# new man on board



## eksstetter (Aug 30, 2008)

I am selling my home buying a sailboat.Me and my wife have had a 30 foot camper and lived in it for 3 years.I don't know a thing about sailing but want to learn.How much how much trouble am i in? Is this something i cam do or am i going to get my wife and me killed doing it? And also i would like to know what boat i should get. I will have about 75 to 80000 get one.So what do you think am i nuts? I am 48 i have been thinking about this for all my life but didn't think i would ever do it but what the hell I'm not doing anything elce and you only live once right ? Well look forward to hearing from you.


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## JohnRPollard (Mar 26, 2007)

Welcome to Sailnet.

I would urge you to take some basic sailing classes so you can learn the fundamentals. There are many threads here on Sailnet which offer good advice for how to get started -- try poking around a bit in the "Learning to Sail" forum. Maybe start a new thread over there (where it's more likely to be noticed) and solicit advice about your plans.

Good luck to you!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Great Advice John:

I am in the exact same position that Eksstetter is in. I am terrified to put a lot of money into a boat that turns out to be not what I want after learning how to sail it. So I started out taking a few courses, Basic Cruising, Coastal Navigation, and then a week aboard a C&C 360 with a very knowledgeable skipper and 3 other students. It was great learning experience it was enough to show me how much more I have to learn. 

Living in Alberta we do not have the sailing advantages of Coastal BC but I have found a great way to learn and have fun at the same. I am currently investigating and looking for a sailboat and was I ask if I was interested in joining a crew racing on the weekends. I jumped at the opportunity. 

It seems there is a lot of boats that require crew. The more sailing knowledge and experience one has, the more of an asset one is to the team. However, with a little sailing knowledge you can still contribute to the team and learn a lot about sailing from some very experienced people. I am looking forward to contribute more and learn everything I can. 

In the meantime I am learning a lot about sailboats by listening to some great people who know what they are talking about and soon hope to own a boat that meets my family's needs and is fun for all of us. 

After all I am 51 years old and had a dream to sail for some time so now I can see myself sailing my own boat and enjoying it for many more years with the people I love.

Feel Free to check out the Canadian Yachting Association’s website to see all the courses that are available and what would work for you.

Good Luck Eksstetter, and I hope to see you on the Coast some time.


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## Stillraining (Jan 11, 2008)

Naw your not crazy...Your smitten by the sea just like the rest of us.

Welcome Aboard both of you.


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## theartfuldodger (Sep 4, 2006)

In speaking to many sailors I've come to learn one real quality a sailor must have, he or she must be a tinkerer, as seems to be the most common thing around those sailors who stay sailing and living aboard.


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