In article om,
"Nikita" wrote:

Just for the record, I'm a "he". I get this a lot on the newsgroups;
damn that "La femme Nikita" movie.

Sorry about that, but I've known a number of Nikitas, non of them male.

Yeah, I'm not worried too much about the sailing aspect of it. I feel
fairly confident with sail and boat control, terminology and all that
sort of stuff. The stuff that's new to me would be trimming sails
with winches (right?) rather than by hand, anchoring, operating with
an engine, and probably docking (because you can't make up for your
mistakes by simply grabbing on to the dock and stopping the boat).

I expect you'll take it slow, which is 90+% of the job. There's more
"stuff", but it's not really that different and you've got a handle on
the hard part.

Oh and navigation; when racing around the buoys on a lake there's no
need for charts.

That can take some experience. I'm still learning 20 years into cruising
around the Chesapeake. BTW, even on a lake, there's some navigation
involved, so you have a start.

One thing that's served me in good stead: When you leave an anchorage
you intend to return to, look back and see what it looks like from the
water. Spot the unusual features such as towers, buildings -- anything
that might be unique.

As you sail, be aware of what's around, new landmarks and waypoints, and
note your position on the chart periodically.

Nothing beats the Mark I eyeballs, not even a GPS, in the long run.

At first, you won't go far, so it'll be easy. As you go further afield,
you'll figure it out.


--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/