ValenThyme ,

you're definitely going to want to get on the Sailing Anarchy forums

i did the basic free course at nauticed.com and got a boating license for my state and that was enough to buy and sail a racing dinghy 8 hours up a river my first time out. Sailing is a blast you're gonna love it! You can get a dinghy on craigslist for less than the cost of lessons so if you're into DIY it's a fun inexpensive way to go.

Paragone ,

Please invest in Dallas Murphy's ebook "Plain Sailing".

https://www.amazon.com/Plain-Sailing-Sail-Trim-Manual-Sailors-ebook/dp/B00593YTJG/

It gives you all the fundamental-understandings, & by making you basically-competent-in-understanding sailing, it gives you significant advantage over everybody else looking at having a bit of sailing-time on someone's boat.

Authors to know of include:

  • Tom Cunliffe ( I can automatically recommend anything instructional of his, & he has a youtube channel )

  • Nigel Calder, if you're looking to invest in a cruiser for yourself, you want to read his books.

  • John Kretschmer's books are excellent.

if you want to have a cheap boat of your own, then there are 2 books I recommend, the white-cover book by Dynamite Payson & the Building an Outrigger Canoe book.

https://www.amazon.com/Instant-Boatbuilding-Dynamite-Payson-Paddle-ebook/dp/B00UYB5EGK/

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Outrigger-Sailing-Canoes-Construction-ebook/dp/B00CKMG7E4/

Do keep in mind that in some jurisdictions, human-powered hulls do not require registration ( canoes, kayaks, rowboats, etc, ), whereas powered hulls ( including motor AND SAIL ), legally do.

Between those 2, you should have some understanding of how to get yourself afloat, affordably.

Please do not compromise safety, though: alcohol massively multiplies the death-rate on the water, so segregating alcohol from operating-aquatic-vehicles is a good thing, see?

_ /\ _

BackOnMyBS OP ,
@BackOnMyBS@lemmy.autism.place avatar

omg, thank you very much!!

SkybreakerEngineer ,

Join the Navy and tell them you want guaranteed placement as a bosun. You will save money by never wanting a boat of your own.

z00s ,

Plus you get a whistle!

Greg ,
@Greg@lemmy.ca avatar

Yacht clubs often have Wednesday afternoon sailing races and those crews often need extra folks on board. I learned sailing that way when I was in university. An inexperienced reliable crew is member is better than an experienced unreliable crew.

TerkErJerbs , (edited )

I don't have any personal experiences with any of these crew finder sites but I know lots of people who've used them. The catamaran designer I *apprenticed under met his wife through one. She had no prior sailing experience but was willing to learn, and he needed crew to do a Caribbean crossing, and that's how the story began for them like 25+ years ago. They still sail together all over the world.

The other advice is good too. Just walk the docks and ask around. People love talking about their boats.

AmidFuror ,

Because of the implication?

skeezix ,

See if you can find a 3 hour tour to get you started

chemical_cutthroat ,
@chemical_cutthroat@lemmy.world avatar

A 3 hour tour?

skeezix ,

well if you want to sit back you can hear a tale...

prex ,
neidu2 ,

Sailor Moon or something. IDK, never watched it.

prex ,

not the Gilligan's Island theme song.

667 ,
@667@lemmy.radio avatar

Go get your basic keelboat cert to lock down the basics. Then do a bunch of beercan races until you’ve got the hang of it.

Volunteer to crew anywhere and everywhere.

You’ll be a salty dog in no time.

littletoolshed ,

OP this is your advice, follow it 👍

BackOnMyBS OP ,
@BackOnMyBS@lemmy.autism.place avatar

@667 roger 👍

kersploosh ,
@kersploosh@sh.itjust.works avatar

Contact your local sailing club/yacht club. They often have classes and rental boats. Even if they don't, you can sometimes find someone with a boat who is willing to teach a beginner.

Rentlar ,

Go to your local marina or their website and see if there are sailing classes.

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