So you wanna sail? You want the glory of being on a boat?
I have taught five years olds and adults it makes no difference.
Sailing is a sport people do until they no longer can. I know some people at the 90 age mark who keep on cruising in races. In this series, I will give you the gift of sailing…and you will have it for the rest of your life.
There is not one alike person in this world, so there are many different styles of sailing. You just have to find the one that is best for you.
- Some classes require you to be physically fit.
While other classes such as the Yngling are not as physically demanding.
Sailing is like learning to ride a bike. Once you know how, you have the skill of sailing for the rest of your life. Recently I was at a regatta where the winner won after not sailing for twenty years.
Also recently, I have bought a boat from a man in his 80s. He was not selling the boat because he was too old for sailing; he sold it because he bought a new boat.
He still sails competitively in races. That’s not bad when you compare it to other sports. Take football for instance, you are considered very old when you play at 40.
But sailing isn’t like shuffleboard; there’s many opportunities for the youth too.
The optimist class, sailed only by kids under 16, is the most popular boat in the world.
An Opti is a very affordable boat for a youth sailor, but what if your older than 15? Is there an affordable option?
Meet the laser, a very popular and affordable boat sailed. It can be easily lifted by two people and stored on land. No trailer is required as it can be transported on top of a car. It is sailed by all ages from teenagers to adults. ...and if you take it to the olympic level, the class can be very competitive.
The laser is a boat that is also sailed in the highschool and college sailing scene. Many schools have sailing teams that compete during the school year. The school programs can range from recreational sailing to varsity sailing. You just have to look to find it.
Sailing can be school sponsored and very affordable or it can be very expensive such as the America’s Cup.
There is sailing in the Olympics and such. However, many of the best sailors do not have the means or motivation to put together an olympic campaign. So much of the best sailors you can find at a regatta open to all.
There many single handed or double handed boats that require you to multitask. And there are boats where you only do one thing at a time.
Sailing doesn’t have to cost you anything. All you need is time to be able to do it. Many people who have multiple person boats are always looking for crew members willing to sail. You just have to get in touch with them. The best way to do this is to either join a club (which will cost money) or find friends who sail who need to crew.
If you get real good, people may pay you to sail with them. Or you can start to teach or coach sailing for money. People will even pay you to sail their boat home for them.
You CAN learn to sail for free. Yachting is no longer a rich man sport. The best way to learn to sail is to find a friend who knows how to sail. Ask him to go sailing to show you how to sail. Ask him if he needs a crew. Willing crew are in high demand today.
Networking will be well worth the effort once you have the knowledge of sailing. Whether you want to have a peaceful cruise…
…or high perfomance speed.
There is a type of sailing for you.
I want to make it clear that the easiest and best way to learn to sail is not to read this internet series. The best way is to get out there with a person who knows how to sail. You can do this by going with a friend or hiring an instructor.
This internet series is meant to help you along the way in your sailing education. I will start with the ground basics. However, in sailing there are many things I may skip over and overlook. I may not be able to answer all of your question. However, if you do have a question please ask by commenting.
The best way to learn to sail is through experience. You become good at sailing by doing it more. I have mentioned all the opertunities in this article. Next week I will tell you the basics of sailing such as points of wind, steering, and basic rigging.
There is an abundance of opertunities to sail out there. You only have to choose one. Many more opertunities will become available once you learn to sail. Along the way you will make new friends. You will enjoy the comradery of fellow sailors. By the way, the sailing community is one of the best parts of the sailing lifestyle. So why would you want to stay another second on this computer when you could be sailing? The opertunity is out there go get it.
Stay tuned for next week’s sailing basics.
