I live in Northern Indiana. I have always had an interest in sailing but have never really pursued it. I would like to meet an experienced sailer who might be willing to let me sail with them to learn more about this sport. I am close to either St Joe ,MI (Lake Michigan) or Syracuse, IN (Lake Wawasee). Thanks, Paul
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Breaking the ice
A good way to get started is just to go to some marinas and walk the docks, talking to sailors there. Tell them of your desire to learn and ask if they know of anyone looking for crew - that way you don't put them on the spot, and if they want to invite you out they will. Meanwhile find a book or two on the basics and just learn the names of the main parts of the boat, the lines, and the hardware. When the weather is good there is always someone looking for crew, if only for companionship for an afternoon sail. It isn't unusual to find someone getting ready to go out who would be more than willing to take along a guest - in fact, most sailors enjoy sharing their knowledge and helping a new guy to get started.
A good way to get started is just to go to some marinas and walk the docks, talking to sailors there. Tell them of your desire to learn and ask if they know of anyone looking for crew - that way you don't put them on the spot, and if they want to invite you out they will. Meanwhile find a book or two on the basics and just learn the names of the main parts of the boat, the lines, and the hardware. When the weather is good there is always someone looking for crew, if only for companionship for an afternoon sail. It isn't unusual to find someone getting ready to go out who would be more than willing to take along a guest - in fact, most sailors enjoy sharing their knowledge and helping a new guy to get started.
Do like I did
Go to the public library and take out some books on sailing and read up on it. Years ago, we had a free sailing program at Fall River Ma. Heritage Park Boat House. Of course those days are gone now, and you have to pay for everything, but they had these small full keel Cape Cod Mercury sloops that you could sail after you applied for the registration card and passed the sailing test. Maybe they have something similar to this in your area that you could take advantage of, or at least take some sailing lessons to see if you like it or not. Larger sailboats are more stable and forgiving than the smaller centerboard sailboats which can capsize very easy. The wrong boat can really turn someone off in learning to sail. My first sailboat was a new 16 foot Cape Cod Shipbuilding Gemini 2 racing sloop. It was fast, but very unstable and scary. The guy should never have sold me that boat. I tipped it over out in the middle of the lake and had to have a guy tow it to shore in his power boat to bail it out. The boat had no flotation in the stern and couldn't be righted like most small sailboats. A very poor design, if you ask me. I almost quit sailing because of this boat. So, my advise to you is ask a lot of questions before you ever buy a boat. It took me about four sailboats before I finally found the one that I would never part with. Good luck! Joe
Go to the public library and take out some books on sailing and read up on it. Years ago, we had a free sailing program at Fall River Ma. Heritage Park Boat House. Of course those days are gone now, and you have to pay for everything, but they had these small full keel Cape Cod Mercury sloops that you could sail after you applied for the registration card and passed the sailing test. Maybe they have something similar to this in your area that you could take advantage of, or at least take some sailing lessons to see if you like it or not. Larger sailboats are more stable and forgiving than the smaller centerboard sailboats which can capsize very easy. The wrong boat can really turn someone off in learning to sail. My first sailboat was a new 16 foot Cape Cod Shipbuilding Gemini 2 racing sloop. It was fast, but very unstable and scary. The guy should never have sold me that boat. I tipped it over out in the middle of the lake and had to have a guy tow it to shore in his power boat to bail it out. The boat had no flotation in the stern and couldn't be righted like most small sailboats. A very poor design, if you ask me. I almost quit sailing because of this boat. So, my advise to you is ask a lot of questions before you ever buy a boat. It took me about four sailboats before I finally found the one that I would never part with. Good luck! Joe
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