Here is my plan; I have very little experience on larger boats, only on Hobie cats and wind surfers, and just picked up a Mac 25. I will learn to sail on Keuka lake next spring and summer, then in August I would like to go from Rochester NY to the 1000 islands on Lake Ontario!!*yks I've been bitten by the sailing bug after reading and seeing the wonderful pictures of Brian and Steph's adventure. My wife and I will retire in 9 years from education so we would like to learn the ropes by then. Is this reasonable? I would like to travel down to Florida in a few years in a newer boat. Thanks, Mac
*yks What do you think?
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Mac, take a good look at Brian and Steph
Do they look like they have been sailing for ten years together? Unless you are a slow learner you should be reasonably competent in two or three years.
There is no such thing as a one thousand mile sail, just a whole bunch of one day sails hooked together. Get out there and enjoy. ;D
Do they look like they have been sailing for ten years together? Unless you are a slow learner you should be reasonably competent in two or three years.
There is no such thing as a one thousand mile sail, just a whole bunch of one day sails hooked together. Get out there and enjoy. ;D
Give it a "GO"!
Sailing principles are pretty much the same on all size boats. I learned on a Sunfish and graduated to my first boat - a CATALINA 25. Now I sail a Legend 37. With 9 years to grow, you have plenty of time to graduate to larger boats. Just remember - Larger boats are more forgiving. Things don't happen as fast. So you have more time to respond to situations. Although, I have never sailed a catamaran. Good Luck!
Sailing principles are pretty much the same on all size boats. I learned on a Sunfish and graduated to my first boat - a CATALINA 25. Now I sail a Legend 37. With 9 years to grow, you have plenty of time to graduate to larger boats. Just remember - Larger boats are more forgiving. Things don't happen as fast. So you have more time to respond to situations. Although, I have never sailed a catamaran. Good Luck!
Windsurfing experience
I have told many sailors and wanna be sailors the quickest way to learn about sailing and reading the wind is to become a good windsurfer. You learn to read puffs or you get wet. Hobie cat experience is also a plus. I have spent many days on my windsurfers and Hobie cat. I sold the Hobie last year but my 2 20 year old windsurfers are still around. I have some great memories of sailing my Klepper at the Jersey shore with friends and listening to Van Morrison watching the sun set in Harvey Cedars. I think your idea is great. You know the basics of sailing, now you just need to learn the new boat. Take courses on navigation and safety. USPS has a great education program and it will save you money with most insurers. I started out on dingys, moved to windsurfers at 16. I moved to Maine 10 years ago and sailed a San juan 21, which was replaced by a Pearson 28 and a Hobie 16. I now sail an 1985 Ericson 35, 1955 Rhodes 18 and a 1964 Cape Dory 10. Good luck and welcome to the cruising world. BTW, I get my speed fix by racing. Tim R.
I have told many sailors and wanna be sailors the quickest way to learn about sailing and reading the wind is to become a good windsurfer. You learn to read puffs or you get wet. Hobie cat experience is also a plus. I have spent many days on my windsurfers and Hobie cat. I sold the Hobie last year but my 2 20 year old windsurfers are still around. I have some great memories of sailing my Klepper at the Jersey shore with friends and listening to Van Morrison watching the sun set in Harvey Cedars. I think your idea is great. You know the basics of sailing, now you just need to learn the new boat. Take courses on navigation and safety. USPS has a great education program and it will save you money with most insurers. I started out on dingys, moved to windsurfers at 16. I moved to Maine 10 years ago and sailed a San juan 21, which was replaced by a Pearson 28 and a Hobie 16. I now sail an 1985 Ericson 35, 1955 Rhodes 18 and a 1964 Cape Dory 10. Good luck and welcome to the cruising world. BTW, I get my speed fix by racing. Tim R.
Good trailer boat
good boat to learn on! Although being form upstate ny (sodus bay, canadegiua lake) I would be cautious about taking a boat without a fixed keel out on the great lake, it can get really rough. The waves are much more choppy andwould make for a rough ride and could be dangerous! Good luck though! -Jeff
good boat to learn on! Although being form upstate ny (sodus bay, canadegiua lake) I would be cautious about taking a boat without a fixed keel out on the great lake, it can get really rough. The waves are much more choppy andwould make for a rough ride and could be dangerous! Good luck though! -Jeff
Go for it!
You'll do fine, use the experience that you gained on the board and the hobie, use the experiences of others, and the further you go, the more life will through before you. The worst you can do, is stay tied to the dock. Best of luck and enjoy! http://bajaorbust.blogspot.com Rick
You'll do fine, use the experience that you gained on the board and the hobie, use the experiences of others, and the further you go, the more life will through before you. The worst you can do, is stay tied to the dock. Best of luck and enjoy! http://bajaorbust.blogspot.com Rick
Check out a sailing school
About 12 years ago I went from a basic education in sailing with a 12 ft wet-sailor to an Irwin 28. Knowing that a bigger boat needs a skipper with some sailing skills, we enrolled in a sailing school down in St. Petersburg, FL. It was a week-long course in basics and cruising. It was a wonderful vacation during the winter as well as a great education. To help pay for the trip, we invited two friends along. They also loved it and later bought their own 22 ft boat. We sailed from Rochester to Kingston, Ont. the next year. The Irwin had a swing keel and we had no problem sailing Lake Ontario. Plan to sail the coastline up to the 1000 Islands, and maybe a lake crossing if the weather is good on the way back. Buy a good GPS with a built in chart for the 1000 Islands. Plan well and have a great trip! See my website below for more information about Lake Ontario.
About 12 years ago I went from a basic education in sailing with a 12 ft wet-sailor to an Irwin 28. Knowing that a bigger boat needs a skipper with some sailing skills, we enrolled in a sailing school down in St. Petersburg, FL. It was a week-long course in basics and cruising. It was a wonderful vacation during the winter as well as a great education. To help pay for the trip, we invited two friends along. They also loved it and later bought their own 22 ft boat. We sailed from Rochester to Kingston, Ont. the next year. The Irwin had a swing keel and we had no problem sailing Lake Ontario. Plan to sail the coastline up to the 1000 Islands, and maybe a lake crossing if the weather is good on the way back. Buy a good GPS with a built in chart for the 1000 Islands. Plan well and have a great trip! See my website below for more information about Lake Ontario.
Hey Ken, from the angle
of the shot I would say you are about 1000 yards off Hanlon's Point, famous for being Toronto's only nude beach. Nice sunny day; did you have the binoculars going?
of the shot I would say you are about 1000 yards off Hanlon's Point, famous for being Toronto's only nude beach. Nice sunny day; did you have the binoculars going?
We Got The Bug Too!
My sister inlaw spent 18 months in the Caribbean with her husband and their 39! Island Packet. We had the opportunity to visit them for a week in St. Maarten and got the sailing bug too. A year ago October, we took an ASA Basic Keelboat course and then bought a Catalina 25 in March of this year. It has been a great experience and we both love going sailing on the weekends. So much so that we are moving closer to the lake where we keep ours. Go for it... you won't regret it for a moment.
My sister inlaw spent 18 months in the Caribbean with her husband and their 39! Island Packet. We had the opportunity to visit them for a week in St. Maarten and got the sailing bug too. A year ago October, we took an ASA Basic Keelboat course and then bought a Catalina 25 in March of this year. It has been a great experience and we both love going sailing on the weekends. So much so that we are moving closer to the lake where we keep ours. Go for it... you won't regret it for a moment.
Sail in Rough weather
If you sail in rough weather in a small lake then you can get an idea of what will happen in open water,just throw in waves. In a small lake a shelter is always close....as is a lee shore. But if things get too much you can duck into a cove. I used to do that in my windsurfing days. Ride the waves until tired and then duck out of the wind and drop the sail into the water for some rest. A friend had a Mac 25 and it was a fun boat in a small lake. But out in open water I'd be afraid. But if you take it out and learn it's handling when shelter is close you should be able to learn your limits with relative safety. The place to find out you and your boat's limits is not miles from safety. I never really trusted my MAc 26 D until we took it out in some really windy weather 25-35kts. With a double reef and no jib it did OK. Do you have reefing ability??? I think some of the macs were sold without reef poiints on the mainsail. You need to be able to reef.
If you sail in rough weather in a small lake then you can get an idea of what will happen in open water,just throw in waves. In a small lake a shelter is always close....as is a lee shore. But if things get too much you can duck into a cove. I used to do that in my windsurfing days. Ride the waves until tired and then duck out of the wind and drop the sail into the water for some rest. A friend had a Mac 25 and it was a fun boat in a small lake. But out in open water I'd be afraid. But if you take it out and learn it's handling when shelter is close you should be able to learn your limits with relative safety. The place to find out you and your boat's limits is not miles from safety. I never really trusted my MAc 26 D until we took it out in some really windy weather 25-35kts. With a double reef and no jib it did OK. Do you have reefing ability??? I think some of the macs were sold without reef poiints on the mainsail. You need to be able to reef.
Check S.B.J.S.A. in sodus NY
Sodus bay junior sailing as. In sodus does alot of camps for kids but they also do adult classes on anything from a laser to a (last time i knew which was 6 years ago) 26ft. And if they stopeed adult lessons they can point you in the right direction! Good luck again!
Sodus bay junior sailing as. In sodus does alot of camps for kids but they also do adult classes on anything from a laser to a (last time i knew which was 6 years ago) 26ft. And if they stopeed adult lessons they can point you in the right direction! Good luck again!
Will be a great trip !!!
We learned to sail on a Mac25. Our first day of sailing EVER was from Gulfport Ms. heading to Panama City Florida. Neither one of us had ever even been on a sailboat before. My GF saved the empty Xerox paper boxes from work and we had about 8 or 9 of them. They were real handy since thay are all the same size and easily movable/stackable. We put everything in them including our clothes and food. When we anchored at night, it was easy to shuffle the boxes around. That was about 10 years go. Since then we have owned a BruceRoberts 31-32, a Catalina 25 a Catalina 30 and now an Allied 39 Ketch. My most used boat was the Mac 25. Because of the ease of handling, we took it out daysailing in really rough weather regularly.
We learned to sail on a Mac25. Our first day of sailing EVER was from Gulfport Ms. heading to Panama City Florida. Neither one of us had ever even been on a sailboat before. My GF saved the empty Xerox paper boxes from work and we had about 8 or 9 of them. They were real handy since thay are all the same size and easily movable/stackable. We put everything in them including our clothes and food. When we anchored at night, it was easy to shuffle the boxes around. That was about 10 years go. Since then we have owned a BruceRoberts 31-32, a Catalina 25 a Catalina 30 and now an Allied 39 Ketch. My most used boat was the Mac 25. Because of the ease of handling, we took it out daysailing in really rough weather regularly.
Looks more like
a view from directly south of Toronto Island- about off Centennial Pier. ( I know the Hanlon's point view well from racing off that side every Tue nite and many Wednesdays for the last 14 years. Did once run aground off that beach, but before it was a nude beach.
a view from directly south of Toronto Island- about off Centennial Pier. ( I know the Hanlon's point view well from racing off that side every Tue nite and many Wednesdays for the last 14 years. Did once run aground off that beach, but before it was a nude beach.
Community College
I took my basic and intermediate sailing course from Humber College. A great way to learn and also tax deductible. They have a sailing club that you can sail all you like on any of the 9 boats. From Shark, C&C-29, Aloha, CS to Beneteau-36. Wonderful instructors. I am not sure they still do but they used to offer a course in the Carribeans. Also tax deductible. For that I might become a bad student and just keep failing the test so I can repeat. Enjoy
I took my basic and intermediate sailing course from Humber College. A great way to learn and also tax deductible. They have a sailing club that you can sail all you like on any of the 9 boats. From Shark, C&C-29, Aloha, CS to Beneteau-36. Wonderful instructors. I am not sure they still do but they used to offer a course in the Carribeans. Also tax deductible. For that I might become a bad student and just keep failing the test so I can repeat. Enjoy
sailortonyb is phil back??
Hi tony did Phil make it back??? Man an Allied Mistress!!!!!!!! That is a long way from a Mac 25. I looked at an Allied Seawind and it was built like a tank. But it was too rough inside for the wife. Are you going Cruising??? Have you been cruising??? My Pearson 323 is so much different from my old Mac 26. I agree completely that a simple easy to sailboat gets used more than one that is a lot of work to get going. Seems the bigger they are the less they sail..at least daysailing.
Hi tony did Phil make it back??? Man an Allied Mistress!!!!!!!! That is a long way from a Mac 25. I looked at an Allied Seawind and it was built like a tank. But it was too rough inside for the wife. Are you going Cruising??? Have you been cruising??? My Pearson 323 is so much different from my old Mac 26. I agree completely that a simple easy to sailboat gets used more than one that is a lot of work to get going. Seems the bigger they are the less they sail..at least daysailing.
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