Formal Training

[taime1]

I just finished up my first Canadian Power and Sail Squadron course (Boating Essentials) and enjoyed it. Learned quite a few things about navigation, charting and a variety of other topics. I will probably do a few more of this organization's courses locally and perhaps venture out to do some more. One thing that struck me was that the classmates were people much older than I. In fact, I was by far the youngest (late 30's vs late 50's and beyond). Where is the next generation of boating enthusiasts? Not in school, apparently.

Most of the people were also already boat owners, some having been in boating a number of years already but wanting to learn about navigation and boating regulations. And for one fellow, it was pretty scary that he was a boat owner based on the type and number of questions he was asking (and asking over again).

I would like to start a conversation about what others here have done, or chosen not to do about formal nautical training. We often talk about the importance of safety, knowledge and experience but I haven't seen very much on what sort of training people have taken, or if they feel it is/was worth it.

I have not done any actual "sailing" training, which is probably evident to someone who has or has enough knowledge to know that my sail shape and trim could no doubt be improved. But then again, sailing performance is not why I bought a Mac - I do want to travel and explore, to take longer trips and see things in a relatively affordable manner and to do so safely and with enough confidence that I'll be able to get out of most jams or equipment failures.

Anyway, feel free to share your good and/or bad training experiences - or lack thereof. Or, just your thoughts on formal training in general. Of cours, if you have some suggestions on some "must do" training, it would be nice to share that as well.

[Don T]

Hello,
Lynn and I took the US Coast Guard Power Squadron course in 1995 while we were waiting for our Mac 2600 to be built. Very useful training we still benefit from today.

[NiceAft]

The first time I sailed was 1967, in Maine, I was hooked.

The first sailboat I owned was in 1979; a brand new Phantom sailboat by Howmar Boats.


In 2004 I purchased my "05" . I figured that going from fourteen feet to twenty-six might be a bit of a steep learning curve, and some professional instruction is in order.


I enrolled in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary class for sailing & seamanship. I'm glad I did.

Ray

[Starscream]

After I bought my first boat, a Siren 17, out of a farmer's field for $2k, I read "Sailing for Dummies". Well, that is, I read to chapter 8 then I went sailing. Learning on the fly, so to speak.

Once I felt I had made every mistake I could think of, and learned from it, I sold the Siren and bought the X.

So, no official training other than my marine radiotelephone operator's certificate and my boating safety card. Even though I joke about it a bit, I am actually an avid observer and learner from other's mistakes. I know my limits and so far have been able to stay within them. Same went for when I was flying Cessnas and riding motorcycles. I traded both hobbies in for sailing, and count myself lucky to have walked away from both without physical injuries (except for that time my wife had the manufacturer's logo from the muffler of my Kawi tatooed into her bare calf after accidentally contacting it (no not really, just a burn)).

I think basic sailing can be done safely with healthy doses of personal learning, common sense, self awareness, and situational awareness. Of course, courses are an excellent idea and increase safety and expand horizons.

[Norca]

I have been boating since the early 70's,
At age 15 I took a coastal navigation course, Then I did a year in the merchant academy. been working on merchant ships all over the world for over 20 years now, most of the time as an engineer, but the first course I did was the most useful for me when pleasure-boating. Apart maybe for the survival at sea courses I have done, but don't ever want to put that knowledge to use again
I think everyone should at least have an idea of the COLREGS and basic knowledge of navigation, but it all depends on where You are sailing, day-sailing in familiar waters, or cruising in far away places.
Is there a lot of traffic in the waters You sail? and especially commercial traffic, or are You mostly the only boat out there?
The more challenging sailing the more experience and training You should have.

[NiceAft]

Norca said: " it all depends on where You are sailing, day-sailing in familiar waters, or cruising in far away places.
Is there a lot of traffic in the waters You sail? and especially commercial traffic, or are You mostly the only boat out there?
The more challenging sailing the more experience and training You should have. "

Absolutely true.

Some day I will get away from lake and river sailing, and do the inter-coastal to Florida. This will have to wait until retirement. Only a couple of more years. Before that time, I will have taken the proper navigation courses and any others that the Coast Guard feels is important.

Ray

[Norca]

Experience is also important on longer trips, but some things like rules of the road, and how to handle an emergency situation like a fire, or a grounding is better to learn in a course, rather than from experience

[Russ]

Experience is also important on longer trips, but some things like rules of the road, and how to handle an emergency situation like a fire, or a grounding is better to learn in a course, rather than from experience

+1

I thought I knew how to teach my son to drive. However, after he went through formal driver ed class I realized that there is much to learn in the classroom that all my experience wouldn't do.

[kevinnem]

When I was thinking about getting back in to sailing I took the dingy sailing a course (whitesail 1/2) it was great, because it let me access a person with a ton of knowledge, and the cost of renting a boat was more then the course.

Then when I wanted to get a bigger boat I took the cruisers level 1.

I don't look at the courses as strictly a knowledge of the course material thing. a big part of it was just getting some time on the bigger boats to determine, if I want to buy something like that. the next course I take with be on a catamaran, so I can get an understanding about them.

the way I look at it is I don't mind spending something like 5% of the cost of something to determine if I really want to go through it it.

I did find that the classes sometimes didn't really "click" with me, because at some (many) points it seemed like it was designed with a moron in mind, and in some cases taught stuff that was kinda pointless. But you take the good, leave the bad, and move on. I want to take costal nav, but can't find a place that does it cheap.(suggestions?), I make a living doing survey engineering, and using GPS, and maps. So that part will be stupid easy for me.

Anyway, that is what I have done, and figured so far, I think I might take the advanced offshore course, . I don't want to take the intermediate one if it i even in the ball park of the basic one, (and a friend that has taken them all has told me his experience was that it is)

[Dirko]

I started out with an introductory course, and did the Sailing for Dummies book. Surprisingly it gave me a few tools that some of the "old salties" around the club didn't know.

I was lucky enough to have a former polish Olympic sailor at the club who came out with us a number of times and helped me with sail shape and twist. We also have another Olympic Sailor (Canadian this time) at the club and he puts on courses regularly. We've gone through a few, but most are racing related.

Figured before we ventured out of the local sailing grounds I should get a better understanding of navigation and off-shore sailing. My daughter and I have signed up for ASA 101 - Basic Keelboat Sailing, and ASA 103 - Basic Coastal Cruising courses down in the BVIs.

[mastreb]

I _claim_ that I'm a self taught.

In reality I was in the Navy for six years where I learned the rules of the road, and acquired years of VHF radio usage experience, general shipboard maintenance and living experience, knot tying, and various other general seamanship skills, and got paid to do it. I read the entire Bowditch and taught myself celestial navigation while I was in and bored. Plenty of time to read during a pacific crossing.

I then spent years sailing with a friend who showed me the ropes and who owned a boat that I subsequently bought once I knew how to sail it. I've read Chapman's cover to cover as well, and refer to it often. I keep a copy aboard.

Between 1st and 2nd boat I was a member of a rental club that required either ASA certification or a "sailing resume", and mine was deemed sufficient for club purposes.

I'm definitely a fan of formal classes for everybody else

Especially all the stinkpot a--holes who think their sh---y driving skills qualify them to pilot a powerboat with no training and no understanding of the rules of the road.

[dlandersson]

Especially when they have young children on board and are showing off.

.....I'm definitely a fan of formal classes for everybody else

Especially all the stinkpot a--holes who think their sh---y driving skills qualify them to pilot a powerboat with no training and no understanding of the rules of the road.

[BOAT]

My first sail was at 9 in a sabot. There were no tell tales, and I just sailed by filling the sails. Even to this day i don't use any wind indicators. I really need to get a good wind instrument for 'boat'.

My dad forced me to go to the Rio Hondo Power Squadron when I was 12 - completed all 5 courses and got three certificates - they only go up to dead reckoning and the kind of navigation used by power boaters for log races and stuff. And they used east coast charts too - (really hard charts to read, I hated them) He sent me to a school in Newport Beach at 14 for Celestial Navigation (that was in 71). I still have the cheap plastic sextant that came with the course. (The horizon mirror broke off) I can still shoot the sun and the moon but my calculation for stars is not so good anymore. At age 14, 15, and 16, I was on the boat all the time with my dad and we traveled all over the place with about 2 dozen other boats in an organization for A23 owners. I met and sailed with many many skippers before I was 17 years old.

I had already been sailing my own 12 foot sloop since I was 10 mostly from Los Alamitos Bay to the Queen Mary in Long Beach and every now and then outside the breakwater.. I Begged my dad to let me cross the San Pedro Channel to Avalon in the 12 footer when i was 13 but he refused to let me. Started sailing my dads 23 footer at 14. My dad and brothers started pawning me out to other boat captains with bigger boats when i was 15 and that's where i learned about multi masted boats and what works in heavy seas, (and what don't) by watching experienced skippers with large boats. Biggest boat I crewed on was a Baltimore Clipper.

I don't know what to say about school for sailing - I have known a lot of boat captains - to me it's all about being a good skipper, which is funny because I have always considered myself a good crewman, not a skipper. For me it's all about remembering what I have seen good skippers do in any situation.

If your talking about racing then i do think a school is a good idea, but for basic boat safety I think many skippers do just fine with no schooling. In my experience the folks with Naval experience seem to be the better skippers, but not always.

[raycarlson]

Never personally met anyone who has taken any formal training. Including the dozens who were in the navy, they knew nothing about boat handling, navigation, etc, only basic fire suppression and water survival. I think the same type personality who causes all the headaches now would be the same self-centered, overbearing, inconsiderate boat handler regardless of hours of training they had. Besides it's the American way, any 16 year old with a rich daddy can go out and buy a 200mph corvette and be out on the same road with your family the day after he takes his first driver license test with no other training than reading the state manual and answering 25 questions afterwards.

[NiceAft]

Raycarlson posted:

I think the same type personality who causes all the headaches now would be the same self-centered, overbearing, inconsiderate boat handler regardless of hours of training they had.

Training tends to reduce that. Anyway, the person who acts in the manner you described would probably not voluntarily take such a course.

Certain states require some sort of safety course be taken to command a water craft. When I took the sailing and seamanship course, it was required that at some point during the course, those who were taking the sailing course, and those taking the power boaters course, had to be combined for two classes. We learned the perspective of each other's boating thinking. I believe it made better boaters out of all of us.

Right now I am too lazy to read back on all of the posts in this thread, so I'm asking, which course did you take?

Ray