Captains' Log
Captain's Log April 2008Building Skills While Building Confidence
Every time we visit a boat show or attend a cruising rally we run into sailors who are fairly new to the game and who are concerned about safety equipment, seamanship, navigation and all they have to learn to make the sailing life safe and fun. There can be no doubt that learning to sail and to operate a large offshore cruising boat is no small undertaking. And, then preparing ourselves for the rigors of life aboard a boat at sea is even another step beyond normal life ashore. But like any interesting and engaging activity, building skills will really help you build confidence and confidence is what you need to go out there and really enjoy sailing and the cruising life. That goes for both halves of a couple, too. All too often we see one partner in a couple dragged into the sailing life by an enthusiastic mate who may not be as good a teacher as he or she is a sailor. The result can be frustrating for both and intimidating for the novice in the pair.
But there are a lot of good ways to build skills that will lead to a much happier time sailing and cruising. There are sailing schools and community boating centers in every waterfront city and town in America. (log on to www.ussailing.org for a complete list.) Sailing schools will help you build the foundation you need in basic sailing skills and seamanship.
But once you have the basics down you may be ready to move to a more advanced kind of learning experience. Sailing schools such as Offshore Sailing School, Modern Sailing Academy or the Blue Water Sailing School offer advanced learn to cruise courses that will really help you with seaman-ship and techniques for handling larger cruising boats.
And, if you are eager to try some offshore sailing on someone else’s boat before you set off on your own, you can hook up with Mahina Expedi-tions, Modern Sailing Academy, Offshore Passage Opportunities or The Cruising Rally Association where you can sail offshore in the company of professional skippers and experienced cruisers.
At some point along the learning curve, you will want to start setting out on your own. The real threshold for most cruisers is when they set off for a passage of two or more days when they have to actually skipper their boats through a night or two offshore. For many, the first night at sea will be a sleepless one as the adrenaline flows, the coffee keeps you awake and the necessary vigilance keeps your mind whirring. And the first sunrise offshore will be a miraculous moment after the cold dark hours of the graveyard watch. But as the sun rises, you will know, like all of the sailors before you, that you have really gone some-where, really achieved something, and really graduated from school.
Gaining experience and building skills can take time but if you have a curious mind, an adventurous spirit and the de-termination to be the master of your own ship as you shape a course over the horizon, there are plenty of professionals out there to show you how to get there. And once you have learned the ropes and gained confi-dence in your own skills, you will look back and wonder what all the fuss was about at the beginning.
