# What did you learn to sail on?



## Greatlakes47 (Sep 26, 2013)

So tell me, what boat did you learn to sail on or what was your first boat? What boat did you sail/own that taught you the most about sailing. 

And what do you sail now?


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I learned on a C&C-36 (took ASA lessons to bareboat level). Then sailed weekends for 3 months on a Cal-33, then had a Cal-39 for 2 years, and now have a Hunter 410.

All of them sailed different and you learn to sail a boat the way it wants to sail. It doesn't matter the boat but the first important thing to learn after basic sailing stuff is that there is almost always time to think for a few seconds when things are not going right before "jumping" into action and letting panic take over.


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## Greatlakes47 (Sep 26, 2013)

My first boat was a Kirby 25, I bought it when I was 21. I'm now 26 and on my 2nd boat, a Mirage 25, it's no where near as fast but a lot more comfortable for my new family and still fits on a trailer! I learned so much from the Kirby as it was a very tender boat an sailed like a big Laser, every adjustment you made was felt. Love that boat!


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

Learned on a Mirror sailing dinghy that my dad and I built in the early 70s. He and 4 other buddies imported the first 5 kits into the US.

Go hooked on cruising while sailing offshore with my dad, his cousin and a couple of buddies on a C&C Corvette from Boston to mid-coast Maine. That was 1978.

Learned the most about sailing on my windsurfers in the 80s.

Currently sail the following: Caliber 40LRC, Cape Dory 10, Klepper 272 semi-displacement, Alpha 180 full displacement.

Other boats owned: Custom landsailing board, O'day Sprite, Laser, Rhodes 18, Hobie 16, San Juan 21, Pearson 28-1, Ericson 35-3


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

I learned the basics on a J/something at a sailing school weekend course. Then I purchased a Venture 2-22. I'm not sure that I learned to sail on the Venture so much as learned about boat maintenance and getting accustomed to how a boat feels in the water. I didn't sail very far in it (not for lack of trying), but I got used to moving around on it, my fear that anything I'd do would immediately sink it, how the keel, rudder and sails worked together (I didn't drop the keel the entire first year), etc.

I learned to actually sail (and get from point A to point B) on our Catalina. 

And I'm still learning on my boat and others. The difference is I can now actually get somewhere while I do it.


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## Faster (Sep 13, 2005)

Exposed to sailing by a friend with a Davidson 18 (mini Cal 20) on an interior lake. We started learning (still are ) on our first boat, a Hinterhoeller Shark 24. Quickly moved to another Lakes boat, a Viking 28 which we kept for 10 years (all of this on the west coast). Entered a partnership with our 'crew' and brought in a second boat, a local Martin 242 (planing day racer - great fun) and shortly thereafter sold the Viking and moved up to a Choate 40 . Another 12 years there, great, powerful, unique boat. We kept the M242 during this time, having the perfect world of a cruiser and a racer for each purpose; our sons sailed happily with us throughout their teens, and our son sails/owns today. 

A career change and relocation force a partnership dissolve, we sold the Choate, and have each gone to 34/35 footers as individual couples. We now own a Brazilian built Fast 345, a fractional rigged sloop by Ron Holland, originally produced in Britain as a Nicholson 345.

As you can see, we've never really been part of the 'Benehuntalina' crowd...


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## guitarguy56 (Oct 10, 2012)

When I was a lot younger (14) we learned on Lasers and Sunfish which we sailed with my brothers in Jamaica Bay, NY... when I graduated college in Florida my first real engineering job was at Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Engines in Jupiter, Florida, I moved to a waterfront duplex complex that had 4 Hobie Cats as part of the amenities so it was a short walk from my duplex to the beach and got the cats out on the water... this was off Flagler Drive in West Palm Beach so it was very nice to have free use of the cats and learned quite a bit to race these with friends... I later bought a Flying Dutchman sailing dinghy and kept it until my marriage sailing the lakes of West Palm Beach and waters of Lake Worth, we sold it when we moved to Seattle but never sailed on my own sailboat again until the one I have now but I have gone out with others on their boats and crewed on others. Never took an ASA class ever...


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## Group9 (Oct 3, 2010)

When I was 14, I took sailing lessons with the Boy Scouts. I don't even remember what brand of boat it was. It was a small sloop day sailer (about the size of a Flying Scot) and from the second I made that boat move using just the wind, I was hooked.

After that, I would take out a Sunfish that belonged to our Boy Scout Troop that you could check out, whenever I got the chance and would beg borrow or steal a ride on any sailboat until I finally got my own. 

I'm 56 now and I still get the same thrill I did at 14 when I am sailing. 

My sailing chronology of sailboats I have owned.
Hobie 16
Cape Dory 25D
Cal 25
Hobie 16 (a different one)
Islander Mk II 32
Catalina 42


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## Multihullgirl (Dec 2, 2010)

Had a Sunfish for a bit, then got a ride on a Hobie 16 at which point I realized that I'd never again own a monohull, so I bought a 16 of my own, and most of my beginning sailing was done aboard the H16

--oh, and ever since: NACRA 18 Square, Wharram TIKI 21', F-27GS (modified F-27), now a CATANA 40S


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## okawbow (Feb 15, 2007)

My first sailing was done on an ice boat. Learned some basic things about wind and sails on that. Then my wife won a Super Snark, and we learned how to sail on water. My real sailing education came with my Bristol 24, on which I learned about diesels, navigation, and heavy weather sailing.


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

Greatlakes47 said:


> So tell me, what boat did you learn to sail on or what was your first boat? What boat did you sail/own that taught you the most about sailing.
> 
> And what do you sail now?


I first learned how to sail as a pre-teen on a Sunfish. I remember the experience, but not how to sail, from back then.

I learned again how to sail as an adult on a Blanchard Junior. That is a 20' LOA, 5' beam keel ballasted day sailor that the Center for Wooden Boats teaches on. It's a simple and very nice sailing boat. A few years later I'm now an instructor there and teach others how to sail on this same boat.

I'd say that I'm always still learning how to sail better. After my classes I bought a Catalina 25, then upgraded later to a more comfortable Pearson 28-2. I also own a 5O5 racing dinghy and I'm learning even more by sailing that.

The Catalina 25 taught me the most simply because I had the least experience when I owned it.


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## RainDog (Jun 9, 2009)

I grew up sailing on a custom wooden boat. In the late 70's we replaced it with a O'Day Javelin. I sailed this boat from elementary school until college. It is the first boat I soloed. I also sailed sunfish as a kid and learned a ton from them.

I would say the boat I learned the most on as an adult was a Catalina 27. Mostly because I was sailing it on a reservoir with high bluffs and swirly winds. To get around those corners you really learn a lot about sailing to windward in very difficult conditions.

I currently own a Pacific Seacraft 34.


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## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

First ever sailing lesson on a 24' keel boat. Then with a friend on a 15' centerboard sailing dinghy exclusively on lakes. Then bought myself a 14' Hobie Cat. From there moved up to a San Juan 23, with ballasted stub keel and centerboard. Had that for quite a while.

What taught me the most about sailing? Depends on what you mean. I mean, the first lessons were the most immediate and intense learning. The sailing dinghy taught me a lot about sail trim, but my buddy was very careful and we never tipped it over.

With my Hobie Cat I tipped it a lot, and learned a lot about heeling a boat and what it feels like when it is getting close to the edge, right on the edge, and then going past the edge into tipping over. Taking the Hobie in and out through the surf also taught me about watching the sail more than the water, and getting through places where the current is not going the direction you want to go.

With the San Juan I learned about planning a trip, anchoring for the night, and living on the boat for a while. These days my wife and I do charter trips here and there, own a sailing dinghy that we take out when time allows, and are looking around for our next big boat, which will be the one we take for extended cruises after I retire.


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

If there's one thing I probably have in common with Gary Jobson, it's that I first began sailing as as a kid aboard a Barnegat Bay Sneak Box, as most every kid growing up sailing around here did back in the day. An 8-foot pram, similar to an Opti, would have been the first boat I ever sailed by myself, but all of my sailing and racing for the next 20 years would be done as crew on OPBs...

After a few years, I moved up to sailing on a Jet 14... Very nimble and tricky little boat, I definitely learned more about sailing on that boat, than any other... By high school, I was crewing on Lightnings, another wonderful boat, and the first I'd ever sailed that used a spinnaker, or had a crew more than 2. Then throughout college, I raced on E-Scows, which featured some of the most exciting and demanding sailing I'd ever done, and was my first taste of some 'Big Time' competition, traveling to regional/national regattas, and racing against some of the best sailors around...

A few years after college, I started doing some offshore racing... Looking back, by today's standards of so many jumping into big boats immediately and taking off cruising, my sailing apprenticeship was a remarkably slow progression. For almost 2 decades after I first started out, I don't believe I ever sailed aboard anything bigger than 28', or upon the ocean or out of sight of land...

At about 30, I bought the first sailboat of my own - a 16' Contender, which at the time was the first single-handed boat ever with a trapeze (Designed by an Aussie named Bob Miller, who went on to far greater fame after he changed his name to Ben Lexcen) I've had as much fun with that boat as any I'd ever sailed, but I could have retired long ago if I had a buck for every time I capsized the damn thing, and the head of the mainsail was perpetually stained by that Barnegat Bay mud... 










About 20 years ago, I finally acquired a boat that I could sleep on, and actually go places with - a 30' Allied Chance 30-30... The odds are this is the boat I'm probably stuck with for the duration...


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## capttb (Dec 13, 2003)

A wood centerboard Sabot that had been glassed to "stop leaks", just made it incredibly heavy and still leaked. Replaced by a lee board Sabot that had a glass hull but everything else was wood, no leaks. Then I was considered adequate to serve as "rail meat" on a Thistle, all wood. Then my first boat with room for passengers, a 14' Lido, mostly glass with some ornamental wood bits. At the time we were small enough to consider it a "roomy" 4 person boat. Mostly Los Angeles/Long Beach Harbor, large protected saltwater areas with plenty of traffic.
We have a Catalina 320 now, I prefer to not deal with wood exposed to the weather on boats now.


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## Rhapsody-NS27 (Apr 8, 2012)

3yrs ago, took ASA101 in Kemah, TX and they used a Colgate 26 for the course.
2yrs ago, at a boat show in TX again, did an hour "intro" with the same school on a Colgate again and still thought it was fun so I wanted to get my own boat.
A few weeks later in April 2012, I bought my current boat, a Nor'sea 27. Still have a LOT to learn but has been very worth while and enjoyable.

Future... No plans to up-size.


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## Tayana42 (Dec 1, 2012)

Started learning on a 14 ft Dolphin Sr a lateen rigged board boat similar to a Sunfish. Then I continued learning on each boat I owned or chartered, including the Tayana 42 I have had for 14 years and still learning.

Sent from my LG-P769 using Tapatalk


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## krisscross (Feb 22, 2013)

490 dinghy, in a 2 man crew.


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## barefootnavigator (Mar 12, 2012)

When I was 14 I got shipped off to the Midwest for a summer at a family members lake house. I found an old Laser and all the parts to put it together burred deep in the boat house. I shoved it out and started sailing. it was the most natural feeling I have ever known.


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## mad_machine (Dec 16, 2012)

I first started sailing on my parents Grampian 23.. from there I bought a Minifish with a sunfish rig (was a really fast dingy) then two years ago I bought a GP 14 and now I have a Sea Sprite 23


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## DonScribner (Jan 9, 2011)

Well, my son and I were talking a few years ago and I asked him for an idea of a father-son thing that we could take up. He said "sailing". After a month of looking at Craigslist, I grew a spine and told the Mrs., fully ready to stand my ground. She said "That sounds like fun!" Pinch me. So, we bought a Lancer 25 with no trailer, no truck to tow it with and no sailing experience. Sounds pretty moronic put that way but things were thought out and discussed ahead of time. Within two weeks I had purchased a dually powerboat trailer, modified it to fit a sailboat that I couldn't measure and delivered it to a marina in another state so I could pay them $800 to move two other boats that they had just put in front of it and set ours on her trailer. (Still sounds pretty dumb.) Well, we towed her home with an undersized vehicle on the busiest highway in the north east with no brakes on the trailer. (This just keeps getting better). Home at last, a week before first snow. 

During the winter, we studied, watched videos, took a Sailing and Seamanship class from the local Power Squadron and learned as much as we could about the whole sailing thing.

Spring rolled around and we figured out what all those "ropes" and "cables" did. Then one fine June day, we readied her for the water. Before we got done, my eardrum ruptured, so we put it off. Next week, we towed her to the local boat ramp. When I showed up, I met the ranger, a man named Carl. I said "I know absolutely nothing so anything you want to tell me, any recommendations will be appreciated." He is also a sailor and has been an immense help over the years. So, in the water, motored past the jetty into the Atlantic and "shanked on" (oh, boy) my first jib and commenced to make mistakes like nobody's business.

That was 6 years, about 3500 nm and dozens and dozens of remote Maine islands ago. We still sail our beloved Lancer 25, tow and launch every time and often exchange pleasantries with Ranger Carl. In 1 month, 8 days and 12 minutes, we board the yacht that we are chartering in BVI for a week. 

The photo is me talking with Carl for the first time.

Don


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## jrd22 (Nov 14, 2000)

Dad bought a Vivacity 20 (twin keeled British design) in the mid 60's when I was in high school and I tried everything I could think of to try and make it go into wind ) About 10-15 years later my brother and I bought a 25' sloop (Santana?) and sailed it on Lake Washington (Seattle). We went on to own a couple of other boats, a Cascade 29 and then a North Sea 34 PH, which he still has. My wife and I bought a Brewer PH, 40', about six years ago and resurrected it from near death. I'm still learning to sail.


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## Dave_E (Aug 7, 2013)

US Navy Sailing (Allameda Naval Base). First was a couple lessons on some little "Sunfish" type boats, then a Laser (that was fun), then Rhodes 19. That was as big as they had so I went over to Treasure Island and moved up to a Capri 22, then an O'Day 25, then a Catalina 27. Hung arouned long enough to get pretty proficient and became a "check sailor" (or qualifier) for other folks as they moved up in boat size.


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## kellysails (Nov 1, 2008)

Pearson 26. My friend had to spend the summer in Alaska on a job so he left his boat in my hands. He gave me a couple of days of instruction and then he left. I vividly remember my first sail with him. I was completely and totally awestruck by the potential for freedom and self-reliance. I was hooked within the first five minutes of having the sails up. 

One of the best summers of my life.

Pearson 26, what a great boat.


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## Joel H. (Sep 9, 2012)

A Sears plastic covered Styrofoam version of a Sunfish.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

Started out on a heavy wooden dinghy about 16 ft long with a gunter rig when I was in my teens.

Then in my late 30s bought a Jaguar 22 which is a clone of the Catalina 22. It came with 4 jibs and a spi. I learned a LOT with this pocket cruiser mostly by trial and error but many thanks to Jim [ The Schuss ] Anderson for taking the time to show me what to do with the spi and how to set the pole.

Still learning today at 67 on my 44 ft cutter.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Sunfish, then Hobies, college Larks and Stars, then a succession of cruising boats Pearson 22, Cape Dory 28, Bayfield 36, Little Harbor 52, now a Morris 38 and 420's for summer night beer cans - a way to continue to not come to terms with advancing age.

Turn this winter off, it's time to go sailing


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Never stop learning- when you do they better have thrown dirt in your face first.
As teen was unpaid hand on big boats. In twenties mostly Flying Scotts and other wet boat sailing. Then beer can racing on a variety of keel boats. Then single/double handed on a series of Cape Dories, a Tayana and then a one off including several Bermuda races. Now starting again from scratch on the Outbound. Don't worry about the boat just if I can get it together to do as much of the clock I can before the walker and wheelchair. Wind is wind and boats are boats. Most folks can stand examine the way the spaghetti runs and sail the d-mn thing. I'm having trouble learning all the other stuff you need to know for long term cruising.


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## CaptTony (May 22, 2011)

It was 40 years ago and I had never even thought about sailing. A friend's daughter said she knew how to sail. The apartment complex had a couple of Sunfish sailboats, so I said, "Show me." 

There was no wind, so we hand paddled to the middle of a small lake. She said, "If there was wind, this is what you would do." We paddled back in. The next day a friend and I took out the two Sunfish sailboats in one of Florida's raging summer storms. We had a great time zipping across the lake, turning the boats over, and trying to do everything you're not supposed to do. I was hooked and never looked back.

I've done a lot of sailing since and have had my masters ticket for 27 years, but I always look back on that as the start.


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## GMFL (Jun 9, 2010)

I first sailed as "crew" on a Sabot, I was 6 or so. Then started sailing every day at 10-12 on a good friends Lazer. I think I learned the most doing that. Much later sailed Lido 14's. The first big boat was sailing as crew on a 50' Moorings on vacation. Then a 42' Catalina in a few classes.

Bought an Islander 36 three years ago and been finding adventures on my own ever since!


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## rhpaw (Jun 3, 2012)

My dad bought a *San Juan 24* when I was 6. I learned about concepts and not getting seasick on that boat.
He upgraded to a *Yamaha 33* when I was 10. I learned how to Sail on that. I learned how to race and also liveaboard.
I learned how to not trust a British Seagull outboard and sail into the dock for a few summers on a *San Juan 21*
I learned how to foredeck and go really fast on a *Santa Cruz 27*. I also learned how green skippers can get in way over their heads too fast.
_I learned how to fish my limit in salmon and fall overboard during the summers on a *Bertram Sportfisher 32*_
I learned how to cross the ocean on a *Nordic 44*.
....wow, I had a good time for a teenager...

I took a 20 year vacation in Colorado where water wasn't plentiful and I didn't learn much of anything.

Now I'm learning to be my own skipper and soup-to-nuts maintenance on my own *S2 9.1*.
Thoughts of corrosion keeps me awake at night.


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## jwing (Jun 20, 2013)

I first sailed at Boy Scout summer camp. They had a small fleet of Sunfish and I earned a Sailing Merit Badge. 

After college I bought a Hobie 16, and that boat punished me, but I did learn. When I moved to Colorado and Utah, I sold the Hobie and became enthralled with whitewater canoeing and kayaking. From kayaking, I learned that lessons gleaned from paddling small, super-responsive boats could be transfered to larger, less responsive boats. That made paddling the heavier boats safer and more fun.

I did several Caribbean bareboat charters in those years, mostly mid-40-footers to mid-50-footers. I learned a lot about cruising and handling a big boat, but we always ran the engine, even with the sails up, whenever the situation was anything but open water and a fair breeze. The charter boats are easy to sail, but they are heavy and sluggish. The boat we chartered for 24 days in the Windwards had a particularly unreliable engine, which made for some interesting sailing experiences. 

I deduced that I should buy my own small, responsive sailboat to really learn the fine points sailing, similar to how I learned paddling, so I bought a Mariner 19. I've been learning a huge of amount with that boat because there is almost instant feedback to my actions, and if I make a mistake, I can quickly correct. I also appreciate that the cockpit is comfortable enough for me and a friend or two to spend the day out on the water and the cuddy is big enough to store more than enough toys (extra sails, anchor, swim ladder, towels, clothing, cooler, fishing gear, guitar, books, sketchbook, etc) to keep it interesting for guests.


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## CarbonSink62 (Sep 29, 2011)

When I was 19, my brother took me out in a Herreshoff 19 (maybe a reproduction?). I was hooked.

About 2 years later, I took lessons on a Widgeon 13 at the Navy Special Services dock. Then I qualified on the Rhodes 19 and there was no stopping me.

After the Navy:
Luger 16
Catalina Capri 18
A 15 year break
A second Catalina 18
Now a Catalina 25 (bought in 2012)

Every boat I bought I thought I was finally in the big time (Running Lights! My new boat has running lights!  ).

We are looking to move up this year to a 30' cruising boat with these fine features:

Standing headroom
A real door on the head
An inboard engine

Then I'll really be in the big time! 

Ken


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## benesailor (Dec 27, 2012)

I was very lucky. My family had nothing when i was a child. My neighbors were very into sailing. They wanted to send their son to sailing school but he wanted company. They paid for me to accompany him. We started on a sunfish and graduated to a Catalina 25. I think i enjoyed it more than he did. Won every sunfish race i entered. 
We went our separate ways and 20 years later i got a bug up my a**. I paid the bucks to go out with a ASA instructor for a week on a C&C 34 one on one. Money well spent. Hours of stick time in every type of condition. The worst was 10 foot waves on Lake Ontario with a 35 kt breeze. I learned a lot. I held up great, the boat almost fell apart. 2 years later i bought my present boat; 40ft Bene. Fantastic boat.


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## svjobeth (Nov 29, 2008)

Began on a Sun Fish; then learned lots on Rhodes 19's and a Ranger 33. In 1985, I bought my first boat, a Starwind 190. Between then and now, have sailed on many different Catalina's, Hunter's, Pearson's, Victoria's, Cheoy-Lee's, and one or two home built cruisers. I now own, sail, and am presently refitting a 1984 Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34.


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## CS Cruiser (Dec 5, 2011)

Learned on a Hobie 16 when I was 16, Lake Huron. That was 34 years ago, then brought a Vagabond 47' ketch back from Florida (Port Credit-Ontario) with a friend in 2009, his boat, and was bitten. 
Wife and I purchased our first sailboat shortly after and are loving every minute of it
Planning on moving up in the near future and enjoy the cruising lifestyle.


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

Like a lot of things in my life, I started the hard way.

My first sailing experience was a used bu nice 505. Anyone who knows the boat knows that it is a "specialist" racing boat with a huge sail area and some complex trimming systems. I had no idea what 80% of the stuff on it was. And on top of it all, I tried to sail it on my own.

Looking back, it was probably early on in that experience that I realised that sailing for me was totally instinctive and I learned really easily and really fast. I was one of those people who stepped onto a sailboard for the very first time, sailed it across the lake and back without falling off once. 

I'll never regret that boat. I sailed it for several years, eventually getting my wife into the sailing groove and we have never looked back. We dabbled in Hobie 16's for a year or two and I still enjoy the thrill of the trapeze on an open reach in 25 knots. But multi hulls will never be a part of my cruising experience.

We then went on the ubiquitous route of 26ft , 33ft, 36ft and now 44ft. We will be staying at 44ft for the rest of.


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## Markwesti (Jan 1, 2013)

I used to spend my summers in Naples, Long Beach Ca. My Uncles son had a Sabot so we sailed that . I was about 9 at the time , so that was bout 66' . Later my Uncle was partner on a 70' Schooner , That thing was a trip . One night we were docking it , uncle and pard were up to their usual libations and we put that bow sprit through a restaurant window !


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## SHNOOL (Jun 7, 2007)

Sailed as crew on my father's Montego 19, and US 27...
my first solo sailing was on a sunfish (for 1 summer)...
The following year (1982) my first owned boat was a 11 foot styrofoam Sea Snark. Which by the way is still sailable, and has been out on the water recently. Yep, a 30 year old styrofoam sailboat.

Then a Capri 14.2 was mine, then a Capri 22, now a Capri 25.

I've crewed on a few boats as well.


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## deltaten (Oct 10, 2012)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
30-some years ago. Reservior sailing inna nasty, windy hole. Got interesting sometimes. Still trying to find/remember the mfgr in UK. 9'-3" rowing dink, FRP w/teak or mahog trim, plywood dagger and rudder. Sloop rigged red main a d jib w/Seahorse logo.

Anyone?

Beueller?

Beueller?


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## satillasam (Apr 16, 2012)

Moth and Sneakbox on Barnegat Bay, screaming uncles from the shore. You learn quickly and get out of earshot.


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

Also started with a Mirror dinghy about 1971. Great little boat to learn on (and fun to build from the kit). Now a Bristol 45.5, quite a change.


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## abrahamx (Apr 3, 2006)

Learned on a Interlake 18 footer I believe. Went on to a hunter 19 and now am learning the most on my new to me Tartan 30.


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## jfurlong (Apr 16, 2010)

learned on a Snark, Chesapeake Bay, 1968


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

My dad bought a sunfish in 1963, when I was 6. But I didn't learn to sail until I was 10 and my dad had built a GP 14 from a kit. We sailed the Cooper River near Philadelphia and later in Ocean City, NJ where I learned to sail first by tending the jib and then later learning to steer and tend the mainsail. I didn't truly solo until I was 14 and working for a sailboat rental marina near Ocean City.

After my dad sold his last boat, a Catalina 30, my wife and I bought a pristine GP14 (see photo below) as our first boat, for her to learn on. We sail Sabre 38 today, but I wish that I still had that GP to blast around on. Small boats are the only way to learn boat feel, IMO. You don't get that on anything over about 22'.


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## TerryBradley (Feb 28, 2006)

Think my first was a Sunfish. Then bought a Snark Mayflower. Boatless for a lot of years then bought a Windrose 20. Still have it. Then bought a Catalina 27. Still have that. Now also sail a Hunter 34 owned by my son. Best of all worlds: he bought it, he keeps it up and I get to sail it.


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## captbillc (Jul 31, 2008)

my first was crew on a 64ft topsail ketch. 6 fore & aft sails, 2 yards with square sails. we sailed the great lakes & up the west coast of greenland to 240 miles north of the arctic circle. many other trips after that. now i sail my nimble 30 express on lake superior.


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## petmac (Feb 27, 2007)

Cadets and Flying Juniors in the 1960's.


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## Shockwave (Feb 4, 2014)

I've owned lots of boats, both dinghy's and keel boats. Lasers, thistle, Interlake, star,,,,. Raced for most of the past 45 years, when I was racing heavily a typical season might be 150 starts on all types of boats. My favorite racing is distance on keel boats. Current boat is a 60 foot sloop that we race and cruise. My wife grew up sailing in the Caribbean and also raced extensively.


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## zeehag (Nov 16, 2008)

as for boat i learned on from age 7-18...google the eleanor, is a 36 ft gaff rigged sloop designed by clifton crane, registered as an historic treasure, and the instructor was our uncle phil, a merchant mariner, rtw, tallships and steamships....kings point graduate and navy tallships training.
first boat..major project olympian 34, a hank mckune pre yorktown 1960s fiberglass hand laid build of solid substance and all hand laid.....was gutted and derelict when i bought her for 3000 usd, but had sweet lines. these and 39a were last of the sweet yorktown molds.
owned many boats between that one and this one..
my first sailing dink i bought used when i was 48, and i sailed it all over san diego bay in 1997-98...was a kite, aka newport 11..sweet dink...heavy but fun to sail.


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## capt vimes (Dec 2, 2013)

i learned sailing on a wayfarer...
Wayfarer (dinghy) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
bermudan rigged, wooden dinghy which is (was?) very common for british sailing schools... i learned that in cyprus and it was fun to go out in 2+ m waves in the afternoon breeze...

my first keel boat i crewed on was a first 32...
that first trip was somewhat strange because as soon as we left the mooring and motored out of the marina i had this very strong deja vu that i have been doing this for all of my life...
10 min later i had climbed up the mast and was standing on the first spreaders...


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## cranki (Jun 11, 2006)

Learned when my dad bought an old bluejay when I was 5... then a Rhodes 19 then a Pearson 26. I am still learning on my old Tartan TOCK.


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## MIsailor (Oct 2, 2012)

First time sailing was on a sunfish back in the early 70's. Had no idea what I was doing. First boat I owned was a Luger Leward that I built as a kit. The garage smelled like fiberglass resin for months. 7 or 8 boats between then and now both sail and power. Current boat is a Beneteau 473. I still love to sail and learn new stuff all the time.


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## oysterman23 (Jul 22, 2011)

In early 60's a sailfish then raced bluejays and ian procters "signet"s and an occasional Timber Point (sloop rigged keel boat) all of them wood The Alcott sailfish was a foberglass/wood combo I think.

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## Squidd (Sep 26, 2011)

Sunfish in the 80s
MacGregor Venture Cat 6-8 years ago
Now a 27' Paceship on lake Superior


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## arknoah (Oct 31, 2010)

I took a combined ASA 101/103 course in 2010 on a 29 foot C&C. Then, I purchased a 17 foot Whit sailboat, manufactured by SailMFG. When it became clear that the Whip was too small for us, we bought our current boat, a 25 foot MacGregor. It's safe to say that I've learned most of what I know (however little that may be) on the MacGregor during the last three seasons, though the instruction I received as I was starting out was invaluable. I could not have been a "buy it and learn on your own" person: I needed the structured learning beforehand, then a chance to put it into practice regularly. 

It's worked for me.


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## sailpower (Jun 28, 2008)

As an adult I took lessons on a Soling in Boston and then signed up for their Pearson 26 membership. I then owned; Winthrop Warner 31 Yawl (Wood was not good), Pearson 30, Pearson 424 and another Pearson 30.

On OPB's I sailed on a Bristol 41.1 Boston to Bermuda, a C&C 34R Bermuda to St. Thomas and a Camper Nicholson 60 Annapolis to Bermuda along with various coastal trips. 

These were all always learning experiences.


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## luck66 (Jul 4, 2011)

Learned to sail on a Sunfish while I was stationed in Puerto Rico, 1968. Was the sailing instructor after that.


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## Gregrosine (Feb 10, 2013)

My first sailboat was a Bombardier. It was white and orange. It was like a Laser, with a sail that had a sleeve that fit over a tall mast. I found an old Sports Illustrated book for boys about sailing and that's how I learned. Had a riot with the boat on inland lakes in Michigan. Dumped it several times and learned never to Jibe (though I didn't know the term at the time). I eventually sold the boat because I was living in an area that didn't have lakes near by. 

Many years later I took sailing lessons on a 38 foot cruiser on Lake Michigan with my wife. She got hooked.


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## findrichard (Jan 16, 2014)

I learned as a young teenager on my Dad's scorpion. I bought my first boat in Texas, a Catalina 22, in 1982 which I kept on the trailer and pulled to Lake Buchanan or Travis for the weekends.


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## Pegu club (Jun 10, 2012)

I learned on a sunfish first, then a 15ft rebel, both at the base boat docks at the 2nd marine air wing, Cherry Point NC. Then many years later on dyer dhow in Mystic Ct, then onto a Bristol Corinthian on Narraganset bay, at an ASA school. Now me and the Admiral sail a 1975, 24.7ft Bristol Corsair. This will be our 2nd season on our own boat.


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## Don Johnson (Mar 2, 2014)

In 2006, my son called me from his office overlooking Newport Bay (Ca), saying "Hey dad, I see all these little boats on the bay every day - looks like a sailing class. We should do that together, it'll be fun". And it was a lot of fun! We learned to sail, first on Lido 14's (3 classes), and then on Shields 30' keelboats. Then in 2008, we bought a Catalina 22, and after 2 yrs sailing that, we upgraded to a Catalina 320 which we love. I still have a lot to learn, but having a great time, and have met some great sailing friends, who I continue to learn from every time we go sailing (or just talk about our boats)!


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## aquilla (Mar 3, 2014)

A big 56 footer.. then sailed a lot of other boats.. no less than 25ft.. still in need of dinghy sailing to get the whole picture...


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

Answered an ad about 5 or 6 years ago to crew on the Chesapeake in a Contest 30 with a very patient sailor who was the consummate teacher. Coming from a powerboat background, I didn't really get it until I moved to CA and started sailing Cal 20s, Lasers and C15s at my yacht club. Everything that people say about small boats is true. The learning curve in sailing is vertical, but exponentially fast when you're in a small boat. Then I bought my first (and possibly only!) sailboat, a Freedom 38.


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## dieselboy (Aug 29, 2009)

A 16' Hobie cat i bought for $150 and used iron on patches to fix the sails .. I had no clue what i was doing... its amazing i lived..


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## jimmyb514 (Sep 9, 2007)

I learned as a young boy on a Sharpie with my Grandfather in and around the Southold/Greenport area. First thing I learned was how to work the bilge pump.  I'll never forget the feeling of having that old beast wing & wing. She could really fly.....


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## Samuelmonosov (Mar 7, 2014)

A J-24. Have a dufour 375 now. The J was more fun, 


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## chrissailorman (Apr 20, 2010)

Started on a Sunfish in the mid 90s....graduated to a Chrysler Lone Star 16... Sold that and a motorcycle and bought a Rhodes 22. Sold that and bought another much newer model and still sailing that boat...and loving it. Still have a lot to learn.


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## climbhike (Mar 29, 2013)

Dad bought a used Pintail from the original owner in the mid-70s. Passed down to me and still sailing it. Sailing inland lakes can be frustrating, Wind gusts then dies, changes direction, dies again. Learned patience and how to live with change. Maybe a life lesson in there some where. Will be stepping up to a Mac 26 or similar in a few years when we retire. Have kids and grandkids to introduce to sailing. Dave G


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## jb1528 (Nov 10, 2010)

My first sailboat was a Newport 16 fixed keel that I bought when I lived in Pullman Washington. I tried to sail it on the Snake River. I could do it now, but I couldn't then. After moving to western Washington state, I kept it summers on a buoy off the north end of Camano Island. Next came a Crescent 151/2. It is a Plywood on frame dinghy with a galvanized pivoting centerboard. Sailed it also off of Camano Island. Next came a Hobie 16. Same waters. Way fun. Finally a Yankee 28 came into my life, but my life at the time couldn't handle it. Later I got back into sailing with a Catalina 27 and now have graduated to a Bristol 32. I'm retired now and that is our girl. I learned the most on the Newport and the Yankee. I'm finally honing everything now on the Bristol.

Jim


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## mysticsailor (Feb 5, 2009)

I grew up on a lake and spent my summers waterskiing. I bought a Hobie 14 in the late 70's and a Hobie 16 a few years later (which we still have) .Within the last 10 years we've owned a Precision 21, a Sabre 30 and have just bought our last boat (we hope !), a 1973 Alberg 37 yawl.


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## BCC1 (Dec 18, 2011)

I bought a new Catalina 380 in 2001 and learned to sail on it with my wife, who also had never sailed before.


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## TomMaine (Dec 21, 2010)

I'm probably not alone. I learned on a home built plywood Sailfish when I was 6 or 7 years old. For the most part, from that moment on, sailing is like riding a bicycle. 

You can get as good as you want, or just ride to the store every few years. There's a lot of space between the two.


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## Cruiser2B (Jan 6, 2011)

O'Day Daysailor II, great little boat and a ton of fun!


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## randyrhines (Jun 5, 2010)

My first boat a Nordica 16' lotsa fun very forgiving lil keel boat, read on the computer how to sail, and went out trial and error, it was great fun! I was about 32 back then lol. Over 23 seasons in now! And my passion still increases.


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## MedSailor (Mar 30, 2008)

I'm still learning to sail. A new lesson every time I untie the lines...

Medsailor


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## chip (Oct 23, 2008)

I messed around on other people's boats a few times as a kid and in college, but I didn't really start to understand it until I got my own boat, my current Catalina 22.

She can be a strict schoolmistress, but I think it's a quality education.


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## Waltthesalt (Sep 22, 2009)

Learned on a Beetle Cat we owned. Then a Jet 14. After that college, 44' Luders yawls which we raced spring and fall like dinghys, and Shields... like a class 5.5 meter. Went to sea, had a Hobie Cat in South Carolina and a Cal 20 on SF bay. Lived on a HR 41 for a while, now have a Cal. 29. All different boats learned different things. Suppose the most intense was racing the Luders for four years.


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## Chas H (Sep 6, 2013)

My first sailing experience was on a cedar Snipe with a canvas deck. I didn't learn much about sailing, but I was good on the bilge pump (a one pound coffee can). It was great!

My dad learned to sail around Longk Island. He taught me to sail and race a new 1968 Rebel in Michigan that he tricked out with cheap hardware and things he found in the garage or made himself. You talk about a low budget. Oh could he sail! We raced against a three time Rebel national champion in our fleet. We never beat him, but often finished within three boat lengths. If only the final leg had been a bit longer.

After he could no longer sail his own boat he came with me on various charter boats: C&C 29 Mk I, Chris Craft Apache 37, Fuji 35 ketch, he could always make the boat go faster than me after I had tweeked the sails to my liking. I appreciated his skill much more after I became the skipper.
-CH


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

A J24 on Sydney Harbour. 

Some of the best times sailing I ever had.


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## luhtag (Mar 5, 2003)

I learned to sail proper when I was 9. Started off with a styrofoam Snark on Lake Erie. My folks had a place right on the beach so I sailed every day I could. Over the years I had two Snarks, a Sinbad (Optima), a Force 5, a Laser, a Chrysler Mutineer, a Prindle cat. All this time also sailing on a Tartan 27. Around 12 I started crewing on race boats and continued on that path until after college. At that same age I'd sail 20 or 30 miles up the beach and camp wherever. 

Bought a Hunter Cherubini 25 and sailed that extensively. Shipped it to the Virginia islands on the deck of a freighter and sailed it down there. Then got an Irwin 40, refit it and sailed her. Sailed the Irwin through the bahamas. Sold it and got a Gulfstar 50 which we are currently refitting. This boat we live on and have extensive cruising plans in the future.


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