Hi all,

I'm new here and would be grateful for advice on something quite important if you, like me, suddenly find you own a small yacht - how to sail. It has come about not entirely as we planned - but life can do that. We were to retire and get a boat, but the boat came first (a Columbia 22) now moored in the Lane Cove River in Sydney. Needs some TLC, but nothing major (I think). However, it is about 50 years since I sailed so it would be really good idea to get some proper instruction. At the moment we don't intend to race, just to enjoy the harbour. What's the best way to learn? I see there are a number of commercial organisations with a variety of courses and some clubs. Is there a best, or better way, to start out?

Many thanks,

Tim

On the other hand you could do what me and my Missus did about 4 years ago. Just get on board hoist the
jib, see how you go then hoist the mains'l. Post all your mistakes on the forum and after they've all stopped
laughing you'll get all the help you need. Enjoyed every minute and still doing so.

Purfler said..

samsturdy said..
On the other hand you could do what me and my Missus did about 4 years ago. Just get on board hoist the
jib, see how you go then hoist the mains'l. Post all your mistakes on the forum and after they've all stopped
laughing you'll get all the help you need. Enjoyed every minute and still doing so.

I may well do a bit of that, in quiet waters away from anyone who actually knows what they are doing. There's nothing like actually doing something to learn it - but I do recognise the value of expert advice, and don't mind being laughed at when deserved.

Regards and thanks,

Tim

Your problem Tim is you are on the harbour, few quiet spots. I had a yacht in Tambourine Bay for a few years, even up there you get a bit of traffic and there are mud banks to get you.
Get a boat licence so you know the rule of the road. Then do a few lessons with a sailing school.
Then take your boat for a sail with some confidence you will get back to the mooring.
I am looking to take my boat for a sail after Christmas. PM me if both of you or just you would like to join me for a free welcome aboard lesson.

Stay away from Manly Ferries and river cats !!

I know you said you're not into racing, but I'd heartily recommend coming along to a couple of twilight races at a club and just crewing on someone elses boat to remind yourself how things work.

I'm at Balmain Sailing Club - our twilights start at around 6 on a Friday night (or will, after the xmas break) and we're a pretty laid back place. Come along with a six pack and a smile and you're sure to get a ride...we don't like leaving anyone on the dock!

HI Mate, Congrats on the buy, I was in the same spot 18 months ago, asking the same question on this forum. I bought an 18ft trailer sailer and this is what I did:
1. Tried to sail myself, snapped the mast before I got it in the water, was actually a god send as everything was rigged wrong and the accelerator cable snapped the first time I took off, would drifted into nearby rocks on my first launch which would of been worse than a broken mast.
2. Did a 4 day discover sailing course through my local yacht club on 18ft race boats with my partner, it cost about $200 each but was worth every penny.
3. Went home and re-rigged my yacht now I know how it was suppose to work, previous owner never sailed it, tinkered with it, and messed everything up, to a complete novice I had no idea of this when I bought it, I suggest learning the ropes before you start.
4. Started practising just my wife and I, even on our first outing after the accelerator cable snapping, we had enough skill to sail back up to the jetty and dock without an engine thanks to the Discover Sailing course.
5. Downloaded the audio course from itunes by Franz Amussen www.medsailor.com/sailing-learn-to-sail-lessons/
6. Made an effort to practise, not just have fun sailing for our first 10 times out, we practised anchoring multiple times,, sailing up to the jetty, picking up mooring buoys, etc. Each time discussing how we could do it better, emphasis on the WE. We learnt more about communication in these drills than about actual boat handling.
7. Went out on other peoples yachts to observe what they do, not racing just meeting people at the club house going for a sunday sail
8. We flew to Greece and did the RYA Day skipper course, about $800AUD, you get to sail around the greek isalnds on a 35" yacht with all food included, was a lot of fun and a learnt a boat load, all puns intended.
9. Hired a yacht for 8 weeks and sailed around the Med by ourselves

Purfler said..
Thanks for the great advice Jake888. The latter parts sound particularly attractive :-) (we are not infrequent visitors to the Med - but I think we are a good few years from your point 9! I've seen storms come up and the winds are like nothing I've ever experienced - and that was on land.)

Regards,

Tim

I chose what I thought was the safe waters of the Adriatic thinking that being such a small sea that the waves wouldn't build too large, great place for my wife and I to practice and see if this was a life we wanted to pursue. We were very vigilant and checked the wind forecasts multiple times a day with 4 different national weather bureaus and kept the radio on 16 for any emergency weather warnings. With a 4knot maximum wind forecast we still ended up sailing through the heart of a cyclone, 70+ knot winds, 10m+ waves crashing over the top of yacht, frequent knock downs. It came out of no where, no warning until we could see it, all when we were crossing from Croatia to Italy. We were by no means prepared, on a charter yacht that didn't have the equipment for storm sailing, it was terrifying experience, definitely a good idea to stick to the weather patterns you know while you build your skills!

Purfler said..
I need to thank some members of this forum for their great generosity and support for a rank amateur (me). It's pretty amazing and restores your faith in humanity. I wish we did this decades ago.

Tim