Learn to Sail for Free (Almost)
You want to learn to sail, but you don’t know anyone with a boat who would be willing to teach you. Not to worry, there’s hope. Here’s some ideas on where to start.
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Sailing is a sport with a lot of nautical terminology, it is very helpful to have some idea before you look for hands on training. (It’s a little like taking French lessons before visiting France. Even a few words or phrases are useful.) I would highly recommend getting any of the small books called Learn to Sail or something on that order. There are also a lot of instructional videos available. Check out Amazon or Half.com for used books. Here’ some to try.
The Complete Sailor: Learning the Art of Sailing by David Seidman (Book)
Sailing Fundamentals by Gary Jobson (Book)
Sailing for Dummies (Book)
Basic Sailing Skills, with Chesapeake Sailing School (Video)
Basics of Sailing (Video)
There are also some instructional videos online at ussailing.org
Image via Wikipedia
The next step is to find a club in your area. Yachtclubsofamerica.com has listings by state, I would find the name here and then search online to see if that club has a website with more complete information. Go back to ussailing.org; there is a list of most clubs in your state, and information on what kind of education they offer. Find a club that races. Most club racers are always looking for crew, especially on windy days. There may be a physical area (such as crew table) where you can wait, and skippers looking for crew will come and find you, or you can be aggressive and walk the dock asking if anyone needs extra crew. If the club has a bar, ask the bartender to help you find a ride. Racing clubs frequently have training for crew starting at the beginning of the season. This may consist of in class sessions and on-the-water training.
Your first time out you may be asked to “ride the rail”… basically, you are now moveable ballast (weight), sitting on the windward side, the “high side” of the boat to keep the boat flat. You will switch sides every time the boat “tacks”…. turns and the sails go to other side of the boat. It is important to sit quietly, move to the other side as you are instructed and don’t ask a lot of questions. The time for questions is after the race. Do not disturb the concentration of skipper, crew chief or rest of crew.
For more instruction on what to bring to races and how to behave so that you get asked back: see Learn to Sail by Crewing.
Image by robylab via Flickr
