A new sailor enters the water!

higgs · Mar 22, 2009

Check local yacht clubs. Some off lessons. good luck and congratulations.

I would also suggest a visit to a book store.

Jenni · Mar 22, 2009

Accreditied lessons are never a bad idea.
I have heard i said that sailing is a sport that you can learn in a day but takes a lifetime to master.
Lessons can be great for learning your ruels of the road and all the jargon and specific names for the parts of a boat. They can also help you become more comforatble in you boat handeling skills.
If you are a member of a yaght club or sailing association it could also be helpfull to ask one of your fellow members to come out with you on your boat and give you some hints and tips that could apply to your vessel. Or maybe crew for one of them and pick up more tricks of the trade.
It is though totally possible to sail your boat without knowing that the boom vang (kicking strap or martingale) is the rope and pully system that runs from the base of the mast to a point about a third of the way up the boom. It is there to help control the shape of the sail. Its mostly used when your boat is on a run (traviling with the wind) it helps keep the boom down when you have the main sheet out a long way. A fairlead is a device used to guide a rope over an object or keep it out of the way or keep it from moveing laterlly.

Of course the best way to get better is to go out and sail. Most clubs have races they can be alot of fun and they teach you alot.

Hypnautic · Mar 22, 2009

Welcome - my husband and I had never sailed before and were very novice with the new language, learning how sailing works, etc. We took a weeklong ASA (101 & 103) class during our vacation in August. Needless to say - we learned more than I ever thought possible in just 5 days. We found the whole experience so rewarding that we've traded in our power boat for a Hunter 31 and look forward to commissioning her soon. Best wishes in your new endeavor.

caguy · Mar 22, 2009

Here are a couple of more alternatives for you.
UCLA Marine Aquatic Center MDR
http://www.recreation.ucla.edu/insidepage.aspx?uid=01d1df4a-cdd1-44b2-ab26-9ad489d22cdc

Sailing singles meetup group.
http://www.meetup.com/SAILING-SINGLES-OF-SOUTHERN-CALIFORNIA/

Stu Jackson · Mar 22, 2009

Sailing lessons

Even though I learned to sail as a kid in camp back east (too many years ago to even mention!

), when we bought our first boat in California in 1983, we took a series of lessons. The first few were on other boats, so that helped to learn the terms and names for things because they were somewhat different in location from boat to boat. The final lesson was on OUR Catalina 22 with the instructor. It gave us a GREAT deal of confidence in both ourselves and our boat. So consider all the courses available, and consider choosing one that includes your boat, or do a week on other boats, but do a day with an instructor on yours. We had the 1981 22 for 5 years, overlapped with a 1981 C25 and now a C34 (a 1986 boat bought in 1998).

Some also suggest learning how to sail on a really small boat first to learn how to actually read the wind. You may want to consider a day doing just that.

Pat Royce's "Sailing Illustrated" is a handy little inexpensive book that covers just about everything - we used it for our first few years, and has a ton of stuff that's just plain fun and useful for beginners. As you grow into it, you'll find yourself in chandleries with lotsa books - look 'em all over and find one that's right for you, and read and keep practicing.

Welcome to this forum, you have a great boat and you'll enjoy it a lot. I haven't seen much of the C27 website lately , don't know how active it might still be, but check out either www.catalin27.org or www.catalina27.com for specific information about your boat. They used to be very active. Maybe someone else can help out here on this.

PS - I just checked and neither of those links works. Try www.c27, etc. Also, the Boat Info on this website gets you here for Catalina 27s: http://catalina.sailboatowners.com/...temid=240&task=3&kb=1&model=81&brand=Catalina

What engine do you have?

Stu Jackson · Mar 22, 2009

Guy said:
... Volvo 2 cyl IB diesel with (apparently rare for a Catalina) sail drive. It's only 14hp, but with the sail drive it actually scoots along pretty well.

You'll get to know that quite well. Sail Drives, as opposed to traditional shafts thru stern tubes, require some extra vigilance. There was a thread just today about the seals on a Sail Drive. Just find it and read it. Diesels are easy to learn to work with and we'll have all sorts of help for you as you get to know the boat better. All the best, Stu

Scott T-Bird · Mar 23, 2009

I'd take the lessons ...

I found Basic Keelboat ASA 101 and Basic Coastal Cruising ASA 103 to be worthwhile even though we had owned our Starwind 27 (very similar to your Catalina 27) for a couple of years before taking the courses. However, I was able to complete ASA 101 simply by passing the test since I had prior sailing experience and was familiar with all of the material.

This forum will give you more knowledge than you can imagine right now, so keep reading and contributing. I can't tell you how many topics (it's countless) have been applicable to all aspects of sailing and boat owning skills. In fact, if you keep up with this forum as you learn, you will soon begin to realize how many topics there are that you never would have even thought about otherwise! I've been here since we bought our boat in 2004 and it always seems like a fresh place to learn.

Many people will say to get experience on small boats and I agree. A really fun way to do that might be a vacation to a resort that caters to sailing activities. We went to a Sunsail Resort on Antigua (Club Colonna) and had a great time sailing a variety of small boats right off the beach. The boats range from basic to technical and they are set up for you so all you have to do is climb in and sail. It is a fantastic way to get the feel for sailing small boats and you can take lessons or not depending on your ambition.

Subscribe to a few magazines if you have the time to read them. The last issue of Sail has a good article about maintaining your wheel steering system. Since ours has been neglected since we bought the boat, it is the first thing I am going to do when I uncover the boat this Spring (whenever Spring arrives

).

Good luck! I think you found a great boat to begin with ... are you planning to sail it to Oregon or keep it in California?

Ross · Mar 23, 2009

Much of how you should proceed depends upon how you learn.
If you can convert written instruction to practice without having it demonstrated by someone else then you can make great progress with some basic sailing school books.
If you can read and retain the information but need someone to demonstrate the methods that you have read then take a course.
I know people in each catagory and they do very well with their boats.

sailingdog · Mar 23, 2009

Congratulations. I'd highly recommend you pick up a copy of David Seidman's book, The Complete Sailor, which is about $16 at the local book store. It is one of the best primers on sailing, which covers a very wide range of topics. It is well written, easy to read, very understandable, and well illustrated.

drdanj · Mar 23, 2009

Learning & Books

A great little book is "Sail Trim," don't recall the author. As you learn the jargon, it's a very practical guide on how to set your sails under different conditions. Of course you have to learn the nuances of your own boat, but this is a very practial starting point. We've been sailing just over two years, and learned much by having dock mates go out with us. Funny thing is, it seems some of the older timers tend not to go out much. So it seemed that when we'd start pulling sail covers, we'd find someone standing at our bow asking "are you going out." We finally clued into they were really asking if they could come along.

Dan
SV Fiji Girl
Catalina 30
Channel Islands Harbor

NCNoviceCouple · Mar 23, 2009

Re: Learning & Books

My wife and I "in the same boat" so to speak. Bought our first sailboat about a month ago. It's a Catalina 22 trailer sailor. We spent one weekend out on the boat so far but just motored and got acquainted with the rigging. We practiced raising the mast and sails in our driveway yesterday which was entertaining for our neighbors. The sails will go up on the water Thursday for the first time. We have picked up several sailing books at Barnes and Nobles and I recommend SAILING FUNDAMENTALS by Gary Jobson. It's $22 and very "novice friendly". We have gotten recommendation about the sailing classes that Stu gave - take the lessons on another boat to learn the terms and basics, then a lesson on your boat. Someone else suggested that my wife and I take the class on different weekends so one of us does not assume the role of "leader" or captain. Everyone I know who sails has offered to go out with us to help us learn.

Ross · Mar 23, 2009

Re: Learning & Books

Often the community colleges offer sailing as a Phys Ed course. It is worth a look. Take your friends up on their offers to sail with you. Choose gentle days and practice, practice, practice. Sail to marks, sails around marks, learn to stop on the water with the sails up and learn to get started again. Try to change only one thing at a time and check out the effect that has on the boat.

Max15631 · Mar 23, 2009

As our wonderful educational system is continuing to find out; everyone learns differently and there's no substitute for experience (i.e. making your own mistakes). Along with learning the rules of the road, sail trim, etc, take a long hard look at safety on board. If you have crew, practice man-overboard drills with a fender or cushion (getting the boat turned around to go pack and pick someone up takes a LOT longer than you might think, and most people don't tread water that well with their clothes on). If you're single-handing, you might want to invest in a harness and jackline (it's all about NOT going overboard if you get whacked in the head during an accidental jibe). Make sure you have all of the required safety equipment x 2, and at least one VHF radio and a cell phone (redundancy is the rule).
Best of luck; welcome to the most fun you can have with your clothes on!

Stu Jackson · Mar 23, 2009

Guy said:
...so my plan is to gain sailing experience and head north in the mid summer. ... Everyone mentions it's a tough sail north due to currents and winds, so I want to be sure to learn and know as much as I can before tackling that adventure.

Oh, boy, you picked a BIG APPLE to bite.

In addition to regular sailboat and sailing books, you'll need to learn a lot about the coasts of California and Oregon, hardly a place for beginners.

If you ever have a mind to actually do that after you do a lot of reading about the difficulties of such a trip, I suggest this: http://www.georgebenson.us/narratives.cfm

You get to this page from here: http://www.georgebenson.us/ and click on Teal's Cruise Narratives box, lower right corner - it'll take you through the narrative acceptance screen if the first link doesn't work. The San Francisco to Puget Sound is the one you need, plus maybe the San Diego one.

I suggest bookmarking the website. George's Narratives are in some ways even better than the book, which is very helpful in the details of what's available at each of the stops, and the charts you'll need, both paper and electronic if you so choose.

Take a navigation course, too.

The Sail Trim book previously mentioned is by a team of writers from SAIL magazine, if it's the one I'm thinking of. Also this from right here: http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17 is very good.

While you're coming up the coast, stop in San Francisco and say to all of us of the board who live here. Then go read Kimball Livingston's "Sailing The Bay," which also covers some of the ocean you'll be covering.

If you don't have an autopilot, put it high on your list of things to get and learn how to use.

If you're actually coming north, you'll need at least double if not triple reefs in your mainsail and a small, flat jib.

Anchoring? Get a Rocna or a Manson Supreme and learn how to use ground tackle. The Channel Islands are a great place to learn.

Probably the MOST important maneuver you can learn is this: "heave to" --- ask any instructor first, and if they don't know what it is, find another instructor, fast!

So much to do, but being on the boat and learning how to sail it should be a real blast.

Have fun, and like Mom says, be safe!

Mats ODay · Mar 23, 2009

Power Squadron Courses

Guy said:
Hello, great forum you have here... I look forward to taking advantage of the wealth of information, and hopefully someday be able to add some to the mix.
I just bought a Catalina 27, berthed in the Los Angeles area. It is a solid boat, rigged by the previous owner for single sailor cruising.
We went out for a sail on the day of purchase and it's clear that I have a LOT to learn... I don't know the difference between a boomvang and a fairlead
I live in Oregon, and plan to fly down regularly to spend time in the nice weather learning to sail. My schedule is fairly flexible, but as an absentee for the next handful of months, I would like some advice on how to proceed.
Would it be best to start with accredited lessons? there are several options that look decent in the area, but since I have a boat I'm wondering if there are other options to consider.
Here are a couple of sailing schools I'm looking at...
http://www.bluewatersailing.com/courses.php#basic_keelboat
http://www.redondo.org/depts/recreation/classes___activities/sailing_academy.asp

Thanks in advance for any help!

~ Guy

Welcome to the sailing world!

I would highly recommend that you take some Power Squadron courses to learn the basics of chart reading, rules of the road, anchoring, and other pointers that will help you to be safe on the water, particularly the ocean, if you are new to boating. The basic course is not specific to sailing, but all boaters need to know how to to be safe!

If you want to know more about sailing techniques, I would recommend taking a cruise-and-learn course from a charter boat operator. They will probably not use your boat, but you will learn a lot of hands-on techniques, and it will be fun besides

A really good book to read, and keep for reference, is Chapman's Piloting.
It's thick, so you will need some time to read it, but there is information in it you will need to be competent on the water.

There is a lot you need to know to be competent, so you can never learn too much.

I am a member of Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, but I know the U.S Squadron is reallly good, too.

Happy boating!

Mat Gilliam

mark_swart · Mar 25, 2009

Guy -- not sure where you are now or how close you are to water, but even if you can get some time in a Sunfish or a Dinghy while you are at home, the fundamentals will transfer directly over to the Catalina. Just a lot more controls to deal with on the big boat!!
I also think it is good to take your time as you learn the boat, maybe do the first day with just main, second day with just jib or genoa, that way you can pay attention to things like making sure you have the sail all the way up (not getting a full haul seems to be an issue with a lot of new sailors) as well as trim.
Take your time and have fun with it. If you can get an experienced sailor to come along that would be good, but at the same time ultimately you have to learn so you don't want to become too reliant.
I'm excited for you -- this is a wonderful hobby and lifestyle and it's always great to see someone get bit with the bug!
Mark

A new sailor enters the water!

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