Sailing, ha ha, what else??

I just actually sailed for the first time today (well, I've sat on a sail boat while it was moving b t that does not count). It was fun, only I got rammed into and now I have a huge bruise on my back.   Somebody came up really fast from behind us (I was with one other person) and hit my back. Ouchy! I did not fall in once. Any tips or anything useful to know??

There's an enormous amount to know if you want to know enough to be in charge yourself.  Don't expect to learn it all at once, but absorb it a little at a time.  You can learn a lot of it from reading AR's books as you obviously have been doing.  I learned a fair bit during the 50 years in which I sailed, but still have much to learn.  Mix book-learning with on-the-water practice.  On-the-water practice is twice as valuable as book-learning, but the books can stop you from making some elementary mistakes.   Don't become too apprehensive about making mistakes, because everyone does; it's simply a part of learning.  Above all, enjoy the experience!

David

Previously Deirdre Iams-McGuire wrote:

I just actually sailed for the first time today (well, I've sat on a sail boat while it was moving b t that does not count). It was fun, only I got rammed into and now I have a huge bruise on my back.   Somebody came up really fast from behind us (I was with one other person) and hit my back. Ouchy! I did not fall in once. Any tips or anything useful to know??

Well, i suppose my biggest tip is to watch the boom! Although I'm only 14, i'm quite tall, and so far every time I have gone sailing it has hiven me a nasty bump on the head!

Ha ha-I was ducking down once and then my hair got caught. I ended up yanking it out, because it would not come undone. I think that was the only knot we "tied" and did not learn to untie!

Deidre......... I would be interested to know what sort of boat you were sailing in. I have been sailing my boat (Pintail)  on Lake Windermere over the past couple of days........... she has no boom, so no hair problems.  Actually, come to think of it, I don't have much hair left anyway!

Heh heh. Here they are called Sunfish, but I don't know if you guys have different words for them. Basically they are fiberglass and fourteen feet long. One sail. By the time a bunch of people responded, my class is over. So now I have an excuse to take another one.

The boom was the D's fear that it would swing over whilst the Great Aunt was in Scarab, Dick had visions of her parasol and hat being swept overboard not to mention the GA getting a crack on the head.

It is something one has to impress on non sailors to look out for.

It is wonderful to hear of fresh people taking up sailing.

Previously Alastair Poole wrote:

Well, i suppose my biggest tip is to watch the boom! Although I'm only 14, i'm quite tall, and so far every time I have gone sailing it has hiven me a nasty bump on the head!

"It is wonderful to hear of fresh people taking up sailing."

Yes indeed, and it's also wonderful to read about sailing, especially when the writing is of a high standard. There was a short piece in the Sunday Telegraph 'Life' section yesterday which would have pleased AR. It was an account by Adam Nicolson of a voyage from Falmouth to Baltimore, Ireland, in a 42 ft ketch, with himself and a friend sharing the watches (the electronic instruments had all failed). The weather was bad. It is articles like this which make me, a landsman, want to go to sea. I can't find the article on the Telegraph website - it may go up soon and I'll watch out for it. If you see yesterday's S Telegraph lying around - grab it!

Deidre, I would be interested to know if your outing on the Sunfish was a 'one off' event or is it at a local venue where you will be able to sail again? It seems that it was a course that you were on.......... can you sail locally at a sailing club? I am lucky to live in Windermere so I can sail my boat on the lake anytime.................... not today though because its pouring with rain!!

Well, I can sail whenever I want (ha-I have to get somebody to drive me to the lake first). It was a week-long class, but if you're a member of the yacht club you can go and sail the boats whenever you want. You're lucky it was raining. It feels like everybody is being a GA and melting here.

Hello all

I've not been on this website much so I've only just discovered this forum.I've been sailing on a weekly 5 day course and I managed to complete RYA stage 1. Does anyone have any tips?

I  wonder where you did your sailing course and which is the nearest lake to where you live. I sail on Windermere where there are sailing clubs at Bowness and at Fellfoot. Ullswater, Derwentwater and Coniston all have sailing clubs.  I joined my local sailing club as a youngster and found myself crewing jobs, this was a good introduction to sailing. Good luck.

You probably wouldn't know the lake, because it's a good 12 hour plane flight away from where you are, not to mention driving there! I don't know the name of the nearest lake, but there are about 6 within 2 hours of driving. 

Whoops.... sorry Deidre.... my question was for Nicholas who tells us that he has just done a sailing course and, like me, lives in Arthur Ransome country in the English Lake District.

You are lucky to have 6 lakes within 2 hours driving..... I wonder when you will be going sailing again.

I went yesterday (different lake- 3 1/2 hours away at my grandparents' house).   Heh heh. 

I do the sailing at the Lakes Lesiure Windermere on saturday and I'm doing stage 2 after the summer holidays with my mum. What type of boat do you sail?

Nicholas.......... my boat is a Drascombe Scaffie (see pics on google) and it lives on a mooring near Waterhead. There are 4 Scaffies on Windermere & 3 of them belong to TARS members.

Hi Peter, you have got a nice boat,it must look about the same as Swallow. How often do you sail it?

Nicholas, we seem to have taken over Deirdre's thread (sorry Deidre) I will reply by e-mailing you direct. I have your address from Rob B.