# new here, looking to learn



## wendy learns to sail (Jul 23, 2021)

hello people of hersailnet!
i'm brand new here, and just came across this nook of the community. i've got sailing dreams that i'm trying to line up, but every step forward in learning and finding a boat/docking/equipment leads me back to thinking i need an apprenticeship/internship/liveaboard experience alongside a much more experienced sailor to get my bearings and confidence up. does anything like that exist? i've been aboard several sailboats in my life for short periods of time, most recently i'm volunteering a few hours each weekend aboard a 60ft historic schooner which takes passengers on 2-hour trips around the cove as an apprentice. i'm signed up for an 8 hour training class on a 12-foot pelican boat. would love to know thoughts on how to log more hours alongside an experienced captain/crew. thanks for your wisdom!


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## MoonBeamEstate (Jan 1, 2021)

wendy learns to sail said:


> hello people of hersailnet!
> i'm brand new here, and just came across this nook of the community. i've got sailing dreams that i'm trying to line up, but every step forward in learning and finding a boat/docking/equipment leads me back to thinking i need an apprenticeship/internship/liveaboard experience alongside a much more experienced sailor to get my bearings and confidence up. does anything like that exist? i've been aboard several sailboats in my life for short periods of time, most recently i'm volunteering a few hours each weekend aboard a 60ft historic schooner which takes passengers on 2-hour trips around the cove as an apprentice. i'm signed up for an 8 hour training class on a 12-foot pelican boat. would love to know thoughts on how to log more hours alongside an experienced captain/crew. thanks for your wisdom!


You may want to add the area that you are in.


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## wendy learns to sail (Jul 23, 2021)

MoonBeamEstate said:


> You may want to add the area that you are in.


I'm in the pacific northwest, just outside Seattle, on Whidbey Island, but I'm not tethered to the area and am willing to travel to learn from and with anyone who might be open to teaching.


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## Sailormon6 (May 9, 2002)

To learn anything, you start with the fundamentals and then you build your knowledge and skills. The 8 hour training class sounds like a good start to learn the fundamentals. Each winter, for many years, I took basic sailing courses from the local Red Cross, US Power Squadron, Coast Guard Auxiliary and others. It might sound repetitive, but each instructor had knowledge and skills that the others didn't, and I learned from them by asking questions, often after the formal class was over for the evening.

Next, the best way to build knowledge and experience is to crew on race boats. Racers think about the smartest, most efficient way to do everything. If the Spinsheet magazine is distributed in your area, they have a website where you can put your name on a list as a volunteer to crew. In the absence of Spinsheet magazine, stop by any marina and ask how to contact the local sailing and racing clubs. The clerks at any Westmarine store can also help connect you with those clubs, and most of them can put you on a list of volunteers. Or, simply walk down to the docks on any day when a race is scheduled and ask sailors on their boats if they need race crew.


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## wendy learns to sail (Jul 23, 2021)

Sailormon6 said:


> To learn anything, you start with the fundamentals and then you build your knowledge and skills. The 8 hour training class sounds like a good start to learn the fundamentals. Each winter, for many years, I took basic sailing courses from the local Red Cross, US Power Squadron, Coast Guard Auxiliary and others. It might sound repetitive, but each instructor had knowledge and skills that the others didn't, and I learned from them by asking questions, often after the formal class was over for the evening.
> 
> Next, the best way to build knowledge and experience is to crew on race boats. Racers think about the smartest, most efficient way to do everything. If the Spinsheet magazine is distributed in your area, they have a website where you can put your name on a list as a volunteer to crew. In the absence of Spinsheet magazine, stop by any marina and ask how to contact the local sailing and racing clubs. The clerks at any Westmarine store can also help connect you with those clubs, and most of them can put you on a list of volunteers. Or, simply walk down to the docks on any day when a race is scheduled and ask sailors on their boats if they need race crew.


 Thanks Sailormon6. I think I'm looking for a more individualized experience and one that is less competitive in nature. I volunteered on a boat sailing in a regatta and I found I much prefer a calmer experience to one where there is pressure to win a race. I'm not sure if there's an option or opportunity that aligns, but that's what I'm hoping to find.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Download the GoSailing app and register. 

I have taken several aspiring sailors that I met through GoSailing for cruises on the east coast.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Welcome aboard Wendy! Sailboat racing is about....sailboat racing!

So it really is about what do you actually want to learn live aboard cruising, racing? 

sorry we're on opposite Coast I'm picking up on Hunter 34 first week of August "contingent on survey" 

If anybody that is offering to teach you tells you what you cant do, turn walk away, there are some pretty damn good women sailors out there, not hard to find either! 

and there's nothing wrong with spending some of your hard-earned money to learn to sail rather than on a boat that you're not sure you even want just yet.


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## wendy learns to sail (Jul 23, 2021)

eherlihy said:


> Download the GoSailing app and register.
> 
> I have taken several aspiring sailors that I met through GoSailing for cruises on the east coast.


thanks for the tip! i downloaded the app and it doesn't look like there are a whole lot of cruises going on right now...two in my area but not during times I can make. hopefully more will be added in the near future, so I'll keep an eye out! thanks again!


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## wendy learns to sail (Jul 23, 2021)

deniseO30 said:


> Welcome aboard Wendy! Sailboat racing is about....sailboat racing!
> 
> So it really is about what do you actually want to learn live aboard cruising, racing?
> 
> ...


thanks, Denise! i'm definitely more looking to learn all of the basics before buying a boat, though a friend said owning one of my own is the best way to learn because it forces you to take it out and just do it. i think i have much more to learn before i'm comfortable with that though, and i'm 100% sure i'd rather just sail by myself or a friend/small group than race a bunch of other boats. what are your plans for your new boat? i hope the survey is glowing!


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## IDtrucks (Jan 10, 2018)

wendy learns to sail said:


> hello people of hersailnet!
> i'm brand new here, and just came across this nook of the community. i've got sailing dreams that i'm trying to line up, but every step forward in learning and finding a boat/docking/equipment leads me back to thinking i need an apprenticeship/internship/liveaboard experience alongside a much more experienced sailor to get my bearings and confidence up. does anything like that exist? i've been aboard several sailboats in my life for short periods of time, most recently i'm volunteering a few hours each weekend aboard a 60ft historic schooner which takes passengers on 2-hour trips around the cove as an apprentice. i'm signed up for an 8 hour training class on a 12-foot pelican boat. would love to know thoughts on how to log more hours alongside an experienced captain/crew. thanks for your wisdom!


I think working on that 60'er is an awesome first step. I love the sailing anarchy mantra of "stop sailing big boats for other people", _however_ you gain a ton of experience on bigger boats, that then gives you a ton of confidence when you get your own smaller boat. So i would say keep doing that, and being in the industry is another awesome step in accelerating the process, making friends, im sure some of your fellow crew or crew's friends have sailboats you can hop on for fun and continue learning.

Honestly, i would recommend against the sailing class in a 12 ft dinghy. Unless your desire is truly dinghy racing...boats in the low 20 ft range are responsive enough you get the quick feed back sensation sort of like a dinghy..and also get to practice with docking and winches and motoring e.c.t. I think that would be a better use of your time and money, to take that lesson on something bigger


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

wendy learns to sail said:


> thanks, Denise! i'm definitely more looking to learn all of the basics before buying a boat, though a friend said owning one of my own is the best way to learn because it forces you to take it out and just do it. i think i have much more to learn before i'm comfortable with that though, and i'm 100% sure i'd rather just sail by myself or a friend/small group than race a bunch of other boats. what are your plans for your new boat? i hope the survey is glowing!


Hey Wendy, , Buying a boat really gets complicated in the beginning. For example; I knew what I wanted, but because others kept telling me what I should have, instead of what I wanted, things changed a lot and I got a smaller boat when all along I wanted a larger boat!

As your comfort and skill levels increase so will the type of boats that you want to be on.

Plans for this boat...really not sure other than I want to be an 80% time live aboard, I know I will start gunkholing right away, maybe visit some yacht clubs explore becoming a YC member of One again.

I "think" about making my boat available for women learning to sail but I don't know if I have the energy or desire to get my captain's license, or even entertain the thoughts of liability and drama.

I don't consider myself a teacher and would probably enlist the help of professional women sail instructor/s, but I don't even know if any of this is possible, because I don't see it happening on a small scale, and I haven't really investigated any of it.


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