# Getting started



## Soopachief (Dec 28, 2015)

Well, here we go. As soon as I get off this boat (I work on a long liner- processor in the bering sea) I will be heading to pick up the 30' morgan oi. Plan is to take it home to the Alabama gulf coast from the Lauderdale area. Then it's upgrades and head back out, Southeast. Whatever I hit is where I plan to stay until work calls again. I typically have 2 month windows I get to play in. I have spent my whole life on the water but have never raised a sail. I look forward to the challenge of learning to sail. I'm a hands on type. Reading isn't going to cut it. But any information I can get from you guys would be very welcomed. I haven't bought her yet so let me know what you think about my "fly by the seat of my pants" plan. Someone has to do it. Might as well be me.


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## Donna_F (Nov 7, 2005)

Soopachief said:


> Well, here we go. As soon as I get off this boat (I work on a long liner- processor in the bering sea) I will be heading to pick up the 30' morgan oi. Plan is to take it home to the Alabama gulf coast from the Lauderdale area. Then it's upgrades and head back out, Southeast. Whatever I hit is where I plan to stay until work calls again. I typically have 2 month windows I get to play in. I have spent my whole life on the water but have never raised a sail. I look forward to the challenge of learning to sail. I'm a hands on type. Reading isn't going to cut it. But any information I can get from you guys would be very welcomed. I haven't bought her yet so let me know what you think about my "fly by the seat of my pants" plan. Someone has to do it. Might as well be me.


Welcome to SailNet.

Lots of someones say they're going to do it that way. This forum has a great many experienced sailors. Be prepared for lots of opinions and some of them...forceful. As I see it, mostly the issue with what you are planning will more than likely be safety: For yourself and potentially others unfortunate enough to be in your way while you "learn by doing." Might I suggest that you take some sailing lessons if you prefer to learn by the seat of your pants? At least someone will be there to point out your mistakes before they become life threatening.

Best of luck.


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## SeaDubya (Sep 5, 2015)

Soopachief said:


> let me know what you think about my "fly by the seat of my pants" plan. Someone has to do it. Might as well be me.


Have fun and go for it. You'll either be famously infamous for it or just have a good time. I did the same thing...been on the water all my life and my first sailboat was 35 feet. Now I'm living on it with my family in Mexico. No regrets!

Lots of information here. Some of it good. Most of it fluff and air. Gotta be willing to sift through it all.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Sailing is just not that difficult. Even the Vikings could do it! So don't be put off with stories of gloom and doom.

Everything else is like the Bearing Sea: don't fall off; don't sink the boat.


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## Uricanejack (Nov 17, 2012)

Well if you can handle the Bearing sea long lining. Sailing the Gulf coast will be a walk in the park. I got into sailing after working on the water. 
You already probably have more knowledge of the sea and seamanship than 99% of the people who post on all the forums.
Sailing is easy, safe, and fun. You will pick it up fast. Even so I would second the suggestion of a sailing course. It is the quickest way to figure out how those rags work. 
Depending upon what you do on the long liner. Navigation and Weather might be worth a brush up, a course, or just a book. If you are used to navigating a long liner it’s all much the same. 
A bit of common dog, and what you already know should get you along the Gulf Coast just fine. Under power. Enjoy the trip and your Morgan 30. Sailing efficiently will take a bit of practice, The knowledge can be picked up from books, hanging out in the bar, on the dock, from other sailors, this and other forums. A days or two with a sailor works really well. You would gain a heck of a lot from a few days on a sailing course and its fun.


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## capecodda (Oct 6, 2009)

Soopa, 

Given your experience, I think you're biggest risk will be getting used to being at sea in a t-shirt.

Good luck!


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Sailing school. Fastest way, best way.
Three days for the basics, maybe three more for intermediate, then a week-long bareboat course to fill you in on the systems, which will be different from a trawler.

Sailing is like poker: Any idiot can play it, but IF you have the knack for learning sail trim, it can still take months of practice to get that down well. And if you start without the right information--it will take you twice as long to relearn it the right way.

So, sailing school. Some of them offer combined courses. Find a recognized name that offers ASA certifications. And sometimes, you can get a discount for a last-minute booking, if that works with your schedule.


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## Bob142 (May 27, 2012)

Your bering sea experience seems to have kept the bubble wrap and bicycle helmet posters away...your southern water will make not taking that first breath when you go overboard much easier...risk manage ...be safe...have fun...


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## Erindipity (Nov 29, 2014)

"Well, here we go. As soon as I get off this boat (I work on a long liner- processor in the bering sea) I will be heading to pick up the 30' morgan oi." "I haven't bought her yet..."

Were you part of the Ship's Crew, or the Fishing Crew? People here may be making assumptions again...
If you were part of the Ship's Crew, you already know about the COLREGS and Safety Stuff, Radio/Navigation Procedures, Maintenance, and may have handled the Helm on occasion.
If your job was catching and gutting Fish... well, at least the Seasick factor has been taken care of.

"I'm a hands on type. Reading isn't going to cut it."
It will have to cut it, on occasion. More books have probably been written about the Sea, than all Planes, Trains, and Automobiles combined, and the Literature goes back hundreds of years. Some of those books are Real Literature; books enjoyable to read for their own sake. 
You'll need to have and read these at a minimum:

COLREGS

Morgan Owner's Manual

Atomic Four Manual (Or whatever Engine is currently in it.)

Gear Manuals- VHF, Furling, Head, Instruments... that sort of thing.

A book about sailing basics and terminology. Many here recommend "Royce's Sailing Illustrated". Many here have read it while still a Child. Fascinating book, and you won't be using the terms "Thingies" and "Doohickey" quite so often.

Sailnet. Find the Threads that you find most helpful, and either save them to disk, or print them out and bind them, or preferably, both. Electrons have the nasty habit of going Walkabout when most needed.


One of the horrible things about Reading is that at some point, you may wish to Write. Start off with a Ship's Log. It can be a Three Ring Binder at first, where you put your Receipts, Survey, Documentation, Last Will... and then write down whatever you find useful or funny, in Chronological Order. You just may wish to also jot down things that you found useful or funny from your Bering Sea days.
I take Logbooks _very_ seriously, and I have filled out thousands of pages, and read many thousands more. Only two of the Logbooks involve Sailing, mostly.
My favorite, the Boorum & Pease Large Format 150 Page Quad Ruled Laboratory Logbook... was discontinued years ago. Oh well. (Quad Ruled because when I'm drawing a new Doohickey, it encourages some semblance of accuracy.)



Now as to learning about Sailing, a full ASA Curriculum will probably cost more than the Morgan. They are just Ducky- For those that can afford it.
Start small, is my advice. Take a Dinghy Sailing class, or just borrow a Dinghy and work out the Basics yourself for a few days- Running, Reaching, Close-Hauled, Jibing, Tacking, Getting Stuck In Irons, Running Into Stuff, Falling Overboard. The Principles scale up, and you are less likely to damage the Morgan. Um... you do know how to swim? 
About that Dinghy, unless you plan on Marina Hopping, you may eventually need one. You don't have to buy it right now, unless that borrowed Dinghy proves irresistible.
Or you can Crew on a boat similar to your Morgan for a while. You already know the part about Obeying The Captain.
This may be the most controversial comment that I make: The best way of Learning, is not by Doing, but by Teaching. You Figure something out, then: Teach it to somebody else, or Post it here, and pay attention to the Comments. It's called a Feedback Loop, and note that Feedback can be both Positive, and Negative.

(Vikings, and for that matter, Polynesians, may have been good Sailors. We will never know; they kept very poor Logbooks. All that we know about, is about the ones that survived, and lived to tell their Tales.)

¬Erindipity

(There are three current similar threads, all started by another "person", who.... Dammit, I'm now staying out of that mess.)


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## Soopachief (Dec 28, 2015)

Hey, thanks for all the replies. Going for it... but I will be taking classes.


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