on into the basic keelboat stuff. sabot was fun, but very cramped...

[DonScribner]

Ldood,

We bought our Lancer 25, with no trailer, no truck to haul it and no sailing experience. Oh, and no regrets. That was two years and over 700 miles ago. If I may be bold, buy a large trailerable that you and the Mrs can launch just the two of you. Then, get out there. I wish I had done it when my kids were little, but alas, my little boy is 6'-4 and his younger brother is in college. Not too late but too late for many things.

Good luck!

[flbkroxie]

Just so you know how new I am to sailing, or perhaps how old I am, I had to google "noob". So from another "noob" living in San Diego, with the same aspirations, here is my limited input:
Husband and I had our first sailing lesson last October in Coronado (ASA 101). Loved it! So we decided to continue our lessons with the idea of being able to charter a sailboat in the BVI (or wherever) within the next year. To accomplish this we took ASA 103 (Basic Coastal Cruising) , and are scheduled to take ASA 104(Bareboat Chartering) in the near future. If you want to charter a sailboat you need to prove your abilities which includes classwork and experience on the boat you are going to charter. We are working towards these goals. In the meantime we bought a small trailerable sailboat to practice our skills. Only 26 feet long, but we have learned so much. So if your goal is the charter a boat, you will need to take the classes and show your experience. Nobody will rent their boat to you unless you can prove your competance. Joining a sailing club will help you, with reduced rates on lessons and rentals. That is what we did. Hope this helps.

[Ld00d]

flbkroxie: if you don't mind, where are you getting your classes?

DonScribner: sounds like a good plan.

[flbkroxie]

Well, the whole sailing introduction started from a "groupon". We got a full weekend lesson at a great price at Seaforth Boat Rentals. We weren't sure we would like sailing, so this seemed like a good deal, if we didn't like it we weren't out much $. But we did like it and wanted to continue sailing so we joined. It is not that expensive each month ($30) and the monthly dues apply to any rentals you have for that month. They have rentals in Mission Bay, Downtown, and Coronado. We like that idea. We also got discounts on lessons. Not sure if it is the best sailing school, but we have been happy so far. Probably will not continue with them after the initial year because they are geared mostly to "learner" boats, and we want to move on to larger vessels. A friend of ours is a member of Marina Sailing mentioned above, and he is very happy with his lessons and choice of rentals. I must admit that they have a nicer fleet of larger sailboats. We have been with him several times and the rentals were really great. Shop around. There are many sailing schools in San Diego. Just depends on your budget and what you want to accomplish.

[Ld00d]

Funny. My sabot class was from a groupon too -- for Mission Bay Aquatic Center.

$30/mo is pretty cheap!

I've also been looking at Harbor Sailboats offers San Diego Sailing, Sailing Club Membership, Sailing Lessons and Rentals, ASA Certification, Skippered and Bareboat Charters, Sunset and Whale Watching Sails, Corporate Teambuilding Events and Yacht Sales. They offer free ASA certification with membership initiation. The smallest boat they have is a Capri 22. Their monthly is $45 though, and that seemed a bit high to me -- especially when you can get a mooring in Mission Bay from the city for $680/yr. I haven't been planning on going that much bigger than 20-something...

[flbkroxie]

Originally Posted by Ld00d

Just joined the forum and I'm new to sailing. Started taking a basic sailing class on a sabot last weekend in Mission Bay.

My goal is to (eventually) get/rent a small family cruiser and maybe beat up north or out to Catalina with the wife and two small kids.

Anyway, any tips on the best way to learn and the best options for chartering or mooring or whatever that anyone has would be appreciated.

Also, thanks to those who have posted the articles. All of the stuff I've read on here has been extremely informative.

One more thing. I read somewhere of "SD's boat buying checklist", but I can't find it anywhere. If someone has a link, that'd be awesome.

We only paid $99 for the groupon which included the ASA 101 class. We paid for the certification. When we joined they waived the initiation fee, so all we paid was $30 a month for a year. I think if you can call Seaforth and tell them you took your class from them and are thinking of becoming a member and they will waive the initiation fee also. It was part of their "special" with the groupon. Harbor Sailboats looks good but between the iniation fee and monthly fees you are shelling out much more money. Just an idea....

If your goal is to rent a small "cruiser" and go to Catalina, as you stated in your first post, but you're not planning on going any bigger than a 20 something, as you just said in your last, then I"m not sure what you would need. I personally would not go to Catalina on anything smaller than a 22 foot, especially with a family of young kids and being new to sailing. In fact, I'm not sure anyone will rent you a boat that small to sail to Catalina. If going to Catalina is your goal then I would suggest you take the 103 and 104 classes and rent a bigger boat. You will be much happier when the kids have some room to move around and you can sleep in comfort.

Or you can buy a cheap trailerable sailboat like we did, join a social sailing club, and sail to Catalina with the group. For a new sailor I think that is much safer. If you have questions or trouble there is support.

Since we've taken the lessons, when we want to go to go on longer, extended vacations, we can rent, which is what we are planning on doing when we go down to the BVI.

FYI: finding a mooring ball in San Diego Bay is not that easy.