Help me sail!

Darren01610

New Member
Four days ago I was exploring one of my grandfather's old barns and to my surprise I found two boats sat next to each other. At first I thought they were just row boats but upon further exploration I found daggerboards, masts and one sail. They were in a sorry state and so I am very slowly (time allowing) sanding them down and repairing them, I expect to have the first one ready to go within a few weeks. It would be quicker but I have to work on it around my college life and the work that comes with it. Anyway, it is all very well and good that I now own two boats but unfortunately I have no idea how to use them. Being a student I have no money whatsoever to join a sailing club nevermind get lessons so my question to the community is how did you learn to sail? and, Is it possible to learn without spending 'too' much money.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ridiculously long post for such a simple question!

Darren.
 
Four days ago I was exploring one of my grandfather's old barns and to my surprise I found two boats sat next to each other. At first I thought they were just row boats but upon further exploration I found daggerboards, masts and one sail. They were in a sorry state and so I am very slowly (time allowing) sanding them down and repairing them, I expect to have the first one ready to go within a few weeks. It would be quicker but I have to work on it around my college life and the work that comes with it. Anyway, it is all very well and good that I now own two boats but unfortunately I have no idea how to use them. Being a student I have no money whatsoever to join a sailing club nevermind get lessons so my question to the community is how did you learn to sail? and, Is it possible to learn without spending 'too' much money.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ridiculously long post for such a simple question!

Darren.
Check out books from your library
 
There is plenty of info on the Internet. UCLA has some good beginner book PDFs that are free to download. Wear a life jacket and get out there!
 
Where would you be learning to sail?
A little lake where not much can go wrong or the mighty ocean where your life might be at stake?
 
Learning the sailing part may be the easiest part of the deal. Boat transporting logistics, rigging, and launching are all simple with the Sunfish, but require attention. Also, read something on 'getting out of irons'. I've once spend half an afternoon in irons! But don't be discouraged when you run into these obstacles. You'll love it!
 
As long as you wear a life jacket......go out and learn on your own!

I would suggest you check out this short document
http://sunfishclass.org/documents/learn_2_sail_in_3_days.pdf

Then go to youtube and search "how to sail" and watch some of the videos.

Then go out and try it. Bring a friend to help you out. Try to pick a day with light but steady winds (5knots or so). Too much wind will make it hard to experiment. Too little can just be frustrating. As long as ou don't mind getting wet.......:)

What kind of boat do you have?
 
I'm enjoying the recommended UCLA PDFs and the Sunflish document. I've also got a book on basic keel boat sailing. Does anyone else here have suggestions of their favorite resources--book, video, what have you--for the beginning sailor?

Many thanks,
Andy in Dublin
 
Where would you be learning to sail?
A little lake where not much can go wrong or the mighty ocean where your life might be at stake?

When sailing, sit on the upwind side of the boat (wind on your back) just in front of the tiller, facing the sail. Balance your weight further outboard as the boat begins to tip or heel over with the wind in the sails.

Visit Cruising Sails.
 

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