New Sailor CRASHES and Needs Advice!

[@michaellosey984]

Mine was a Tanzer 22, great boat, on Lake Ontario. But….spent a lifetime sailing dinghies, mostly Lasers, so every bad day on the water was just exciting.

[@svdoinitright7519]

This all seems very familiar to me. I bought a "free" C&C 30 that a guy had gutted to rebuild before a stroke took him out of the sailing game. I had an Atomic 4 in pieces in boxes and a stripped out hull to figure out. I had grown up on the shores of Lake Erie, but everybody I grew up with had power boats, so I had never been on a sailboat before. I had done virtually no boating over the subsequent 30 or 40 years. I got the "free" boat and quickly started pouring in money. An annual slip, an additional fee for putting her on the hard for winter work, a ton of parts and supplies, and almost exclusively single handed sailing. Over the course of 5 years, I self taught a lot about sailing and am now and advanced beginner in my book. I learned a ton about boat work and how to make thing functional. A lifetime of Harley ownership prepared me for the Atomic 4, but the cost of parts for a 50 year old gas engine is outrageous. The boat needs a complete paint job, hull and deck, but having already sold one kidney for engine parts, not sure that will be coming too soon (how long can you survive on no kidneys?). I've had the same, run forward to untangle the halyard while the boat turns wherever she can best try to throw you overboard, jam the sail and break off a lug or two while fighting what seems like 27 foot seas on the Chesapeake, it's all a learning experience. I also bought the boat as something my wife and I could learn on before buying a retirement boat to travel the world in retirement, but after one outing, she has no interest in sailing anymore. It sounds like these folks are experiencing what most of us have endured.

[@ylemoine1]

Joining a yacht club as crew and learning to race is definitely one of the best ways to learn sailing skills. As a newbie you have to show commitment and show up every week or you’ll soon be left at the dock. Captains want to race and develop rapport with their crew, not just train someone new every week. On the flip side, if you’re ready to commit for a season, I don’t know any captains/owners who wouldn’t gladly have you on board to teach you the ropes. It might take you a few weeks to find a captain, owner and crew you gel with, but keep trying and you’ll be welcome in and back every week with open arms. Crew membership is a great option and very reasonably priced. The camaraderie of a club can’t be equaled at a marina and very few marina’s have racing programs. Don’t be intimated by the term ‘Yacht Club’ as there are clubs of every description and price range, just find one that fits your style and remember, crew membership is usually the lowest point of entry with only a small fee during the racing season.

[@tms1624]

I had my lessons on a Laser during my uni years and loved it. After gathering a bit of experience, I got interested in getting on a bigger boat. The guys at the dinghy sailing centre told me to ask at the local yacht clubs on Wednesday evenings, when they run their regattas. The following week I started crewing for an experienced sailor. Him on the helm and main and teaching me how to run everything forward of that. I learned a bunch from him. I showed up for every regatta and soon started getting additional offers for races on other boats where my skipper wasn't participating. The club never even asked me to become a member. I can confirm that many boat owners are just happy to have crew that lets them get out with their boat. I remain greatful to all those who gave me these opportunities when boat ownership would have been prohibitive and even club fees could have meant I would likely have had to pass as I didn't have money to throw around as a student. So don't be shy. Ask around at your local clubs. There is almost certainly someone who is short on crew.

[@Oscar_Dakota]

Go with a fun loving friend if possible-with sailing experience is a bonus . Sail on days of 5-8 knots for awhile, build up your confidence Use only the head sail for a while. Then use only the main for a while. Understand and practice reefing, then just do it whether it’s needed or not, you’ll appreciate it later. Ideally learn on a smaller (dinghy? 16’?) boat for real skill building. Have fun!

[@garymiller7870]

I learned as a kid sailing with a friend on a 12' C-lark on a lake. Then raced on a friend's SJ24 then bought my first boat, a (Kent) Ranger 20, trailered with a 4hp outboard. All very forgiving low cost boats. I've also sailed almost exclusively in the Puget Sound region with many marine facilities and windward shores to hide behind. For wannabe sailors I highly suggest you find a friend, join a club with club racing, take lessons or all of the above. When you know what you want get a boat then. Smaller lake clubs can be very accommodating to new sailors, often have lake boats to rent with classes etc. ...and always sail upwind first 👍

[@ThatGuy-cw8gb]

Again the answer is join a sailing club volunteer as crew and show up! Did this for 2 years AND took the classes. Actually took the classes twice. Replaced my vacation with a week long ASA class. Did 101, 103, and 104 twice (PNW and BVI). Why twice? Cause learning in environments and conditions that I will never see close to home is worth paying for someone else to be responsible. Helping club members work on their boats means I get to learn and I’m not expected to pay for anything. Again learning on someone else’s dime. Clubs typically have “club boats” that you can take out after proving you know what you’re doing. My club has 2 22 footers (a Catalina and a Capri) a 28 footer (Catalina) and a host of sunfish, hobie 16’s, and opti’s (for the kids). Additionally on Thursday afternoons we do “Tiller time”. Ment to get the kids out on the sunfish ask and I’ll gladly grab the keys to one of the club boats and mess around with any adult who wants to learn or practice. I don’t even ask for beer cause I gotta drive home. Any club that won’t help you learn or doesn’t allow beer on the boats is not a club worth joining. If you’re having issues getting on a boat as crew still show up on race day and go on the committee boat. A boring place to be but a great place to watch the race and ask questions. Your face will become familiar to the regulars and you’ll get picked up!

[@ewjorgy]

As a Catalina 22 owner that sailed it on the San Francisco bay for a dozen years before upgrading to a bigger boat I can tell you with absolute certainty that the bay is a very difficult sailing venue- possibly one of the toughest in the world short of cape horn. The Catalina 22 is really not qualified to be out in the main bay except on particularly placid days with minor tides. I can not count the number of times that we literally could not return back under the bay bridge because the currents were running opposite of where we were headed at slightly higher than our hull speed. Or how many times a double reef just wasn't enough for the 25 knot winds gusting to 35 knots. Or the absolute battering by 4' square waves that made you wonder just how tough the rigging and hull was designed to be. That said the Oakland estuary was a protected area that was an excellent learning ground as long as you understand separation rules due to the absurd amount of boat traffic there. One advantage of the Catalina 22 is that it is easily trailerable. This sounds great because it makes you think that you can go to many different sailing grounds but the reality is that you won't because of the 1-2 hour set up and take down whenever you put it on or off of the trailer. The fact that you can store it at home is excellent for storage costs and the ability to work on it easily but most people who regularly sail a C22 keep it in the water which is stupidly expensive in the bay area. Find an experienced sailor to go out with you. Do whatever it takes. If you can't find a friend or acquaintance then hire a sailing instructor to go out and give you private instruction. The C22 is easy and fun to sail but it is not designed to be out on the SF bay on an average day. Can it do it and survive? Probably but you won't have a good time and neither will the boat unless you have a great deal of knowledge and skill to make up for it's shortcomings in those conditions.

[@akamogg8747]

Boats don't sink sailors, sailors sink boats.

[@bobkurtzjr.3981]

Great topic! I first learned to sail on an original 12-foot plywood Sailfish, "upgraded" to a 14-foot glass Sailfish, then jumped to a 26-foot Seafarer. That was a big jump, and that boat had a lot of tired systems and a barely-functional outboard, but at least it had a lot of decent sails. I sailed that boat on Lake Champlain and then on the Chesapeake, and learned a lot of good lessons along the way (sometimes the hard way), but ultimately it needed more work than I could give it and I got out of sailing for a while. Now I have a 16-foot Capri daysailer and while I don't use it as much as I'd like, it's inexpensive to keep and a blast to sail. It takes some work to find the right fit in a boat.

[@mikemcnamee6030]

I went sailing once when i was 14. Fast forward 21 years, I bought my first boat- a hunter 27 on Erie last year. I took a couple lessons on my boat and after meeting tons of lovely people at my marina I was invited on other boats to learn. I just took things slowly starting with getting confidently in and out of dock solo in 5 knots or less. Eventually I got comfortable leaving in 15kn wind and sailing up to 20kn. I still have a ton to learn but felt I had a very productive season. I spent over 150 nights sleeping on my boat, 60+ days out on the lake with 15 nights at anchor and 15 nights at transient marinas. April can’t come soon enough 🎉

[@DADGAD_Rick]

I went from a 2003 Catalina 36 Mk. II (bought in 2002) and sold it when my daughter wanted to go to college (as if THAT was somehow important!) in 2012. I was boatless until this year when I decided to buy a 1983 Catalina 22 for $5000. After, some hard knocks getting the boat (Bad Kitty!) into the slip, I took personalized one-on-one lessons on the Cat 22 for three days, focusing on docking and undocking the boat, heaving-to and reefing both main and roller furling jib. I also took the time to upgrade most if not all of the essential systems on the boat, including, but not limited to, installing new batteries, a GPS Chartplotter, new depth sounder, installing a wind transducer and connecting it to the tiller pilot and, MOST importantly, leading all the lines back to the cockpit. I say this because I recognized that sailing, particularly when you anticipate sailing solo, is an exercise in forethought and preparation. Indeed, even sailing with others aboard as crew, the skipper must still mentally prepare to sail as if he/she were alone because, in an emergency, the skipper may be in such a position.

[@colrodrick8784]

Fair points all of them. Having almost equaled my purchase price of a well equipped 35’ mono, in expenditure over year 1 I’m able to relate to some of his misadventures. The one thing I would not do was get a potential livaboard without my wife being ‘on board’ in commitment. She is so all good. I’d be spending the same in fuel towing a van or spend that money on repairs and upgrades to make our salty life more comfortable. It’s only money so as long as nobody is hurt it doesn’t matter too much. If my wife were not involved I’d have the sailing canoe too. That sounded good. I spent many seasons crewing various yachts in my youth and totally agree that that’s the cheap way to be involved and learn.

[@davidholt5702]

We bought into a syndicate yacht that was run like a not for profit club rather than a business. We learnt a huge amount from sailing with the other owners and made lots of life long friends. First boat (before the syndicate) was a Tophat 25.

[@chriscodrington5464]

learning on a sunfish and spending a fair amount of time hiking, flipping, righting etc etc is almost a necessity for the the new sailor...that or use that 22 in a lake or smaller bay, read all the time about the basic things and the how-to's; you cannot just "think it" you need to osmose it....and work hard at learning how to prepare for the "what-ifs" before they come at you at way faster than you can imagine (because you are unprepared) Those surprises happen to all of us, but for someone who did not grow on the water, with power and sail the forces that can come at you while on a sailboat are many and powerful at times. Incidentally that's one of the skills to learn: learn what to do to un power the sails, slow down events, take the fast and make it slow, etc etc and learn to do it before it puts you against a stone dock or a jetty or another boat or....a tanker!

[@TimAch-p2c]

A friend who was a crewing member at the yot club for a decade, purchased his own boat. The smartest thing he did was to get a sailing instructor to teach him (& partner) on their own boat. It eliminated the skills transfer problem early and their learning. The cost of a sailing instructor on their own boat was not much more than the cost of two enrollments on a sailing school boat.

[@alexshyshkov8585]

We made a great choice for 1st boat - 1990 MacGregor 26d. Lightweight and trailerable with just about anything. But big enough to live in it for a week or 2 and fast enough to out sail most of boats this size. Costs next to nothing to keep as it sits on a trailer in my yard. And we trailer it for hundreds (even thousands) of miles every season to explore different areas. Surely, compromises were made - low headroom and very unstable on anchor. And you have to grow a thick skin to own one, because most don't know anything about this boat and just want to blindly hate it due to the name.

[@grisha0]

Don't rush... sailing is a long game... start with good weather and little wind.. if weather is bad/wind to strong... stay out... when feel comfortable... take on a bit more wind/wave... repeat until confident in most cases... then life will surprise you with random failure... but you at least feel comfortable :P.

[@bobdailey9533]

Good job Tim! Another fine video! Absolutely great advice!!

[@sunlovesailing]

As usual, your advice to this gentleman was great. Backing up what you were saying, I always say there's no substitute for twenty years experience. If you don't have that experience on the water when you buy your first boat, just find someone who does and invite them with you. I like the "bring a six pack and your own PFD when going with others. It can be really scary when the wind pipes up and you're suddenly in over your head with a lot of boat in front of you.

[@jplace9773]

I feel like too much emphasis is put on crewing on a race boat. Some of us seasoned racers tend to forget how intimidating that can be. Not everyone is so outgoing. Especially if you don’t know what you’re doing. Hell i skipper my own boat and still the thought of crewing for someone else seems intimidating. My advice would be talk to other people at the marina. Get to know them and be a familiar face. More than likely they’ll ask if you want to go for a cruise. I can’t think of anyone at my marina that would say no to helping out a wannabe sailor. If for no other reason than to show off their boat. 😂

[@ericwest4069]

The best way to get experience is to volunteer to race with someone (check first to make sure that the captain isn't a yeller and is competent. No sense in being unhappy when you are doing what you hope will really make you happy.). You may not care one whit about racing, but the experience is what you are looking for. Everyone is out there every time sailing in the same conditions and watching what they do as compared to what you are doing and watching who makes the best choices as far as sail size and trim, course choices, etc. will clue you into what works and what doesn't. Also, you learn the rules of the road so that you are not making yourself or other people unsafe. If you have a fairly large fleet, you will see people sailing along with the headsail, or maybe even both sails luffing frequently (lesson: pay attention all the time), you will see people rounding up frequently (same lesson, more sail is not necessarily faster, either). There will be people out there just having a group gathering for comradery, and there will people out there who are extremely aggressive, and people who are civil and those who are not. You learn a lot more about what behaviors make sailing fun and efficient, and most importantly, you will get to practice enough to be able to handle your boat in a safe manner because you are not confused about what to do when the winds or the waves or any other conditions change quickly.

[@GrahamSCalgary]

😅Last winter made decision to buy sailboat, 1. Decided on length, min and max 2. Made a spread sheet, column 1 - price, needs and wants, final column - total cost Note included travel costs for viewing purchasing and delivery 3. Viewed all possible sales sites on line, being in Calgary searched all 4 western provinces 4. Initially recorded every possibility, as list grew started dropping boats where total cost was out of comfort zone. 5 Based on building knowledge of what was available, became more selective on which boats were a possibility. 6. Enrolled in Sail Canada course in the early sailing season. Had previous, many years ago, sailing experience as about owner in a yacht club on Lake Ontario, but wanted to ensure skills and knowledge where up to date. 7. Continued narrowing down the list, ultimately making a choice as to which boat to look at first. Not surprisingly it wa one on the boats that had the highest asking price. It did have from the last column, one of the best total costs. 8. Purchased boat that was ready to sail. 9. Rented space in marina that included winter storage and mooring, and had facilities for spring/fall launching. No need for expensive hauling vehicle purchase or rental. 10. Purchased Auto Helm, knew would be solo a lot of the time. This one of the cost included in spread sheet based on suggestions from other sailors Just a great summer on the water, no unexpected significant expenses. a few adventures, not unexpected based on many years not actively sailing, nothing major, just a great overall experience. Now it ski season, have moved away from liquid water to water crystals. Following that, looking to another full summer on the water. L

[@coastalguy]

I live on an island in the California Delta. I am about 2 hours motor/sail from the San Franciso Bay. I have 5-35 foot slips. 4 covered and one open. There are tons of open slips in the delta that can be rented for $200-$300, from commercial marinas. Private homeowners charge even less. So if you are willing to travel into the delta slip fees can be very affordable.

[@matteframe]

Joining a sailing club/yacht club (using that term very loosely) and learning to race is the best advice here. I never thought of myself as a racer but started because it was the best way to get more time on the water (for free as crew). It turns out you learn a LOT racing, and many of the skippers have incredible experience to teach. Then after the race, you become a part of a community of sailors who love to help each other out in all ways sailing. One other piece of advice with regards to racing. You don't have to be good at all at it. You can be a total, total novice. Just be curious, open to learning new skills, and most importantly -- show up. It's really a case where 99% is just showing up. Skippers need consistent crew and if you keep showing up week after week, you'll be rewarded with free sailing and free lessons. As an aside I can speak for the SF Bay here. It is pretty expensive, but the sailing is amazing, challenging and inspiring. Watching a huge storm roll in and getting ready for two races today. We're nuts.

[@erichyney6287]

Thanks, Tim. See you next time.

[@BigWaveStudio]

I learned by getting a job on a dock that had water sport rentals; powerboats, jetski, paddle boards, kayaks, pontoons and of course, sailboats. Had no clue what to do with a sailboat my first few months, but I was already a surfer, boogey board, body surfer. Those docks are notorious for hiring summer hires/college kids that just want some extra cash so they dont take the gig seriously. The rule was that as employees we got free rentals unless it used gas, if it did we just had to pay for the gas $20-40 each time. The sail boats had no outboard so how could you go wrong? While everyone else spent their lunches goofing off and gossiping… I would spend my lunch on sailboats in all kinds of conditions and switched up between the 14’s, 18’s and 22 Capris. I ended up giving the sailing classes for them. Hands down one of the best jobs I ever had and I was damn good at it too. In my opinion you’ll advance tenfold faster if you already swim in the ocean prior to sailing. Understanding tides, currents and wind helped hit me the ground running. It only took me about 5 minutes on my first lesson to start operating the 22Capri on my own. And lastly, ya really gotta want it. When its summer time busy, it can be pretty nerve racking handling both the main and jib by yourself while you’re navigating a narrow channel with other yachts, jetskis, boaters, swimmers, kite surfers, etc in your way… Not everyone is up for that kind of responsibility. Fair winds and tight lines!

[@SarahHedges-v4j]

The sailing school I attended told us that the SF Bay is the best place to learn because it’s the hardest place to sail. You can be cruising down the back side of Angel Island in 10 knots with full sail out, then get hit with 30 knots as you lose its protection. Instructors always go out with one reef in, even when it seems flat calm. We bought a 2007 Hunter45 that had only ever sailed in the Bay, and spent $100K getting it ready to go “out the Gate”: dinghy, davits, liferaft, new electronics including radar, AIS, 2 plotters, Starlink, haul-out and and and. And that doesn’t include putting heat on the boat! Break Out Another Thousand

[@UncleJoeLITE]

Crewing is great fun & free, bring snacks for post race. California costs sound like Australia! Yeah, it's ongoing & other costs that can kill, so as you say always buy the boat in better condition & get a survey. Thanks Tim. 🇦🇺 ⚓

[@todddunn945]

A lot depends on where you sail. Locally, a large part of the sailing community consists of the wealthy who summer here. They have their yacht clubs, but unless you are the CEO (or better yet owner) of a Fortune 500 company forget about joining.

[@maicaw113]

Sailing is one side of the coin, boat ownership is the other side. Just because you have sailed for years on other people's boats doesn't prepare you for everything you need to learn about ownership. I sailed to Hawaii with three others on my boat. For the most part they kept wanting to push the boat for more speed like we were in a race...we were not. My concern was to take care of the boat to ensure it would finish the 2000nm voyage.

[@bergeron555]

Good advise as usual. I share my knowledge with newbie’s I also invite them to be fortune tellers. Think hard about the future of your outing. try to forecast your situation ahead of time so you can be prepared. A good example. If I sail down this channel what’s my exit plan? What if the wind builds? What if the wind dies?

[@AEFisch]

Tim, opportunity for you to do one on single handed sailing as KZbin over simplifies it constantly! Even an experienced sailor has to adjust their methods and few boats are set up for it.As an ex instructor, learning to sail and seamanship are related but not the same. "Crew" that have no expertise still make a big difference. A "Cat Boat" is purpose built for single handed as are a lot of hours on the laser in the video. I live on the Connecticut shore and it still cost more to have a dock, winter storage and by the hour maintenance than to buy one. Generally videos are full of do it yourself, where the average person is not capable nor can be as dedicated as necessary. " I'm just calling it like it is " for the median person.

[@rickblythe1719]

What the new sailboat owner describes is very typical...he should not have been surprised! I purchased a 1980 Catalina 25 for $1500, but fully expected I would need to put money into it. And I did...about 4 times the purchase price within the first month! Then there were the running rigging upgrades so I could single-hand it and that doesn't even count the occasional things which broke. But that is all the normal cost of owning a boat. I'm glad to hear he did not give up boating and went with a smaller, simpler setup; one saying I've found to hold true...bigger boat, bigger problems (and more expensive)!

[@TimAch-p2c]

I want to echo the comment about the cost of the boat pailing in comparison to the cost of ownership.

[@mikeford2145]

the BOAT in "sailboat" means Break Out Another Thousand

[@symphonyfarm2009]

Hi Tim! I am checking out a Niagra 35 as a next boat. Practical Sailor doesn't have a review of this boat!!!

[@patrickwahle6280]

You mean a Niagara 35 I suppose. Well built boat for cruising.

[@charles.neuman18]

My only advice is for him to think of the experience differently. He says it was "one of the biggest mistakes he's ever made". That sounds a bit dramatic. It seems like he put a little money into sailing, learned some lessons the hard way, changed course, and still wants to sail. Sounds about right.

[@panzergaming444]

iv been sailing lake ontario for 5 years now joined a yacht club and made tons of friends, boat ownership always comes with the money, i bought my boat for $2000 and pay $5000 a year to own the boat..................its worth it if you truly love sailing

[@philipmayo4865]

This is our problem: we want to learn to sail but we live over 2 hours drive to the upper Chesapeake. There is a large freshwater lake about 1.5 hours away from us where folks sail but that's not really convenient and I don't know if they have a sailing club. Very frustrating!

[@kameltoes2625]

When I first starting looking for parts for my boat (Catalina 30), I was shocked at the cost of anything with "marine" in its description . Now it doesn't faze me. (except maybe Raymarine charging $50 for a cable 12 inches long..) I try to perform the repairs on my boat myself, one because the COST of having someone else do the work, and two I get to learn the boat and in most cases, do a better job than a 3rd party.

[@sunol1212]

Joining a chartering club like Modern Sailing in the SF Bay is a good way to learn and charter boats with others to keep the cost down.

[@texarama]

This might seem counter intuitive, but start racing. Join a racing club and sail on other people's boats. You'll learn by "trial by fire", but better to do on someone else's boat than your own. Most importantly you'll find a community of mostly competent sailors to help you learn the ropes. .

[@tracyrreed]

Any suggestions for a San Diego area club where I can sign up as crew and get some experience? I took all of the sailing courses that Mission Bay Aquatic Center has to offer, learned all of their dinghies, took all of their keelboat classes, now I want to get more experience on other boats and do some cruising beyond the bay. I recently acquired a 1982 Catalina 30 in Chula Vista marina which I have taken out a few times including participating in the San Diego Bay Parade of Lights last weekend. Overall, things are going well, but I know I have a lot more to learn. I would also like to get my OUVP license eventually so sea time is very welcome.

[@davidstorer5551]

Rents are way too expensive. It's already costly in repairs and up keep. So there has to be a cut off system. Storage etc

[@aquaholic3]

All great advice

[@lukecelt9000]

“Sailing: the fine art of getting cold and wet while slowly getting nowhere at great expense”…

[@patrickwahle6280]

As we say for general aviation:"The fastest way to go from point A to point B for people not in a hurry."

[@stanleybest8833]

Dogma costs in boating. A course that takes you through all the bills. Did you ever put a boat on top of a car? A 275 dollar four stroke outboard, brand new? Not so expensive. What costs is a mast that is hard to take down. Not owning a trailer for a bigger boat. Hull weight costs off season when you have to move it. Size yourself, then size the boat.

[@averagejoe1943]

Good advice!

[@chrisseidel6347]

join a club. race on as many oats as you can. take lessons from an advanced sailing school (Jworld). practice practice practice! develop procedures that are easily taught to others. do everything the same way every time. join a local racing group. try to enter at least one regatta a month. I pay $571 per month, in sad Diego, to keep my J/24 in the water and three sabots. (sdayc yachtsman of the year here)

[@wayneanderson1641]

Keep the alcohol off the boat😮 everything will go better

[@mountainmandale1587]

Tim, what does the tattoo on your left forearm say?

[@practical-sailor]

It's the first paragraph of the Desiderata

[@davecolman9446]

Two words mates: Expectation management.

[@pl7868]

Have your Dad join the navy in ww2 and fall in love with the sea , then have him have you help him rebuilding all the boats he buys and along the way you two build a sailing dory for you to go on camping trips with your friends , then when you saved enough from being a stockboy at the local A.P grocery store buy an old 30 foot something wooden sloop and move onboard through college to save money , from there offer to crew for anything that looks fun , um maybe find a girl that likes sailing to marry to 🙂 also try not to run into stuff 🤔

[@emdummy]

Reddit poster gave up too early.

[@erichyney6287]

Just one more thing Tim. You said bring a six pack. I think you ment to say, bring a twelve pack. Just saying 😶

[@akamogg8747]

Short answer ... sailing is not for stupid people. This guy obviously had no concept of what makes a proper boat (one that is serviceable and safe) and that leads to the fact this person doesn't understand the risks and dangers of going out on (or into) the water, fresh or salt. The most expensive thing that doesn't come with any boat purchase is the common sense to think through undertaking the enterprise of sailing.

[@JeffreyDRein]

If you don't know how to recover from a capsize, you ain't no sailor. Learn sailing on a little boat that can handle capsize, built for it... Like a sunfish Lazer pram or other dinghie

[@knlazar08]

Finally got into the first 300 likes again. 296. Only just... 😊

[@danpinsonsax]

My advice is divorce the wife and buy a 40 footer 😂

[@kiwiwifi]

Good idea to use random reddit posts for content

[@TheCornucopiaProject-bd5jk]

A novice getting on a sailboat by himself is stupid. Sorry. You don’t take a car on a highway first time you ever get behind the wheel. Swallow your pride and learn a new skill like an intelligent person - with a teacher - on the boat.

[@davidbrayshaw3529]

Very good advice.