Learn to Sail — Top 10 Tips for Beginning Sailors
/Larning to sail is a lifetime commitment and not just a one-course seminar. Discover my TOP 10 TIPS for beginning sailors.
By Michelle Segrest — How to Get Your Sea Legs
Learning to sail takes time. It takes patience. And it also takes careful instruction mixed with tools.
If you want to learn to sail, the best first step is to take a course, and there are tons of them out there. A good course is always worth the money. Not only will you get great instruction, but you’ll also get hands-on instruction. You’ll learn the language and you’ll learn the basics. And with these simple tools, you’ll be on your way to learning to sail.
If you can’t take a course, definitely sail with an experienced sailor. There is nothing in any books that can compete with one-on-one instruction while in real-world sailing circumstances. An experienced sailor can teach you how to adjust the sails to various wind and weather conditions. An experienced sailor can also help you learn how to deal with unexpected situations that may arise—and they always do!
Learning to Sail Requires Patience and Perseverence
You can’t learn to sail in one day. Period. You can’t learn to sail by watching one YouTube video. And you can’t learn to sail by reading one book. It truly is a lifetime commitment because every single time you go sailing, the experience will be different. It’s not unusual to experience heavy storms in the morning and peaceful, calm, smooth sailing in the afternoon. In fact, that is very normal. Each scenario requires special skills to be able to handle whatever Mother Nature throws your way.
And the best way to learn to sail is to sail—keep getting out there. The more you sail, you better a sailor you will become. The best tool you can have is experience, and this is how you get it!
Learn to Sail with an Experienced Captain
For me, the sailing experience is intoxicating. I love the art of sailing, and the labor of sailing. The work involved to sail safely is vigorous and exhilarating. I am addicted to the feeling that I will never know enough. Every single day is a new learning opportunity. My ultimate goal is to become a better sailor. Every single night when I go to sleep, I know that I accomplished this goal in some small way. And every single morning I can reset the same goal and accomplish it again.
In the years since I first learned to sail, I have experienced a worldwide sailing voyage that took me across the Baltic Sea, nonstop across the North Sea, through the English Channel, across the Bay of Biscay, around the Spanish Atlantic Coast into Morocco, to the Canary Islands and Cape Verde, and across the Atlantic Ocean to Brazil. Every passage taught me something new.
Life is an adventure. These are my stories. Come along for the ride and take note of these tips for learning to sail for beginners.
My Top 10 Tips for Beginning Sailors
Always wear a life vest and strap yourself in securely when conditions get heavy.
Learn to sail from an experienced captain. There is no better resource.
Try to relax. Trust your captain and trust your ship. Eventually, you will begin to trust yourself.
Keep sailing. You will have rough sailing days and smooth sailing days. Every day is different and each experience will help you learn more about how to sail.
You will fight mental and physical challenges. The toughest is the battle within yourself. Keep getting more experience because this is the best way to fight the mental demons and gain confidence.
Be patient and listen to the advice of more experienced sailors. Don’t try to know it all, even If you’ve been sailing many years. There is always another sailor with more knowledge and experience.
Learning to sail is a lifetime commitment and not just a one-time seminar.
Find your comfort zones (tying knots, mooring the boat, etc.) and get really comfortable and knowledgable about the little things first. As your confidence grows, graduate to bigger tasks with more responsibility.
Take responsibility for your own education. Ask a lot of questions, even if you think they are silly or stupid.
Supplement your experience and the advice of sailors with research, books, manuals, podcasts, and videos that will help you pick up nuggets of information that will help you each time you set sail.
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