On 27 Dec 2005 15:12:16 -0800, "Andy"
wrote:



Why do you say we were very lucky? What exactly does one need a lot of
experience with before going coastal cruising that can't be learned
from books?

Docking under power and sail
MOB (upwind and downwind) and under power
Reefing
Gennaker and spinnaker handling and trim
Anchoring with two anchors
Anchoring stern-to shore / dock
Practical application of Colregs
Getting meaningful weather forecasts
Being able to read clouds, wind directions and barometers to do your
own forecasting
Passage planning

The actual sailing part of cruising is pretty simple and
straightfoward. While it could easily take a lifetime to master the art
of sailing for maximum speed, for purposes of cruising you just need to
know how to roughly trim the sails.

Eventually you will want to learn sail trim to go faster as well as
save wear and tear on your sails.


Navigation, especially with a GPS, is pretty straightforward and can be
learned from books.

You might want to read this article.
(http://www.itweek.co.uk/itweek/news/...s-plan-outages)
The traditional navigation skills might be needed.

I would suggest that navigation is not that straightforward. I teach
both traditional navigation and elctronic navigation (but not
celestial). Our courses run 8 to 10 weeks in length.


Anchoring is an important skill, but it can really be learned from
books, and getting an oversized anchor can provide a good safety
margin.

I have seen a lot of very poor anchoring strategies. During my 25
years of sailing, I have not dragged anchor once even when others
around me are doing so.



The other skill needed for cruising, which is repair and maintenance of
the boat and its systems, is not really taught in sailing courses
anyways, and in any event, those can be picked up from books too.

I am not sure what courses you have taken, but we teach daily, weekly
and seasonal maintenance of boat systems, sails and rigging .

Jack

_________________________________________
Jack Dale
ISPA Yachtmaster Offshore Instructor
CYA Advanced Cruising Instructor
http://www.swiftsuresailing.com
_________________________________________