Tips for Beginning Sailors

[newt]

Hi All, in welcoming a newbie we got on the discussion of what initial knowledge should be necessary for sailing. I would recommend
1. The first few chapters in Annapolis Book of Seamanship (or any beginning book on sailing) to understand how sailboats work.
2. Safety standards from the USCG
3. How to handle common emergencies: MOB, hypothermia, Sudden bad weather, etc.
Perhaps we could use this thread in discussing the above, and any other necessary knowledge for beginning sailors. I will then edit it (if it needs it) and sticky it for the new sailors that join our site.
Enjoy! And try to keep the knowledge confined to beginning sailors (ie-those that probably will not venture too far from shore)

[Bob23]

Great idea, Newt:
   And you touched on some great advice: Don't venture too far from shore. A year ago, some kids decided to play around in a Sunfish in the ocean here in NJ. A strong offshore wind picked up and blew them pretty far out to sea. Fortunately, they were found the next day but spent a chily night aboard a Sunfish with no food, water, etc. That could have turned into a disaster. I don't think they'll be doing that again.
  Carry a radio and/or cell phone.
  Don't take the water (or life for that matter) for granted. Remember, each time we sail we are venturing away from our home turf. While on the water, gravity's natural goal is to send us to the bottom and it is the vessels design and integrity that is keeping us from going there. Don't sail on a junker.
   Wear a PFD.
That's it for now.
Bob23
   

[HideAway]

My advice would be to find a sailing club in your area that teaches sailing.  These clubs usually have members as the instructors.  The advantage of the member taught schools, while maybe not certified by some association or other, feature instructors who have been through the process of learning by doing.  They have the same fears and joys of the sport.  I would recommend a basic sailing course - one that teaches you the ropes and how to sail around a triangular course.  Thats It.    You can take other courses as your experience dictates.  Save the racing for later.

There is nothing wrong with the corporate schools by the way.   After teaching sailing for the last decade and a half I happen to think the member taught courses better address the needs of beginners .   Most sailing clubs really don't have the ability to teach the highly technical classes and that's where the pros shine.  Matt   

[Tom Ray]

My advice is for the newbies who will elect NOT to listen to some of the good advice about reading seamanship and sailing books and taking classes, and will just go out on the water.

First, don't do it.

OK, OK, you're going to anyway.

Point your finger in the direction of the wind at least once per minute until you have constant awareness of where it is.

Learn to sail upwind, and stay upwind of your home base. Anyone can sail across the wind and downwind.

Have backup plans, meaning a paddle or two, anchor, extra water, waterproof VHF radio, and clothing appropriate to the climate if you should wind up out overnight.

[Bob23]

   Or maybe, Tom, newbies such as these should stick to powerboating which doesn't require that you know all that much. Just fill up the tank, hand over your credit card, point and go. Sounds so boringly simple, doesn' it?
   My first sails were aboard a found-and-fixed-up Sunfish. I didn't read any books or learn from anyone- just rigged the boat and went out into the bay. Although I'm still here to tell the tales, I don't recommend this route for everyone. I just happen to learn better by doing than from books. That being said, these days I prefer to avert possible disasters by reading first and screwing up later.
   I guess the best thing a beginner can do is to get the opportunity to sail on a seasoned skippers boat. (Of course, a Compac would be best but I admit to a possibility of personal bias).
Anything is best learned by someone who's done it before.
   Oh, and ask questions...by far the best way to increase your knowledge about anything. Even if you have to make yourself a pain in the ass!
Bob23

[RCAN]

As a newbie of sorts, I would like to add my two cents. The Com-Pac 16 I got in May, 2010 was the largest boat I've owned. I had smaller boats before but was never an avid sailer. With this boat, I have so far taken my time.

I took a refresher sailing coarse and have read "Start Sailing Right", " Handbook of Trailer Sailing" by Burgerss, and " Sailing Big on a Small Sailboat" by Cardwell. In addition I have tons of old sailing magazine full of advice given to me by friends and the previous boat owner. This site has been an incredible source of advise and support. With you guys I feel that I am not alone at this endeavor.

Learned to launch and retreive her using the best ramp I could find and only motored her out on the New River in Fort Lauderdale until I had a feel for motoring her. Each time taking her farther toward the mouth of the river until I got used to dealing with the close boat traffic on that waterway. This was good practice for when coming in from the open bay and entering a busy channel to the ramp area.

I found an appropriate sand bank on the Intercoastal Waterway to practice my anchoring skills.

Finally in early October, 2010 I took it out on Biscayne Bay from the Coconut Grove ramp and raised the sails for the first time. Now the practicing really begins.

Its been slow, I'm patient, learning each step of the way finding small things needing repairs, replacement and maintenance.. Its been fun the whole time.

My advice is to go slow and develop the need skills.

[David]

RCAN,  Thanks for the advice.  I have one last bit of fiberglass repair to do on my 16 and then the launch.  It has been 46 years since I have skippered a boat.  Have sailed about 3 time only on 36 foot boat since then.  Still, your idea of motoring the first few times makes sense.  I had planned to use the main only until I got use to the boat.  Also planned on staying within the channel markers along the beach so I could always be within knee to neck deep water.  Do have a motor, but always hoped it would work.  Paddles yes.  My thoughts were I could always use the 300 ft of line on board for the sea anchor and swim if necessary with it and a life vest to touchable bottom if I ever got into trouble before I got enough experience to venture out of the protection area.  I will have a little over a quarter mile from beach to markers to play with.  Also plan to drag the 3/8" tarp to trailer securing line with a float on it for awhile once I leave the protected area.  Will sail with a mate on board all this season and maybe next until I build some skills and confidence.   Planning on taking a seasoned sailor of 30 years out with me the first time or two.

Thanks to all for the advice.
David

[rwdsr]

I'll tell you truthfully David, you aren't going to have a bit of trouble.  All those thing you said in your post, I thought of the first time I took my little 16 out.  Those little boats make guys like us who don't know what we are doing look like pros.  I started out with the main, and it wasn't long before I had the jib up, and had her heeled over, and was having a ball.  When I got in, (btw, this was the middle of January, about 60 degrees) several people in cars who had been watching came up to admire the boat and said I must have really known what I was doing cause I had her really over and was running well.  I didn't tell them any different.  just be a little careful and feel her out and I guarentee before the day is out, you will feel like you have been doing it for years.  ( you also won't be able to wait to get out and do it again.)
Bob D

[Bob23]

...and watch out for the boom when you come about or gybe. I think most of us have had our noggins "boomed" at least once!
Bob23

[Tom Ray]

   Or maybe, Tom, newbies such as these should stick to powerboating which doesn't require that you know all that much. Just fill up the tank, hand over your credit card, point and go. Sounds so boringly simple, doesn' it?
   My first sails were aboard a found-and-fixed-up Sunfish. I didn't read any books or learn from anyone- just rigged the boat and went out into the bay.

Powerboats are lots of fun, and help develop needed seamanship skills on days with no wind. I'm also self taught, more or less, and also don't recommend it, but if we listened to ourselves we would not be sailors.

Boaters in general, and sailors in particular, are an independent lot. Many will continue to be self taught for that reason. I did it, know it is a bad idea, but realize it will continue to happen, so I figured I would try to help them survive.

[BobK]

After your first experience the rest is just practice.  I have been sailing for 56 years and am still learning new things and improving my sailing skills.

[brackish]

After your first experience the rest is just practice.  I have been sailing for 56 years and am still learning new things and improving my sailing skills.

Me too!  pushing 48 years since my first sail and I intend to keep at it until I get good at it.

I survived being self taught, and would not recommend it unless it is the only way to sail.  I believe a higher power brought me back from some of those early trips.

[curtisv]

Hi Newt,

I've described a few "sailing skills" book at http://www.faster-light.net/remote-access/book-reviews.html#sailing.

I agree that a good way to learn the basics is through a sailing club that offers courses.  Better is ASA or USsail certified courses.  Learning from a friend is also OK but be sure they really know what they are doing (quite a few "boat owners" are not great sailors).  Sometimes learning from another sailor can be the best if they are a good saillor and a good teacher and can spare the time.

Small lake sailing can be quite forgiving.  Coastal sailing in some places or Great Lakes sailing can be very unforgiving.  Beginning sailors need to understand and have due respect for such things as weather changes, wind driven waves in open water, navigational hazards, to name a few.

For example, the Woods Hole Channel has quite a few submerged rocks on either side and a very strong current setting boats across the channel.  Apparently a few "boat owners" don't understand that aiming at the next buoy without taking bearings off it is not sufficient in that circumstance.  I've read that an average of about one boat a week is lost to the rocks every summer (mostly motorboats).  This seems obvious enough to an experienced sailor but this is an example of something that could be overlooked by a novice sailor.

Curtis

[newt]

Its good to see you again Curtis. I have noticed your posts again. Always nice to have a old friend show up. As for channels with strong currents and swells, (esp in opposition to each other) Stay Away!...at least for the first few seasons!
Humility, and accepting that you in a hostile environment that can kill you is important to remember.

[HenryC]

All the tips for beginners are good advice, and should definitely be followed.  But chances are, they won't. 

I know I didn't when I started out.  In the real world, it's going to take a few scares and near-disasters to train the new sailor, and drill some sense into him, and chances are it will be mostly luck if he survives his training without any injury or property damage. Perhaps the best we can hope for is for Darwinian principles to come into play, and the novice either learns through fear, is humiliated into leaving the sport, or solves the problem for the rest of us by simply not coming back one day.

I can personally take no credit for surviving my period of indoctrination intact; I was very lucky and was doubly fortunate I had excellent teachers who managed to communicate to me the Zen of safe sailing.  After all, any idiot can learn to sail in an afternoon, putting yourself in the right head to go out and face the ocean with the reverence and humility it demands is something else.  You can learn skills, judgment only comes from experience.

I knew I had finally gotten it right when I went sailing with a young lady who was totally new to boating.  In an effort to get her oriented, I explained aloud every thing I was doing and why I was doing it that way.  Her remark will always stay with me;

"You are always looking ahead, aren't you, trying to anticipate anything that might possibly go wrong and making sure you always have a Plan B in place in case it does?  I appreciate that you're that way, it makes me feel very secure, but I couldn't enjoy any activity that required so much worry."

After that she always called me "Ready Eddy".  She probably would never have been a good sailor, but at least she probably would never talk herself into thinking she could be.