I want to start sailing, what are the essentials? (in detail please)?

Question

how does sailing internationally work as well?

Answer 1

I suggest that you go to your library and look over their selection on small boat handling. There are several good ones. You will also want to learn how to navigate or pilot as well, plus you will need to learn the Rules of the Road, and basic weather. Once you get started, there will be more that you need to learn, and you will know what you need next.

Regards,

Dan

Answer 2

Here's my "how I learned how to sail" story; there really isn't a short version of it, but you might enjoy it...

I was renting an apartment in Massachusetts.  My landlord (who lived downstairs) was dying, and we would occsionally sit and chat with him; his daughters lived locally, but they had no interest in spending any time with him.  In his final days, he kept talking about this little boat he had out back, and lamenting the fact that none of his children or grandchildren wanted it, or had any interest in learning to sail.  I had no sailing experience, so I never thought anything of it.  

When he finally died, the harpies (oops, I mean "his daughters") swooped down on the house, taking anything of value (including some of my tools, which I never got back), and slapped a "For Sale" sign on the house.  It took over a year to sell; they refused to put any money into the house (which was a dump), and were asking way too much for it.  They jerked around a number of potential buyers, lying about the condition of the house and blaming us for anything that was wrong with it.  They knew about the sailboat, but it had been sitting in the backyard for years and was covered with trash and leaves.  When the building finally sold, the new owners asked us to move, as they were planning to move their extended family in upstairs.  So we got a place in New Hampshire and we moved.  

As we were taking our last load out, I finally walked out back and looked at the boat; it was an O'Day Sprite.  The trailer was fine, the tires just needed some air.  It looked like all the parts were there, and there were two brand new sails in the shed; it looked like they had never been used.  So I pumped up the tires, backed up the van into the yard, hooked up the trailer, and took the boat with me.

I ended up putting it at my buddy David's house; he had a place on a lake, and promised me he'd teach me how to sail.  One day when I was visiting, he walked in, tossed me a bag of parts, and said "Go rig your boat!"  He came down with me and taught me equipment terminology, and showed me how to rig the mast.  We ended up replacing the mast stays, but everything else was okay.

We got it rigged and got the sails on.  David looked at the sails, then looked at the boat; then he said, "That's an awful lot of sail for that boat."  He took it out for a quick spin to make sure everything was working, then he put me in the boat and had me try to sail it, while he shadowed me in the Whaler, shouting instructions.  The one thing I learned was that accidental jibes can cause death rolls (I didn't actually learn that until later, but that's what happened).  We ended up towing the Sprite back in with the Whaler, and that ended my first lesson.

I went out and bought "Sailing for Dummies", which I highly recommend for any beginner.  It is written by Peter and JJ Isler, who, between them, have an Olympic medal, two America's Cup championships, three World Championships, and are (or were) considered to be two of the best racing sailors in the world.  I read the book cover to cover, went back to the lake, and successfully sailed the boat for hours.  I never did capsize it again, although I've had it darn near horizontal in a strong breeze.  David likes to tell people he taught me how to sail; I always correct him and say he taught me how to capsize, which was just as valuable a lesson.

I spent several summers sailing both the Sprite and David's Hunter 170, then "graduated" to keelboats.  He kept telling me that that the Sprite was the hardest boat I'd ever sail; bigger boats are easier.  

I got a combination membership/keelboat class at Boston Harbor Sailing Club, and learned how to dodge the freighters coming in and out of Boston Harbor, navigation, mooring, anchoring, etc; all the stuff that has less to do with the act of sailing, but necessary for sailing out in the real world.  I ended up taking additional classes and got a number of certifications.

These days I'm back to lake sailing.  David ended up moving away from the lake, selling his boats, but gave us the Hunter.  So now I'm teaching my children how to sail, and sometimes my wife (when she's had some liquid courage); she doens't like the smaller boats, nor (as is common with most non-sailors) the extreme heeling that can occur on a dinghy.

The funniest part of the story is that, two months after I had moved to NH, and more than three months after they had sold the house, the daughters called me and asked me if I knew what had happened to the sailboat.  Apparently one of them was talking to her neighbor about the death of her father, and the neighbor had asked about the sailboat, telling her it was worth several hundred dollars.  I was still stinging over having my power tools stolen, so I said I knew nothing about it.  The new owners played stupid when she questioned them about it; they were still angry over issues from the house sale.  She tried to involve the police, but she had no information on the boat; no BIN, no VIN for the trailer.  She couldn't tell them what kind of boat it was, or even prove that it ever existed.  The unofficial name of the boat ended up being "Skillsaw", as homage to how and why I ended up with it.

Answer 3

A boat is one essential. Boat means "bring out another thousand". So money is another essential.

Answer 4

take a coastguard course!!!!

Answer 5

The best way to learn about sailing and to actually learn to sail is to start in small sailboats, a dingy, a boat without an engine.

Join your local sailing club and volunteer to crew.  Once you have been out a few times and have figured out the basics, know the difference between a sheet and a halyard then take a couple of intro classes, again in very small boats.  You learn fastest that way and it costs a lot less than leaning the same lessons in much bigger boats.

Once you have learned how to handle the boat your self start racing in a sailing dingy in a competitive fleet.  

Once you are coming at least half way up the fleet you have the basics down and can move on to bigger boats.

Start SMALL, you learn much faster in a smaller boat than a bigger one, and you can be in charge much sooner.

All the really good sailors in the world that I know started in sailing small boats. That even goes for the real old time tall ship captains I knew as a kid.  (Yes there were some still alive when I was small, many years ago.)  

I have sailed boats as small as 9' long up to full tall ships of well more than 100 foot and a complement of 27 crew on board.  I can tell you that the lessons learned in small boats save you many years and many dollars in larger boats.  

Look at the French, a major power in sailing.  They start all their young sailors in small boats. Some of them doing long distances in very small boats without motors.

Start with finding some of your local sailing clubs and go out as crew.  Learn for free from the skippers who know.  Then take classes in the club.  Work from there.  

DO NOT start by buying a big sailing boat.  This normally leads to expensive misadventures and mishap.

Answer 6

Well, its essential to get some experience first!! Get some training under your belt by doing some certified practical training. Then crew for someone who is already knowledgable in the ways of the wind. Then ensure whatever you do is within the bounds of your capability. Read widely; both practical books as well as more 'entertaining' books that express the more real-time experience options.

Lastly, make sure you're having fun!

Answer 7

I recommend community sailing classes. Small boats are inexpensive to learn on and classes are easy to get into. Here are some great schools in southern California. The principles of sailing are easy to learn on small boats and apply to larger boats.

You can see what gear is required for both you and for the boat. You will also find invitations to crew on larger boats while taking the classes. Usually your instructor or fellow classmates will introduce you to other skippers and boats.

UCLA Marine Aquatic Center

Los Angeles, CA

marinaaquaticcenter.org

310-823-0048

14001 Fiji Way

Marina del Rey CA 90292

Community classes start at $165.

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Orange Coast College of Sailing and Seamanship

http://www.occsailing.com/

1801 W. Coast Highway

Newport Beach, Ca. 92663

949-645-9412

Community classes start at $140.

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SDSU/UCSD

Mission Bay Aquatic Center

www.missionbayaquaticcenter.com

858-488-1000

1001 Santa Clara Pl.

San Diego, CA 92109

Community classes start at $145.

Answer 8

Hi,

i always wanted to sail too. So I deciced to buy a boat and sail it from France to San Francisco.

As far as learning, since I knew nothing (NOTHING), I took 4 classes at OCSC (a sailing School in Berkeley, CA) which made me a great sailor. Sure, I made some mistakes after, but I arrived in SF, a great year of sailing behind me.

I did a presentation at OCSC about what I did, what I should have done better, etc: http://folalier.com/ocsc/presentation.ht...

The boat I boat, with many pictures and explanation is here:

http://folalier.com/general/oceanis370.h...

Everyday, I posted a picture on my web site: http://folalier.com

Answer 9

The American Sailing Association certifies instructors who offer the ASA course.  This, along with practical experience would qualify you to charter a boat that is within your range of experience.  Don't take the course and expect to run out and charter a 50 footer the next day.

Find a sailing club that takes daysails in the type of vessel that you would like to charter and sail, sail, sail all year around and in all kinds of weather.  Don't be a "deck lizard" but learn something every time you go out.

Then take some of the advanced courses like offshore cruising and celestial navigation and have them documented.  These may prove to be deciding factors on which boat a charter company may be willing to let you take out without a paid captain.

I picked up a sailor-hitch-hiker on my way out for a day sail.  He had a boat-shaped sign on a stick that said "Can I crew for you?".  He would pump the sign up and down when he saw a boat headed out with friendly-looking people on it.  He also had his small backpack of essentials including his own snack and soft drinks and water.  He kept a log that included all the boats he had sailed on.  Great experience and best of all, it was cheap.  But, first of all...bring some experience and willingness to tackle any job to the occasion.