# New to sailing



## chrisknowles (Dec 7, 2021)

Hi all. I’ve wanted to learn how to sail for years. I finally got around to taking lessons this summer, and I’m in love! I wish I would’ve started decades ago.

Since I don’t own a boat yet, suggestions on how to gain experience would be greatly appreciated. I’m in the Chesapeake area, a couple of hours from Annapolis.


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## AWT2_Sail (Oct 12, 2021)

Welcome Chris! I too recently started taking classes over the summer and wanted to gain experience. I used the ASA GoSailing! app to find crew opportunities, but there are similar things here and elsewhere. The most frequent advice I've heard and have somewhat heeded is what you've done: learn to sail, then buy (or consider buying) a boat.

I still haven't figured out how to get plugged in to the racing circuit as a crewmember, but that's also a good way.
Good luck!


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

Welcome to SailNet and to the sport of sailing.
There are a lot of ways to get into sailing and not every one works for every person. Probably the cheapest and easiest way to get time on the water is to crew for a racer or a cruiser. Each has advantages and disadvantages and each will have a different level of appeal depending on your personality.
Since you are near Annapolis you can sign up on SpinSheet magazine's 'Crew finder' SpinSheet Crew Finder.

Another way to go is to sign-up at a sailing club that has boats that members can use. That costs money but often you can go with other members who are more knowledgeable. There are clubs like J-world in Annapolis, or the Downtown Sailing Center in Baltimore and the Sailing Club of Washington, but they are pretty pricy. There are less expensive clubs like Parklawn Sailing Association. Parklawn Sailing Association

A little more expensive than that is to simply rent a boat, but you need to know enough and be confident that you can get out of the slip, sail around, and come back safely.

Once you feel confident that you can take a boat out safely, you can generally buy a small daysailor or a small keel boat pretty cheaply and there are lots of places around the Bay that you can keep the boat pretty affordably if you don't mind looking.

Jeff


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## cb32863 (Oct 5, 2009)

Welcome to the asylum.


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## Skipper Jer (Aug 26, 2008)

There are a few sailing clubs in the Solomons. One has a wait list and the other is accepting new members last I heard.


Southern Maryland Sailing Association










Home - Solomons Island Yacht Club


To provide and operate a yachting-centered social organization espousing the values of friendliness that have characterized the Solomons area for decades.




siyc.clubexpress.com


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## marcjsmith (Jan 26, 2021)

Most sailors are more than willing to bring folks along for a ride. Sometimes all you gotta do is ask. Post a note on the marina classified board, reach out to th various sailing association near by, most have a pretty good web presence 

That being said.... I’m trying to get a few folks together for a sail on Saturday leaving out of herring bay around 10am for a few hours. Wanna go for a ride?


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## PhilCarlson (Dec 14, 2013)

Welcome aboard!


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

I suppose getting on a boat is not easy if you don't know someone who owns one. I suppose you might try a quid pro quo approach... go to a busy marina and offer to work on their boat... washing, waxing...clean interior, varnish work... or in the winter bottom paint. I am sure you will be invited for a sail in exchange for your work.


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## MoonBeamEstate (Jan 1, 2021)

Try to get to know folks on here from the area you are in. Maybe you'll get an invite. I think a lot are from that area of the Bay. Maybe someone will chime in to give you a invite.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

Around here we have a couple of places that offer private and semi private lessons. One uses Hobie Cats, the other Nacra catamarans. Once you have done a session or two you can take the boats out on your own or with another club member. 

The one club charges only about 500 or 600 for unlimited use of the boats for the season once you have been cleared by an instructor. They have Bravos for solo, Hobie 16s for tandem and Hobie Getaways for familys/groups.

I would absolutely recomend starting with beach cat sailing. Boats with motors don't make for great learning platforms IMO. With a motor it's hard to learn proper close quarters handling techniques, sailing in and out if dock etc. And most importantly, beach cat sailing is fast and fun.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Arcb said:


> Around here we have a couple of places that offer private and semi private lessons. One uses Hobie Cats, the other Nacra catamarans. Once you have done a session or two you can take the boats out on your own or with another club member.
> 
> The one club charges only about 500 or 600 for unlimited use of the boats for the season once you have been cleared by an instructor. They have Bravos for solo, Hobie 16s for tandem and Hobie Getaways for familys/groups.
> 
> I would absolutely recomend starting with beach cat sailing. Boats with motors don't make for great learning platforms IMO. With a motor it's hard to learn proper close quarters handling techniques, sailing in and out if dock etc. And most importantly, beach cat sailing is fast and fun.


Maybe... I think one needs to learn and be comfortable with the size boat you plan to own. I went to Colgate and learned on Solings. Not a boat I would want however.
Boat handling is important and these days most boats over 25' have a motor for docking purposes. I was told that I was not permuted to sail on or off a fuel dock several times.

Coming along side for fuel or water is a skill which can be easily learned and can be done single handed with a midship line on your boat. Motor to the dock... slow the boat with reverse and go to midship and take the waiting line and secure it around a cleat/piling and shorten it to bring the beam along side. After that do the bow and stern lines.

There are not enough slips for boats and many prefer moorings... The only slip I was in 35 years was for winter storage. But if you plan on a slip you will need the skills to get in and out and almost certainly use a motor.

Trailering and storing a beached boat is not possible or desirable for everyone.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

SanderO said:


> Trailering and storing a beached boat is not possible or desirable for everyone.


$500-600 for unlimited use of club boats for the season. No trailering or storage or maintenance required, it's the clubs boat. Some guys with keel boats are spending more than that on oil changes and shrink wrap 

Yes, I know most boats over 25 feet use a motor so they can get out sailing, that's one of the reasons I think small easily driven boats are better learning platforms. You learn to do everything under sail. My 7 year old can sail our smaller beach cat off the beach on his own and can sail the boat to 8 or 9 knots of boat speed, a speed a lot of larger keel boats will never hit ⛱

I wouldn't want to own a soling either, nor would I recomend it as a platform to introduce new sailors to the sport


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## JoCoSailor (Dec 7, 2015)

Skipper Jer said:


> There are a few sailing clubs in the Solomons. One has a wait list and the other is accepting new members last I heard.
> 
> 
> Southern Maryland Sailing Association
> ...


I agree 100% about SMSA...They are a great group of sailors that will bend over backward to help new sailors.


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

Given the time of year, I thought of another option I should recommend. Resort sailing! A lot of Caribbean resorts have really nice sailing fleets. Hobies tend to be the standard boat, some have lasers and sunfish as well. 

When I am booking a week down south, I always check out their sailing program. There is a place we go to every couple of winters that has a great sailing program. You can take the boat out with or without an instructor for no extra charge, it's included in the "all inclusive" fee, and we take full advantage, we go out sailing every day. Some times I bring along an instructor so I can sit back and enjoy the ride, usually I prefer to go on my own.

This is a clip I took out sailing a resort boat. These boats are designed from the ground up as safe, easy to sail learning platforms. No boom to smack your head, no traveller to crunch your fingers, fun fast and forgiving, Hobie 15.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Arcb said:


> $500-600 for unlimited use of club boats for the season. No trailering or storage or maintenance required, it's the clubs boat. Some guys with keel boats are spending more than that on oil changes and shrink wrap
> 
> Yes, I know most boats over 25 feet use a motor so they can get out sailing, that's one of the reasons I think small easily driven boats are better learning platforms. You learn to do everything under sail. My 7 year old can sail our smaller beach cat off the beach on his own and can sail the boat to 8 or 9 knots of boat speed, a speed a lot of larger keel boats will never hit ⛱
> 
> I wouldn't want to own a soling either, nor would I recomend it as a platform to introduce new sailors to the sport


I think your understanding of recreational sailing is filtered from your personal experience. What I see in say Northport... or Newport or other harbors I sailing into is that the vast majority of boats are keelboats with inboard or outboard motors. Yacht clubs have sailing programs for kids... but their members are sailing auxiliary powered sailboats>
My read of the OP was she wanted to sail on "bigger boats" - auxiliaries and that she had learned on smaller sailboats.
Maybe she needs to comment.


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## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

SanderO said:


> I think your understanding of recreational sailing is filtered from your personal experience. What I see in say Northport... or Newport or other harbors I sailing into is that the vast majority of boats are keelboats with inboard or outboard motors. Yacht clubs have sailing programs for kids... but their members are sailing auxiliary powered sailboats>
> My read of the OP was she wanted to sail on "bigger boats" - auxiliaries and that she had learned on smaller sailboats.
> Maybe she needs to comment.


I would suggest that your comment reflects your own personal experience further north than the Original Poster, The original poster is on the Chesapeake within a few hours from Annapolis. While there are lots of folks on the Chesapeake and its tributaries sailing keelboats with inboard or outboard motors, there are also a large number of small centerboard daysailers, some with and some without auxiliary motors. Sailing on almost any and all types of boats will provide a useful platform to gain experience.

I would also note that it really is not all that hard to walk into a marina or yacht club and strike up a conversation with a boat owner or club member asking for guidance to get aboard a boat to gain experience. A lot of us long term sailors routinely invite new comers out sailing with us so that they can get experience. I personally have taken 6-8 new sailors out this season alone. 

Jeff


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## Arcb (Aug 13, 2016)

SanderO said:


> I think your understanding of recreational sailing is filtered from your personal experience.


Well, of course. That's the point of these forums, isn't it?

I have been sailing nearly 40 years, I have owned auxillary keel boats, racing dinghies and beach cats, as well as some more bizzarre sailing machines  in my experience, modern, family oriented beach cats make good learning platforms for any new sailor.

This summer I had the opportunity to introduce several new sailors to sailing. Families; Moms and Dads in their 40s and kids under 10.

While I do own a monohull with auxillary power, I didn't use that boat to teach them. For one, they were power boat owners, so didn't need to learn how to dock a power boat under power, they already knew how to do that.

My main reason for teaching them on my beach cats instead of on my monohull is because it's more fun for the parents and the kids. Carefree, fun, safe and fast.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

I suppose this kinda raise the issue of how deeply one wants to go with sailing. There are apparently many who don't own or want to own a boat.... they may crew on race boats... or just sail with friends.
Learning never really stops and after the entry classes perhaps the real on the boat experience starts. For sure sailing in weather is something that needs to be experienced.
And for sure I would think that experiencing boats larger than what you learned to sail in a sailing course will give you a taste of what a bigger sailboat involves.
Also... many don't want the maintenance that goes with ownership... and are content to crew on other people's boats. But they need to get up close and personal to make that determination.

We need a thread for the story of how you came to own your boat... first up to present one.


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## The Big Cat (Jul 1, 2020)

If you're on the eastern shore, you might check out the "Focus on Sailing" program at Tred Avon YC. This program uses club owned Ideal 18 sloops. Check their website for contact information. Around two dozen clubs have similar programs on the Ideal 18. I have visited six clubs with Ideal 18 programs. If it is of interest to you all these clubs had women's sailing opportunitiess within their Ideal 18 programs. This video From Nyack Boat Club exemplifies these programs 



 Participating in on of these programs gets you sailing without capital investment or maintenance headaches. It will also get you immersed in the sailing world and opens opportunities for boat ownership.


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## emcentar (Apr 28, 2009)

Welcome Chris!

I'm also in the area and fortunately there are a lot of options here for getting on the water more. The most obvious place to start are local sailing clubs. They can vary between $100-$500 a year, but are one of the cheapest ways to get on the water and easiest way to find people to sail with.

Many sailing programs will also allow you to rent a sailboat from their fleet at a reduced price after taking a course. That's how I sailed for six years before I bought my boat.

I personally have not found it easy to grab a sail by wandering around marinas or join race crew, I eventually bought my own boat to secure a more reliable way to extend my sailing time and explore the Chesapeake more (I love dinghy sailing, but you aren't going far around here without an auxiliary engine, and most clubs and shares won't let you take boats on overnights.).


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## KoOlina Mike (Dec 8, 2021)

Jeff_H said:


> Welcome to SailNet and to the sport of sailing.
> There are a lot of ways to get into sailing and not every one works for every person. Probably the cheapest and easiest way to get time on the water is to crew for a racer or a cruiser. Each has advantages and disadvantages and each will have a different level of appeal depending on your personality.
> Since you are near Annapolis you can sign up on SpinSheet magazine's 'Crew finder' SpinSheet Crew Finder.
> 
> ...


Jeff - a beneficial post - Mahalo


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