Sailing Lessons

[greenfields]

For those who are familiar with sailing, what would you recommend?

• Should a family rent a boat?
• Are boat clubs useful for those who do not own boats?
• Should a family enroll the child in sailing lessons?
• What sites offer information about types of boats and sailing for beginners?

 

Our family does not own a boat, and it seems too expensive for us to purchase, maintain, and store.  I know that there are stories of homeschooling on a boat, but we do not intend to sail the world.

 

[HomeAgain]

Sailing is a popular sport here.  The kids start in lessons at about age 6, after at least a year of swim lessons.  They are required to do part of their class time with swim lessons and part on the boat with an instructor for the rest of the time in the program.  There are some rec center programs, though, that are meant for those who won't be seriously on the water and just want to try it out for a session or two.  They focus on the sailing part only.

 

If you're looking at possibly taking it up, start with a class.  I'd recommend separate ones for adults and kids so that you can focus without worrying about littles at first.  Think about renting a boat or purchasing one after you are confident on the water.

[goldenecho]

So, I lived on a boat until I was 10 years old.  Our boat was a powerboat (old converted WWII Navy Launch), but we did have a sailboat, a little sabot (think dingy), that we tooled around in (and rowed when it didn't have sails).   My mom knew how to sail and taught me a lot but I still learned a lot from a sailing class done by the Girl Scouts. 

The class provided a boat but we got a discount for using our own. 

One thing I would suggest is buying your children their own life jacket.   A class will provide one (and require one, even if they can swim well), but if you have your own you can pick one out that is more comfortable.

[RoundAbout]

DH belongs to a sailing club that has boats available for checkout free to members. You have to qualify on the type of boat you want to check out and contribute to maintenance but its a very inexpensive way to have access to boats. The dues are very reasonable - like $100/year. 

[Bluegoat]

There is lots of sailing here.  I'd suggest lessons, for adults and kids, there are real skills you need to be safe.  It's also a great way to see if you enjoy it before you invest anything.

Prices vary a lot depending on location, but they can be available through clubs or sometimes public rec.  Usually you don't have to join a club to take lessons, they are hoping you will like it enough to join after.  My dd13 has done sailing lessons in the past two summers, and the camps were actually really reasonable compared to others here - less than band or choir camp, for example.

[SkateLeft]

Oooh! I can answer this! ? We live 5 months out of the year on our sailboat up in Lake Superior (it's in my avatar), and our kids have grown up sailing. We sailed San Francisco Bay and up and down the west coast when the kids were younger, but moved to the Great Lakes several years ago. My oldest daughter raced in high school through ISA, and both her and my husband race weekly at a local yacht club. We've also sailed in different parts of the world.

I highly recommend sailing lessons for both kids and adults. For adults and teens, check out the website for the American Sailing Association if you're in the US, and find a Basic Keelboat class near you.  ASA is focused more on cruising and recreational sailing, and they're my preference for learning general sailing skills. I can't recommend the ASA curriculum highly enough. I have certifications in Basic Keelboat, Basic Coastal Cruising, Bareboat, Advanced Coastal Cruising, Offshore Passagemaking and Celestial Navigation. They're especially handy if you want to charter a sailboat, even outside the US. US Sailing is another great option, but their classes are more racing focused. Our local parks and recreation and community sailing center both offer classes for kids. My kids all took dinghy sailing classes when they were little, then took basic keelboat through ASA when they got older. 

Once you've taken lessons (and if you decide you still like it), then I recommend sailing on as many different boats as you can. Joining a sailing club with a fleet that lets you check out boats for a yearly or monthly fee is great for this. You can also join your local yacht club as a member willing to crew. Making friends who own boats is a good way to get more sailing experience. We love taking people saiing with us. My husband had a friend who owned a boat that he never used. We paid the slip fees and did the maintenance and we were able to sail the boat any time we liked. We did that for a number of years. As a result, we had loads of experience, both in sailing and maintenance, long before we bought our first boat, and we knew exactly what we wanted.