Do I have what it takes to sail out to sea in a boat?

Question

What do I need to take into consideration?

Answer 1

you need knowledge. good boat. satnav. charts .more knowledge. radio. flares.compass. you need to know about navigation. you need to know about tides,wind weather etc.  its no joke when you are at sea with 30 foot waves around you in fog with a skyscraper liner about to mow you down. dont do it. get a caravan.

Answer 2

The first step is to make sure the boat is seaworthy.

Answer 3

It's the old saying..."if you have to ask - then NO"

Answer 4

your life.

Answer 5

yourselve

Answer 6

James,

From the wording and structure of your question I would strongly recommend that you not consider such an adventure until you have spent years of training with more experienced skippers.

Answer 7

The other contributors are right. You need someone to give you the tuition AND you need at least 12 months of practical experience to do it safely.

In the UK we have a very well defined route of learning provided by the Royal Yachting Association (RYA) - you can view their website on http://www.rya.org.uk

There are many levels of tuition in sailboat sailing on the RYA syllabus, but I think that the Day Skipper qualification would be the best for you. To see a synopsis of the Day Skipper syllabus look at my website http://www.central-sailing.co.uk/dayskip...

If you want to ask questions fill in the contact form. Bigpathome.

Answer 8

no

Answer 9

First,experience,pilotage experience is very important round the coasts.You are safer out at sea than you are close in.You will need lifejackets ,flares ,marine radio and operaters licence or mobile phone at least,a good compass,correctly biased,you must keep a fix on your position from various points continuously.When you radio the coastguard you always give your position as being from a compass reference point,so all they need to do is plot a course from there to you.Good luck,bon voyage,you will love it.

Answer 10

Is it pea-green

Answer 11

interesting question! only you can answer, would you rather die at home in bed or at sea in a storm, drowning isn't necessarily a bad way to die

Answer 12

i think you should go on a skippering course

Answer 13

No. If you don't know what to take into consideration, it sounds like you've never been to sea before. As with most things, start with small things (trips) then graduate to bigger.

Take some tuition, you will get to meet a teacher who has done it before, they will be the best person to answer your question, knowing the abilities they see in you.

Answer 14

If you don't know the answer to your question, try practicing in a bathtub first.

Answer 15

Of course you do.

Don't be put off by people who fear their own shadows.

Basically ask yourself these;

What sort of boat?

On your own or with an experienced crew?

Do you have experience?

If you don't have experience it doesn't take years as one person here says. Go down to a local marina/ yacht club and ask if anybody could take you out. Be honest about yourself and your abilities.

Someone will always want an excuse to take their boat out and you could end up having a ball and meeting some new mates.

Once you've been out a few times, then you decide how serious you are and you decide if you want to take a course.

Answer 16

You should be able to answer yes before you can do, sailing is not a joke, you need a lot of preparation. voyage planning, safety skills, navigation, technical, etc.

Answer 17

Don't even think about it until you know what you are doing. The sea is very unforgiving.

Take a Coast Guard course and you must know navigation without relying on a GPS or other electronics. They can fail when you least expect it. I would also recommend you crew on an experienced skipper's boat in the ocean and apply what you have learned.

The last step is to find a "blue water boat" with a proven track record. You should also know how to fix things because that will be an ongoing challenge  and you can't just call AAA when you get in trouble.

When you have done all this then go for it. I did for 10 years and have great memories of sheer terror but mostly good times with a great sub culture of like minded sailors!!

Answer 18

I don't know.  If your going to Captain ever been blue water before?  Are you an expert at navigating?  A no to either is a no.

Answer 19

For a start you need to decide whether you want to sail alone or with someone else, what type of boat you want to sail in, the maps detailing where you plan to sail to, whether you suffer from sea sickness, whether you have the physical strength to sail on the open sea (very different from sailing on a lake or the river), there are several factors that you need to take into account before you even buy the boat, i would go along to your local sailing club and talk to some of the more experienced sailors before you make your decision......too many people die because they do not research sailing thoroughly before setting out onto the open sea

Answer 20

If you have to ask here, then no. If you did, you would knoe the requirements and would know if you had them.

Answer 21

Motion sickness and lots of upchucking,,,and then the normal considerations as food, clothing, drinking water(lots) fuel, navigation equipment, lights, trouble lights and flares...spare batteries for your 5 cell flashlight, bedding, life vests, inflatible life raft with oar...etc....

Answer 22

By the sounds of it - no! A very big no...

Setting off out to sea is not a simple proposition - in fact, it can be extremely dangerous if you do not know what you are doing. Please don't be put off by that - I'm just being realistic.

Get yourself on a course - the bare minimum really if you want to skipper a sailing vessel is RYA Day Skipper (but see comments further down about the limitations of this qualification). There is both a theoretical and a practical element to this.

However before you think about doing your Day Skipper, you really ought to get some experience as crew. Either find a friend willing to take you out on a boat or get yourself on a course. You will find that various schools and organisations offer introductory "Start Yachting" experiences. There is also the RYA Competent Crew qualification - a five day course that aims to get you from next to no experience to someone capable of acting as crew on a sailing vessel. I would recommend that as your first step.

The RYA Day Skipper qualification is just the first step towards skippering a boat. In theory, all that a Day Skipper qualification is designed to do is get you to a standard whereby you can take charge of a small yacht in familiar waters within sight of land by day. If you are on about serious long distance stuff then you need a h**l of a lot more experience and you are talking about the Yachtmaster Ocean qualification - well out of your reach until you get lots of experience.

Full details of all qualifications, courses and so on (syllabus, providers, etc) can be found on the Royal Yachting Association website at www.rya.org.uk

Answer 23

Just remember, 'time and tides wait for no man'

Answer 24

Can you plot and read a chart? Radar, experience.

Answer 25

Have you any idea what it takes? I don`t know if you have the right character but if yu are asking that question you certainly don`t have the experience.

I have a RYA "day Skipper " certifcate and still wonder if I have what it takes. I suggest that you take some sort of course, if poss RYA approved b BEFORE you sail. Join a sailing club, go crewing with experienced sailors. You wll soon find the answer to your question. WITHOUT putting you own and other peoples life in danger. Sailing`s great but itis dangerous.

Answer 26

You are asking the question therefore the answer is NO