# bought a boat...but can`t sail.How dumb am I?



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Yep,you read it right. l bought a Morgan34 and my sailing experience consists of a few overnighters as a crewbie on a Cat27,l know l`m jumping in deep water here. l plan on taking a year off and learning to sail her,then hitting the open water for parts unknown.South. l welcome feedback from members on this forum and any advice on sailing lessons/instruction in California would be very helpful.So...how dumb am l?


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## ckgreenman (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm in. When we goin'? J/K.

Congrats. I'm sure you'll have a blast learning to sail her.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

thanks Chris,much appreciated. Where we goin? well,my plan is to head south from Cali down around Cabo and into the Sea of Cortez..hang there for a while..fish,snorkel,,read..


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## ckgreenman (Aug 22, 2008)

Cali huh? What part? My wife and I are natives.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

the boat is in long Beach right now but that may be temporary,it`s all pretty fluid right now..


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## Giulietta (Nov 14, 2006)

It's OK Raceman..there is a guy here that owns a catalina 400, fitted with all the extra no needed goodies, 24 batteries 5 BBQ's all the whistles and bells, and he can't sail either..yet, he made a moderator here..so as you can see the site's standards are pretty low...


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## ckgreenman (Aug 22, 2008)

Cool. My wife and I are both from Riverside and most recently we lived in Lancaster before heading east.


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## Sinuous (Sep 14, 2008)

Welcome from another dumb newbie.


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## astraeus (Jan 30, 2006)

Welcome aboard.


Don't feel too bad, I didn't know much about sailing when I bought my boat either. I had only sailed sunfish a couple of times and crewed on a Flying Scot in one regatta.

Nothing like jumping in head first.

Good luck and enjoy.


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## sailortjk1 (Dec 20, 2005)

Your not the first one to do this.
It aint Rocket Science, you'll be just fine, just try not to put yourself in harms way till you gain some experience.


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## merlin2375 (Jul 12, 2007)

Enjoy but be safe! I'd recommend some ASA courses and bribing any experienced sailors for food and drink to come sail with you on your boat in a variety of conditions


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## SVCarolena (Oct 5, 2007)

Nope, not a mistake. When my wife and I bought our first sailboat, my only experience was sailing a sunfish as a kid and a Hobie a couple of times at a resort in Mexico. My wife had never been on a sailboat, except for once on the Hobie. However, we did have experience with powerboats. We decided it was better to learn on our own boat, since we were certain we wanted to make the switch to sail. I read every book I could get my hands on, then rented a few sailing videos from Netflix. Finally, we found a couple through Craigslist where the boyfriend had lots of sailing experience but no boat and wanted to teach his novice girlfriend. We went out a couple of times with them and have been sailing by ourselves ever since. It is a contant learning experience, which is something we really enjoy.


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## countrybumpkin (Sep 4, 2007)

SVCarolena said:


> It is a contant learning experience, which is something we really enjoy.


Just be safe and cautious when learning. I sail on a lake and need to know the possible weather conditions that might come up. Although the conditions were you will be might not change as quick.............still keep watch.

CB


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## LittleMissMagic (Oct 13, 2006)

Welcome aboard, and good luck! There are lots of old salts willing to give great advice here........but in exchange for???? 

Just kidding, enjoy Sailnet.


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## davidpm (Oct 22, 2007)

One of the regulars here recommeded "The Complete Sailor" by Seidman.
Only 200 pages with a lot of illustrations.
The basics in an easy to read format.


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## SVCarolena (Oct 5, 2007)

countrybumpkin said:


> Just be safe and cautious when learning. I sail on a lake and need to know the possible weather conditions that might come up. Although the conditions were you will be might not change as quick.............still keep watch.
> 
> CB


Thanks for the concern, but having grown up on the water in New England, this is something learned at an early age. We have had several powerboats, and I spent a fair amount working on my friend's tow boat. The learning part goes to the mechanics of sailing, and at this point learning the finer nuances of sail trim.


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## US27inKS (Feb 6, 2005)

raceman said:


> Yep,you read it right. l bought a Morgan34 and my sailing experience consists of a few overnighters as a crewbie on a Cat27,l know l`m jumping in deep water here. l plan on taking a year off and learning to sail her,then hitting the open water for parts unknown.South. l welcome feedback from members on this forum and any advice on sailing lessons/instruction in California would be very helpful.So...how dumb am l?


Isn't this how we all got started? I don't get it, what's the problem?


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## joeybkcmo (Feb 28, 2006)

learning by doing, sounds like a great plan, just be safe, take it slow, use good judgement, and enjoy yourself


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

Just keep the dry part dry and the wet part wet, the rest of it come sooner or later.
Skip the sailing classes, learn by doing and going.
Take the boat systems classes (diesel, electric, plumbing) because you can't learn that by experimenting without breaking stuff.


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## countrybumpkin (Sep 4, 2007)

SVCarolena said:


> Thanks for the concern, but having grown up on the water in New England, this is something learned at an early age. We have had several powerboats, and I spent a fair amount working on my friend's tow boat. The learning part goes to the mechanics of sailing, and at this point learning the finer nuances of sail trim.


Gotcha! To me sail trim is mostly feel, with some visual help (wind indicators, sail luff, anticipating the breeze by the color of the water etc.) Yes, enjoy learning.

CB


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

thanka very much everyone! l feel pretty good now having read the responses.l have a feeling l`m going to take to this pretty quick but l have a great deal of respect for the sea and don`t want to get in over my head too soon.l recall a canadian from Vancouver who bought a trimaran and headed off for Hawaii with small family in tow, this guy had almost zero experience and the trip ended very badly.Once half way there bad weather damaged the boat and a major coast guard rescue was required for the family.l seem to remember the dad refused to leave the boat even though it had taken water and couldn`t be sailed.lt was a mess and everyone pretty much said the guy was an idiot and had no business attempting such a voyage with no experience. This happened at least 20 years ago but l never forgot about it,l`m not going to be that guy..


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

raceman said:


> l welcome feedback from members on this forum and any advice on sailing lessons/instruction in California would be very helpful.


A lot depends on your budget. If you do not mind group sailing lessons and do not want to spend a fortune, I suggest you check out www.marinasailing.com
I took ASA 101&103 1 year ago. I sail from Channel Islands harbor in Oxnard, but they have locations all over South Cali.


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## ckgreenman (Aug 22, 2008)

raceman said:


> l recall a canadian from Vancouver who bought a trimaran and headed off for Hawaii with small family in tow, this guy had almost zero experience and the trip ended very badly.
> 
> SNIP
> 
> This happened at least 20 years ago but l never forgot about it,l`m not going to be that guy..


The fact that you realize how stupid that was and recognize your lack of experience makes me think you're gonna just fine and you WILL NOT be that guy  Just take it slow and learn as much as you can, whenever you can, and is as many different situation as you can (within your experience level of course).

Good Luck


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## SailingFlorida (Aug 7, 2008)

I also got a boat with no exp but I have friends that will help me once she is ready to get back in the water. Definatly get "The complete sailor", great read, lots of illistrations, easy to understand. Take your time dont rush it and above all be safe.

Good luck!


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## CapnBilll (Sep 9, 2006)

I'll be in San Diego Sep 15th, how far are you? Get some local charts, and let's take er out. I'm an experienced power boater, and beginning sailer, (ASA101), we can always motor back.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

CapnBilll said:


> I'll be in San Diego Sep 15th, how far are you? Get some local charts, and let's take er out. I'm an experienced power boater, and beginning sailer, (ASA101), we can always motor back.


CapnBilll, the last post in this thread is three years ago. He might be anywhere by now!


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## NewportNewbie (Jul 30, 2011)

Congrats! I am in the same boat. I think i had only been on a sailboat once! Just bought a Schock Santana 30. Taking a few sailing lessons and then gonna jump in deep! Look forward to some Catalina trips. I'm in Newport beach.


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## woodywood (Aug 17, 2011)

i just bought a helms 25...oh the rush of taking possession in 2 day.im sooo excited.gonna have to sail it from palm harbor to hernando beach.havent sailed in 20 years and then it was a day on a hobie 16. a 45 mile trip into one of the trickiest,rock infested channels on floridas west coast.wish me luck and if anyone wants to give me some guidance or even come along and make sure i get here alive..lol


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## gednav75 (Jan 22, 2011)

You did the right thing.


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## frelichth (Oct 3, 2011)

Always wanted a sailboat so I bought one too. Just took lessons from San Juan 
Sailing and as soon as the upgrades are done to my Clipper Marine 26 I'm off for the San Juans. It's not stupidity to follow your dreams, It's just not always practical.


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## SGR (Oct 3, 2011)

There's no better way to learn something than to not have a choice.

My first manual transmission car was purchased 4 hours from home with me never having driven a stick before. That first drive home was a heck of a learning experience!


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## HELLICONIA54 (Feb 20, 2011)

astraeus said:


> Welcome aboard.
> 
> Don't feel too bad, I didn't know much about sailing when I bought my boat either. I had only sailed sunfish a couple of times and crewed on a Flying Scot in one regatta.
> 
> ...


...and..I took on a rebuild of a flyingdutchman,and couldn't sail.LOL good luck.have fun.We now own a TS16,still learning.


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## nodders (Aug 19, 2011)

I met a guy in Cape Breton who spent 8 years building a 42 ft ketch by hand. I met him just after launch and he confessed to me that he had no idea how to sail it! I gather he has since learned and done some significant cruising.


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## simpsoned (Jun 6, 2006)

not so dumb...jumping in with both feet is a great way to start...and your choice of boat is great...good stable boat and easy to learn...I'd use the philosophy of how to cure a cold...go to bed with a good book or a friend that read one.
Ed Simpson
S/V Das Dawg Haus
Skipper (when my wife lets me)


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