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Extremely NEW!

9K views 35 replies 11 participants last post by  SailNet Archive 
#1 ·
I have had an affinity for the water since birth, which I am sure many of you have too.
My dream is to have a boat and sail the world. I am ready to start the process to begin my dream. One of my main passions is scuba diving and I am on the way to becoming a dive instructor. I have been on many sailing vessels, but have never crewed. I have always watched the crew with much facination. I want to learn sailing and EVERY aspect that goes along with it. Where does one begin? Finding someone to help on a crew? A few sailing courses first? Currently I am living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This is only a Temporary address.
I am 37, in shape and can go anywhere. I love the caribbean have been to 22 islands.
I would appreciate any information anyone can provide to the extreme beginner!
Feel free to also contact me via my regular e-mail: tylerg63@hotmail.com
 
#27 ·
Hey, Susieq ~
Thanks for you note and words of wisdom. Not to sound corny, but I can''t begin to tell you how much better I feel knowing that you are out there, like me, trying to get this sailing stuff. I am so glad your beau was there to see my msg. back to you. I, too, showed my beau this site- he didn''t know about it- and your notes to me. He thinks it''s pretty cool. As for sailing, I just keep reading and praying...HA! Here is what I told my beau and it''s hard for him to realize... sailing just ain''t "my thing." It can be "your thing" and I will do the best I can to learn etc, but I really do not like it! I love snow and to snowmobile, he hates anything like that, so- we compromise! Isn''t that what healthy relationships are about? I won''t put myself in danger, but I will hang out w/ him and sail a little- but as I told him, I wouldn''t be doing this at all, if I wasn''t your girl. I do not HAVE to like it. Does that sound like a brat? Well, he won''t try snowmobiling, so I guess he understands.
Your lake sounds horrific!!! Our lake is a sketchy one, too. One minute it is as calm and smooth as glass, then the next it is windy, choppy and the skies are black and furious looking! Oh, guess what? It doesn''t help either that I hate the wind! Of all of Mother Nature''s elements... snow, heat, hail, thunderstorms, ETC... I hate wind!
Not good, if one wants to sail!
Your last note reminded me of a time that my beau and I got caught in this storm- my 2nd time out. It had been a gorgeous day- then ol'' Mother nature and her stinking wind!! Long-story-short, I was screaming at my beau, telling him I hated him for doing this to me, how we were going to die, ETC. Until I realized he was the only one who was gonna save us/ get us the heck ouuta there, so I started yelling "I love you, I love you..."
How sick and pathetic! HA! Looking back now we get a good laugh! He does. And that spot where we "almost died" has been renamed in my honor- "The straits of scream!"
Well, I am psyching myself up for our first big sail- It is in 4 days. I am just going to be positive! You, too. :)

Take care and w/b soon.
Jeana
 
#28 ·
Hello Sailers,

I have been dying to sail again since I left Baltimore. I live in Arlington Texas and would like to hear from anyone around this area who is sailing and can help me get started again. Where do I begin? I have been to a couple lakes see the Sails and just envy those out on the water..wishing it were me. Help Please.
 
#29 ·
Hi Jeana,I just read your message...gave me a big laugh...straits of scream...man, can I relate!!! Been there, done that! Makes me feel like a shrew. I''m with you in that I support what he likes but I don''t get the support back. I love bike riding and hiking. I''m more physical than my beau. I get bored on the boat after a couple of hrs. Was out on it recently with friends and it was really windy, I ended up yelling and screaming at him every time it heeled. His thinking is like a parent trying to teach a child to swim is just throw them in the water where I want to go to the shore and dip my toes in. He knows I don''t like the heeling and I don''t like it when he puts me in a position where I yell at him. However, we went out again on a really calm day and it was a lovely sail, no heeling. But, we were out for 6hrs...boring. We too, have laughed at some "adventures", one time in heavy waves as we approached Toronto Island, he dropped his sails and tried to start the motor which didn''t and we got pushed into the break wall, I had to jump off to prevent the boat from hitting the wall, after doing so...I kept walking!! He was yelling at me to jump back on the boat..but I figured eh!I''m on LAND, no way am I getting back on that boat!! Anyway, I did end up getting back on but we laugh about it. But, like you said we share different activities. Nothing wrong with that in my book, he expects me to love sailing but I don''t expect him to like what I like. MEN. Anyway, fun chatting with you take care. Tell me about your upcoming trip!!!
 
#32 ·
I can't believe no one has said this yet: If your significant other doesn't respect the fact that you are scared, and thinks you are silly, you have way bigger problems than sailing.

If you are determined to learn to sail, enroll in a class. I promise, instructors will not think your fears are silly.

If you are determined to stay with someone who doesn't care enough to listen to you, don't complain, that's YOUR choice. Knowingly scaring someone is abusive.
 
#33 ·
I'd also highly recommend The Complete Sailor, which is by David Seidman, which is very well written, easy to read, with amusing, but very clear drawings.

Jeana/SusieQ-

If your significant others can't honor your requests and help you get accustomed to sailing, then they need a good whack upside the head.
 
#35 ·
Ladies - you make me LAUGH!

I love the stories I just read on this thread! They are so entertaining.:p

I happen to be a woman who loves boats, and I just got a very large and very slow house boat and I wish I could take you both for a ride - we would just stay in the harbor and have dinner and wine on the top deck (almost no wind inside there and if you don't like the rocking - just have some more wine!) That was the perfect cure for my 2 girl friends who both get sea sick when they caem to visit!

And then we could swap stories about our silly men.

Luckily, both me and my fellow love the new boat so far, but we have had our share of disagreements none-the-less. As we are new too, he makes me so nervous when he just starts fiddling with all the controls and tries to run stuff that we have no idea how to run.

Last weekend, he was fussing with the swtiches near the steering wheel and later that night all our electricity went out - I almost kicked him off the boat - I was SO mad!
It ended up that it wasn't his fault - but I like to blame him any way.

The other annoying thing he insists on is trying to start the motors when one is missing a very important part. He keeps just reving them because he likes to hear the sound.

MEN!!! I swear some days I want to shoot him!

Thanks for your fun comments - hope to hear more stories soon!
 
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