Sail to School?

ybj8922

New Member
Hi,
I am new to sailing with a little experience years back, but planning on taking classes this summer. If all goes well I am looking into purchasing a Sunfish from a friend. Although this is a little forward-thinking, I recently had the idea that it would be awesome to sail to school (as I would be saving gas and avoiding traffic), but I am curious to know if this would actually be feasible to do on a regular basis. I live about a block from a marina (Marina Del Rey) and go to school ~11 nautical miles away in Malibu. So the questions I have are:

1) With favorable winds, about how long would this take in a Sunfish?
2) Would it be feasible to unload and load onto a trailer each day or would a slip be necessary?
3) Is it possible (and legal) to tie a small boat, like a Sunfish, to a pier for a few hours at a time, or is there a better way to dock at my destination?
4) Any other advice/concerns from anyone who knows the area or trip well or who has attempted a similar venture, i.e., commuting with a sailboat?

This may be entirely impossible but in the case that it is not, it would be incredible! Any thoughts on this are much appreciated. Thanks!
 
You're definitely motivated! If it were me I think I'd be too lazy for all that. Trailoring?! Big pain! Slip, depends, can be pretty expensive. Sunfish sail in favorable conditions about 10 knots (we'll say 10 to make it easy) which is approximately 11mph so it would take about an hour. How long do you want to spend getting to school? To tie a boat to a pier you usually have to ask the owners' permission or get a permit if it is not posted as a public dock.
My advise, if you're planning to take your books/computer/anything that can't get wet I would avoid the sunfish!
 
Thanks for your advice and for covering all of my questions! I looked into slips and they range from $8-12 per foot per month, which for a small boat is totally affordable from the perspective that I spend at least 2 or 3 times that on gas each month commuting (so even if I only took it a couple times a week, I would come out even on a purely financial level -- not taking into account the positive effects I'd expect it would have on the quality of the commute). As for the time, I already spend close to an hour in the morning on my way to school, and it can easily take me an hour and a half on the way home with traffic. So I would be fine with it taking between 1 to 1.5 hours each way, and the weather around here is really consistently good, so I think that it just depends on the boat. I considered what you were saying about my cargo getting wet, and though I could probably leave books with friends on campus and whatnot, what kind of boat would you suggest for something like this? Again, I'd want something about the size of the sunfish or slightly larger, to reduce slip costs and to be able to tie it up somewhere at my destination, and obviously something the same speed or faster. Thanks again for your help!
 
Sounds like you got yourself a pretty good plan and you've done your homework. I personally like the sunfish for quick trips like what you're planning (except the wet gear factor). But you can get a dry bag for all of your school stuff. They make pretty good drybags nowdays that are set up like a bookbag and hold a ton of stuff. As long as you close them right they are pretty darn waterproof. Any new developments in your plan?
 
Thanks for the idea -- that definitely sounds like something I could use... As for my progress, not much has changed yet. I'm taking the MCAT in about a month, and am prepping pretty intensely for that right now. After the test is over and I get a little reprieve, I hope to start my sailing classes. I'll keep you updated!
 
That is so awesome. Definitely a character full of adventure in the veins. I do wish you for sure the best on that MCAT. Good luck.
 

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