what did you learn to sail on????

[EmmaC]

A long time ago in a far away land

I learned to sail first at Girl Scout camp in northern Wisconsin when I was 11 and 12. We took little Sunfish and sailed from lake to lake - portaging the boats and our gear for a 5 day trip.

Then I sailed again in college at UW. Learned more, like never trust a guy who says he knows how to sail and then doesn't know as much as you do. Guaranteed that he will capsize the boat.

After that I did not sail again until my 30's. Started with new lessons at the Chicago Park District on Rainbows, which led to racing beer cans at the Chicago Yacht Club, which lead to sailing on Tartan 10's, J24's and 30's, Farr 40's and Great Lakes 70's. Took some time off to go back to school for more degrees and ended up in Key West.

Bought myself a Hunter 30, married a guy with a Flying Scot - who had me drive the boat on and off the dock. Sold his boat, because mine was bigger. Sold the boat last year for a move to Louisiana. Now ready for something that works here in really shallow water.

 

[kloudie1]

Upon What do you continue to learn to sail?

Powerboater from birth.. First sailing was in an old wooden Lightning; 1967ish .. One of the guys in our sailplane club had one and we'd sail it when the wind was too strong for our sailplanes.. Sailed a bunch with a great friend on Cougar catamarans while he and I were in Memphis doing Navy electronics school.. I was thoroughly hooked.. Knew I'd have to sail. Bought first boat in '78, Spirit 23, once I had a real job.. then moved up to the Hunter 34 in '91.. still learning and enjoying, every chance I get.

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

On an 11ft Super Snark at Round Valley(nicknamed "the Graveyard"). This one had an extension on the mast top that allowed for a higher boom and potentially 'cleaner air' but could still be out-sailed by any novice on a sunfish. Used to carry it to and from the lake inside my van and kept it for years until I was ready to sell my O'day 17 when moving up to a Venture.

 

[DRhoads]

After 28 years in the Air Force flying at Mach 2+ I needed something exciting to do. Took lessons on a Flying Scout at the local marina, Washington, DC got the bug and a year later bought a Hunter 27. Sailed the Potomac learning the ropes along with a few ASA courses to fine tune and build confidence. It worked so last year I moved up to a Hunter 386 and the Chesapeake loving each moment.

 

[Fogg]

My first sail was on a Sunfish, sailing off China Beach R&R Center in Danang, Vietnam. The offshore wind was great getting me out, then the learning really began as I faced wind on the nose and tipped more times than I care to share. Finally got the sail magic down and made it back to the beach.

Was an OPB (other person's boat) sailor when I first got to Connecticut. Great way to learn. The learning curve truly hit me in the face on our first boat, a 1968 Columbia 28 with very little in the way of amenities, but built like a tank. Now I've got Euphoria to be excited and/or euphoric on, depending on the circumstance.

 

[dmc]

learning to sail...........

Back in the early 70's I thought I wanted to be a horse farmer, I learned I was born in the city, I was raised in the city and I belonged in the city. So, I traded in the farm and the horses for a house near the lake, a book and a boat. That boat was a Clipper Marine '23 swing keel. I studied the book for a winter and started sailing. The Clipper is a wonderful boat to learn on.All she ever had or needed was a knotmeter and a compass. I sailed that boat for 25yrs.

Peace

dmc

 

[mister_j]

When I was a kid wandering around Worcester, MA, I snuck into a place on Lake Quinsigamond called the Regatta Club. They had a program for kids to learn how to sail, so I tried to look like I fit in and signed on; learned on some kind of little catboat.

It was only one summer back in the mid sixties, but after a lifetime of fishing from little aluminum boats, my second wife took me away on a sailing trip to BVI. As soon as I got back, I got the best boat I could afford, an O'Day 195 weekender and was off to the Elizabeth Islands as soon as the dandelions came into bloom. A few boats later, I can't be anyplace else when the water's not hard.

Fair winds,

Jeff

 

[Ken Cross]

Never sailed, but had small powerboats since I was about 10. We bought a Mac 26D and studied the internet. Read about something and go try it. That was about 10 years ago.

 

[Kenneth Frehm]

My father and uncle refitted an old canoe into a "sailing canoe" - My uncle's mom hand made the sales and I sat on the floor as we sailed around Lake Oscawanna in upstate NY. At Mitchell College in Conn., I took my first sailing course and made "capt" and was allowed to sail Tallstars on the Thames River where we had to dodge the Atomic Subs returning to base in New London. My first and current boat is a Mac 25 bought in '83 ~ It gives me and my girlfriend many hours of fun and pleasure!

 

[Liam]

23' Pearson Electra

I was walking at the harbor and saw a sign in a Yacht Brokerage window for sailing lessons. I walked in and asked about it and was told that the course cost $30 for six lessons. They said that I would then be a "real" sailor and would be qualified to sail a boat "all by myself".
I thought that was kind of expensive, but when they told me that it included a copy of the "how to sail" book I felt that it was a good value.
That was 35 years and 5 boats ago!
That six lesson sailing course changed my life.

 

[timxgo]

I memorized "Sail in a Day" I think it was, then took a "Sail and Learn" cruise with CSY in the Grenadines for 10 days on a 39' center cockpit. I went back and chartered a Bristol 34 in the BVI the next year for my second sailing experience. Just my girlfriend and me.
I didn't do any more sailing for a couple of years and after a year's unemployment the only job I landed was as a sailing instructor for Club Med. I honed my craft daily for 8 seasons, picking up tips from Glenans grads and Olympic alternates I was fortunate enough to work with.
Sailed an Irwin 28 on Galveston Bay since 1984, and done over a dozen bareboats in Tahiti, Whitsundays, Caribbean, San Francisco and more.

"There is nothing, absolutly nothing, half so much worth doing, as simply messing about in boats"

 

[bkuether]

My father, brother, and I, spent a week at Annapolis Sailing School on the "Rainbows". That same winter we took the cruising course in Tampa, on a Pearson 26 that got "smaller" every day we were out. We then spent about 4 years on my Dads Tartan 33. I didn't really learn to sail "well" until I got my C&C 29 Mark II.

 

[EdwardinSTX]

When I reported to the Naval War College in Newport, RI, as a student, one of the first things they had us do was to take an on-shore sailing class followed by a sail on a Rhodes O'Day 12. I sailed the 12 for a few weeks before graduating to the 19. All sail. No motor. Learned to get away from the dock and back under sail.

 

[comfortzone]

Sunfish on Lake Geneva, WI.

 

[Rayawl]

I was about 10 years old. There was an 8 foot plywood dinghy my grandfather had near the pond. My friend and I rigged a mast and boom out of some wood from a wood pile, and a sail from some old cloth. We sailed all around the pond that summer playing pirates and visiting far off places (in our minds).

 

[RichH]

My 'first' boat was an old Melges M16 scow that I bought off of a trash pile. I had no idea that such was a 'serious' boat. It had no sails, so I was forced to make / loft my own. It had significant delaminations and wet core, so I quickly learned to work FRG. I was doing grad studies in thermal/fluid sciences at Drexel Univ. and spent many hours studying the NACA compendium "Ancient Interface" ... all the things that made boats, ice boats & hydroplanes 'work' and what was being advanced to make them optimized to 'go fast'.

The M16 Scow was deemed the original 'submarine scow' .... one could sail it into and under most large waves or tip roll / pitch pole it end for end at high speed and become instantly swamped - incredible 'fun' as I started to consistently 'win' in a large PHRF fleet. It all went downhill from there with a life long 'addiction'. Not being a 'bashful' person, I soon started openly corresponding with most of the 'lions' and reknown sailing personalities of that day, including many from the AC, etc. circuits of the 70s. What a ride !!!

 

[esterhazyinoz]

My first 'formal' learning experience was on a Topper when I attended a father & son basic sailing course. I had sailed, on and off, on other peoples boats for years but never realy learned anything. Living in Perth, Western Australia has made boat ownership easy and I have owned a number of boats in the past 15-20 years here. Crewing for other people in club races has taught me a lot before racing my own boat. I'm still of the opinion that I will always be learning how to sail but don't mind as I have the greatest of times doing so.

 

[Peter Goodman]

I learned on wooden Snipes while a student at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Mich. Did not do well as a musician, but learned to sail and how to handle a canoe.

 

[sail2day]

Learned to sail.....

I learned to sail on an Alcort Sailfish on Cape Cod Bay. I bought the boat in April 1976 for $30.00 when stationed at North Truro Air Force Station.

 

[PrincessoftheLake]

Back in 1989 a friend of mine bought a 1985 Starwind 22 that he slipped on White Bear Lake, a 2500 acree inland lake. Since his wife had no interest in sailing he pressed my husband and I into service since my husband had some Sunfish experience. I did not grow up in a boating family and having had two near drowning experiences as a kid I did not love water but I quickly fell in love with John's boat and with sailing. The three of us sailed every chance we got during the season. Light air-heavy wind, we didn't care. We scared the crap out of ourselves more than a few times but we learned to not be afraid of windy days. After about 5 or 6 years sailing with John we bought a 1980 Seidelman 24 Summer Wind that we day sailed for a couple years and then we got into racing. After about 6 years with that boat we decided to try racing in the one design fleet of Capri 22's so we sold the Seidelman and bought a Capri 22 Social Hazard. During the two years we owned the Capri we had a chance to charter a couple of times on Lake Superior on an O'Day 30 and cruised with some friends on a TMI26 on Lake Pepin. That is when I got the big boat/big water bug. I wanted to sail somewhere where I couldn't see the far shore. So in 2004 we bought a 1985 Hunter 34 Jolly Swagman that was slipped in Bayfield Wisconsin on Lake Superior. We sailed Swagman for 4 years and then we bought our 1995 Hunter 40.5 Emmanuel and we still sail the Apostle Islands and Lake Superior.