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Training for sailboats/yachts
Andy wrote:
Gary wrote: Andy wrote: My wife and I bought a 36 footer and cruised from San Diego to Panama City and back after about 24 hours of instruction, a few day sails around San Diego Bay, and copious amounts of reading about cruising, navigation, anchoring, etc. You are very lucky. Gaz 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? Lots experience counts. A lot depends on where you cruise and the boat. Of course in very mild areas with a small basic boat there is less to learn. 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. Sailing is easy until the weather turns against you then some experience is a big asset. Navigation, especially with a GPS, is pretty straightforward and can be learned from books. Of course but once the GAPS fails then experience counts. Whip out the sky wrench and a book. Pull out HO 249 and a pencil. Lets find land. Anchoring is an important skill, but it can really be learned from books, and getting an oversized anchor can provide a good safety margin.] Tell that to the hundreds who have experienced dragging or weighing in adverse conditions. Or anchored where it is deep, rocky and windy. 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. It is taught in the advanced courses. Andy Of course everything can be learned from a book but nothing counts like experience. Sometimes looking it up in the book is too slow. Gaz |
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