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ms55401
Trad climber
minneapolis, mn
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Topic Author's Original Post - Sep 2, 2014 - 07:27pm PT
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mom wants me to take her sailing before she shuffles off. so can I pick this up over a couple weekends? I know knots and shtt. Know how to read a map and even navigate by stars.
I searched the (horribly crappy) Taco search engine and didn't see anything germane. If a similar topic has been addressed in any fashion, please refer me and I'll delete this one. Basically, I want to do my due diligence and tell mom either, "yeah, I got this", or "No, not gonna happen."
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apogee
climber
Technically expert, safe belayer, can lead if easy
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Interesting transition.
One of my best climbing buddies has been climbing for decades and is a great all-arounder...he also loves to sail, and has done competitive sailing events b/w the Bay area & Hawaii with admirable standings.
It's intriguing, and the technical knowledge & ability required in sailing looks to be way more involved than climbing.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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largely different worlds
intersect in 3 ways
The Weather Rools: don't be afraid to stay in dock.
You're On Your Own out there: proper safety equipment is essential. Flight plan "filed" with friends, etc.
Shi* happens.......be ready for it.
Sailing is technical, often contemplative, experimental. Fun to share with friends and yer Mum.
You can be incapable of walking up 2 flights of stairs and still be a good sailor.
You can hold a beer in one hand while you Master the ship with the other.
Any observant person can learn the basics of sailing a small boat from a good teacher.
one more intersection with climbing: you won't get good at it in a weekend.
EDIT: no wind and you get to relax for a while until it picks up again. Or start up the Iron Wind or get out the Paddle.
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dave729
Trad climber
Western America
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Remember the Captain is always right. Misinformed perhaps, sloppy, crude,
bull headed, fickle, even stupid, but never wrong.
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HighTraverse
Trad climber
Bay Area
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Know how to read a map and even navigate by stars. Presumably you'll have achieved technical competence in sailing the boat long before you need a chart (map) or celestial navigation.
;-)
Learn on a small boat. You'll learn more quickly, you'll learn more, and you'll have fun learning.
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dave729
Trad climber
Western America
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Beware of the Club, Yacht Club, Racing Association etc:
Troublesome seasonal accumulation in costal areas of unpleasant marine
organisms with stiff necks and clammy extremities. Often present in large
numbers during summer months when they clog inlets, bays, and coves, making
navigation almost impossible. The infestations are most serious along the
coasts of Conneticut, Massachusetts, and Maine. They can be effectively
dislodged with dynamite, but, alas, archaic federal laws rule out this
option.
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ryanb
climber
Hamilton, MT
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It sounds like your thinking of a big boat?
Get a boat with a reliable engine. Motor out, put up the mainsail for a bit and let it luff, motor back. Easy and what many people seem to do.
I grew up sailing including racing some small dinghies. It isn't that hard but managing a bigger boat with more then one sail by yourself would up the challenge. On the other hand convincing someone with a boat to let you and your mom crew would be a good way to get the taste...as a kid our neighbor would take his son and I out and have us manage the jib (the sail in the front).
Docking under sail is not recommended for beginners.
Small dinghies in lakes and bays and such are great for learning but lots of modern models are also quite easy to capsize depending on how much sail they have etc. A bigger boat for a keel is much much harder to capsize but you won't make as many turns and thus not learn as fast.
Don't let the boom hit your head. Go somewhere inland and deep without too many rocks like puget sound.
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couchmaster
climber
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I use to sail. I think that there might be a few things you'd want to consider. If you just want to take your mom out to make her happy, simply charter a boat (rent a boat and crew). It will cost a lot but be much cheaper that any other route. I haven't done that myself, but would certainly entertain the idea. Going to the Bahamas for instance, if you want to be "on vacation" and relaxing why worry about learning all the electronics and worrying over shallow shoals if you can just let some other dudes knowledgeable in that boats electronics and the area do all that?
If you want to learn to sail yourself, then take a class. Lots of them are offered by many places. Let google start you on that path. Boats are available to rent no crew (barebones they call it). It's not rocket science, but there are myriad complexities and if you screw up, you might kill your mom, so don't think it's a lark. Take it serious and study hard. Lots of places offer classes.
Good luck and have fun.
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Lorenzo
Trad climber
Oregon
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Would you do a big climb with someone who's experience was a couple weekends if you had no experience?
Don't ask Mom to.
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rgold
Trad climber
Poughkeepsie, NY
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I think the message is starting to come through, but to reply specifically to your implicit question, being a climber will confer almost no advantages in learning to sail. It's nice to be able to tie a bowline, but that isn't going to make you into a sailor any more than it makes you into a climber. Sailing is subtle and complex and occurs in a dangerous environment. The one thing climbing might teach you about this is not to take the situation anywhere near as lightly as your inquiry suggests.
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bergbryce
climber
East Bay, CA
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For the true sailboat owning experience. ... step into a cold shower and start ripping up $100 bills.
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Lanthade
climber
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Rgold is exactly right. I've got a good bit of climbing under my belt and every time I've set foot in a sailboat (only a couple times and far apart) I've been useless. Being from the land of 10000 lakes hasn't helped either. Nor has kitesurfing.
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Jeremy B.
climber
Northern California
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Things that fly, float, etc: always cheaper to rent.
Chances are, you won't get someone to rent you a boat unless you can demonstrate you know what you're doing with it, which means time and money. It's possible to put in a handful of full-time weekends to learn the basics, that's not enough to be single-handing a boat. Unless you have friends who regularly sail, I'd charter a boat and let its skipper worry about the sailing.
In terms of skills overlap, sailing is largely about knowing how the wind interacts with the boat and sails, plus a mishmash of side details about tides, currents, radios, charts, pumps, etc. Handling the lines is somewhat incidental to this; on an average day-sail the only knots in play will be those attaching the fenders to the sides of the boat.
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Peter Haan
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, CA
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Fort is right, period.
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jgill
Boulder climber
Colorado
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how easy is sailing for a climber to pick up?
I suppose it depends on how close to the shore you can find a climber.
Probably harder than cruising for one!
;>)
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SC seagoat
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, or In What Time Zone Am I?
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EXACTLY what Peter and FM said.
I think you need to take up sailing because YOU love it, not to please another. Same as climbing. They are both huge commitments.
Susan
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bvb
Social climber
flagstaff arizona
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In answer to the OP's question, it's probably about as easy as teaching a sailor to climb. Using just gear, of course. Ain't no clip-ups out on the big wide murky.
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matisse
climber
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Cheese Louise you guys.
I'm going to disagree somewhat.
To sail really well under difficult conditions in the open ocean in 30 knots plus of wind in big swells with frigid water etc etc is obviously difficult.
To hack around in a stable two person dinghy in a small lake with 3-4 knots of wind where you are 400 yards offshore in perfect weather isn't brain surgery. It is all about picking your boat, your body of water and your weather conditions.
I am sure there are multiple courses in your area through the American Sailing Association.
p.s. yer gunna die.
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Ed Hartouni
Trad climber
Livermore, CA
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say you were a sailor and your mom told you that rock climbing was something she wanted to do before her demise...
do you think the sailor would say, "sure Mom, I've got this!" and be even close? (with all due respect for guido and ferretlegger... two among other climber/sailors).
I sailed a bit while procrastinating writing my thesis... I would have definitely taken all my sailing buddies with me had I arranged a trip to satisfy my mom's request...
where would you be doing this sailing?
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matisse
climber
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yabut
you could take her climbing multipitch insanely hard ++ in the remote backcountry or you could take her toproping 5.6 in the gym.
one of these doesn't take a lifetime to learn.
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