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Thread: New to sailing, looking for advice and wanting to crew

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    4

    Default New to sailing, looking for advice and wanting to crew

    Hello! I started sailing back in early May at Tradewinds in Richmond. Since then, I've been getting out on the water about once a week, and I did my first race last night as ballast at the Berkeley Yacht Club.

    Anyway, I'm moving from Berkeley to the Redwood City area in a couple of months for work, and am looking to meet people to sail with and/or crew for in races. (Oh, I'm good for food/drinks)

    I was also pondering the idea of buying a boat in the next year or so; I was wondering what people's ideas were on boats that are relatively inexpensive (under $50k good, under $30k better), relatively fast, and can handle a proper marine head and not a portapotty. Oh, and can be sailed short/singlehanded relatively easily. I'm not much on fancy wood interiors, they look rather bleak and clausterphobic to my eyes. I'd rather unadorned fiberglass.

    Thanks!

    Shayne Hodge
    schodge@ieee.org

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default

    Shayne, you might start at this site for crewing in the South Bay. It looks like Sequoia Yacht Club in Redwood City has Wednesday night "beer can" races, which might offer opportunities to crew like you did in Berkeley.

    You can also post on the various crew lists at sfsailing.com and latitude38.com.

    Finally, don't be in a hurry to buy a boat. They are easy to buy, expensive to own and hard to sell, and until you've sailed a bunch you don't really know what to look for.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Alameda CA
    Posts
    174

    Default

    Shane:

    A couple of hundred feet from the Sequoia Yacht Club in the Port of Redwood City is an ASA sailing school and club, similar in offerings to that of Tradewinds Sailing of Point Richmond. It is the Spinnaker Sailing School.

    The Tradewinds and Spinnaker (Redwood City, not to be confused with Spinnaker out of San Francisco) facilities are similar in another aspect: In both cases you leave the dock of the sailing school and have a rather long sail in sheltered water before you make it out into the larger waters of the bay. This is a great confidence and skill builder.

    Bob J and I agree, do lots and lots of sailing on a variety of boats before you buy one. Buying is very easy. Selling can be an awful financial reality check.

    It is such an awful trap to buy a boat at a fair market price for that type, and then discover that to make it race competitive, to say nothing of safe and comfortable, you end up spending more than the purchase price again, leaving you with an investment you cannot recover.

    As for what boat to buy? Ha! Why not ask an easy question such as what person to marry?.....(grin)......

    John
    Nonsuch 22, sail #48, Blueberry

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay
    Posts
    227

    Default

    If you want to get an idea of what sorts of boats are good for long distance singlehanded sailing, have a look at the TransPac web site: http://www.sfbaysss.org/TransPac/tra...008_index.html
    There is a link to an excell list of the racers/results from all the races since 1978. You can sort it by boat type to get an idea of what boats are the most popular choice amongst this crowd of weirdos. So far the top 4 choices are: Cal 40, Olson 30, Hawkfarm 28, & Moore 24. You can also browse through the archived pages of previous races to read about the skippers and their boats in order to get a feel for what level of dementia you need to have to choose a particular type of boat. Then you can keep your eyes open for any ride opportunities on these boats and see what you think for yourself.

    You can do the same for local singlehanding by going to the SSS web site racing page:
    http://www.sfbaysss.org/racing-new.html
    and have a look at what are the most popular types of boats entered.

    After August and the 30th anniversary TransPac is completed I'd be happy to give you a ride on a Hawkfarm 28, the poster child of unadorned fiberglass.

    Synthia/Eyrie
    Last edited by Eyrie; 06-29-2008 at 09:09 AM.
    Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship. Be amazed at the friends you have here on your trip.
    Ride, captain ride upon your mystery ship. On your way to a world that others might have missed.
    ~ Blues Image

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    4

    Default Thanks

    Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely get on everything I can find that floats before I buy anything.

    BTW, where's the best source for sailing clothes (foul-weather gear, or something slightly less extreme than that)? I discovered high wind + jeans + job as rail meat = soaked.

    Shayne

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default

    Foul weather gear is the right term, even though it sounds a little extreme. Aka "foulies" or "wet gear." You can spend $300-$400 on a decent set for inshore. I used West Marine's middle grade, non-breathable type for a long time.

    If you get invited to do an ocean race, you'll want to upgrade to the breathable (GoreTex) type. Top-of-the-line brands are Musto or Henry Lloyd, and a good set will cost $800-$1,100. If you graduate to foredeck you'll also need a pair of boots.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    166

    Default

    Hi Shayne,

    I agree with Bob. Foulies are a bit expensive but worth every cent. Being wet and cold becomes a big safety issue when feeling wet and cold turns into becoming hypothermic.

    Bill Merrick

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    59

    Default

    Under your fowlies, you should wear ski clothes. Polartec, Caplene (spelling?), etc. Wool is okay. No jeans or other cotton. I had to learn this the hard way!

    -- Tom Kirschbaum, Feral

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    2,095

    Default

    If you have your own foul weather gear, gloves, inflatable lifejacket w/harness and strobe and you know clockwise from counterclockwise and don't throw up...or know what drugs to take to keep from throwing up.....you can pretty much find rides all over the place on the Bay and the Gulf of the Farallones.

    Oh, a positive attitude helps, as does not being a tiller hog, and remembering who pays the boat bills.

    Intermediate -level foul weather gear $350 a set
    gloves... $20 a pair
    polypro undies, tops and bottoms.... $40
    boat shoes.... $60
    inflatable lifejacket with harness.... $150
    safety tether to attach to harness..... $50

    total investment (not including sexy sunglasses and tote bag and hat inscribed with favorite sailmakers logo) about $675 and you're set for a couple of years.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    4

    Default Gear

    Thanks for all the feedback. A couple of thoughts:

    1) Synthetic fabrics directly on my skin don't agree very well with me, and I've never skied so references to skiing clothes are meeting with a lack of comprehension. FWIW, so long as I'm dry, I tolerate and frankly prefer cool to cold. While dry

    2) Boating shoes - I need to get some in a size 13 to 15, which is a real pain - again, suggestions on source?

    3) Is the Farralones considered an ocean race, or does that term refer to longer races than that?

    4) Any suggestions on transitioning from cruising skills to racing skills? I've found one school around here (J/World?) that offers racing classes, every place else seems more slanted toward teaching cruising someplace warm.

    Thanks again for all the advice!

    Shayne

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