Team-BHP (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)

-   Shifting gears (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/)

-   -   Sailing on small boats | Any sailing fans on Team-BHP? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/shifting-gears/261251-sailing-small-boats-any-sailing-fans-team-bhp.html)

I have always been in awe with the ocean, its power and the horizon. I took an introduction to sailing lesson as I failed at surfing. At 49 I am happy to stand up after taking a dump, popping up from a surfboard, and the balance seemed impossible. As an engineer, I instantly liked everything about sailing. Reading the elements, the wind direction, picking the right angle to tack, the language of the sailors, using physics to go faster - just about everything.
So, last spring I took more lessons and passed the USA sailing exam for small boats. Some 80 questions, and some practicals too. I then got a membership at a local Yacht club. I have now started taking friends and family with me, and I intend to share some of my sailing pictures here. These pics were from this past weekend.

Our sail boat for the day, a Capri 22.

Me launching the main sail

San Diego bay with the downtown skyline

If there are people who have considered sailing, and are sitting on the fence, jump right in. You may really like it.

Oh lovely! What a fantastic hobby. Lovely pictures too. Somehow everything in that kind of light looks just so good! Happy that at least some of us are able to enjoy such things.
Sailing and related stuff used to be quite a ‘thing’ in old Cochin, Kottayam, Calcutta, Madras, Bombay and Vishakapatnam in India. But here in the protectionist years just like other things it became considered as ‘elitist’ and it is definitely expensive in terms of equipment and marina docking fees etc. The ‘waterfront culture’ is lacking in India unlike most other places in the world.
Do you swim?
And do you own or rent your boat(s)?

Thanks Shankar, I am loving this new hobby. Yes, I learned to swim at the Jayanagar swimming pool in 1989. No coaching no instruction, my kids who got coaching think I splash too much water and have questionable technique. But I passed the swim test to be able take these lessons, and I hope to never have to use it in the open oceanlol:. These sail boats have a life vest.

Most yacht clubs have initiation fee, and monthly membership fees. The fee can be used towards the rental, I need to pay for additional rentals within that month. It doesnt make much sense to buy a boat. I do not want to tow a boat, wash off the salt water and maintain it. The clubs have dozens of boats of all sizes, in the water, ready to go. The boat has an outboard motor that is used to motor out of the slip, and then we sail using wind. So this engine needs regular servicing. There is maintenance crew at the club for this. I plan to take advanced lessons and rent bigger boats this year. With my basic sailing license I can only rent boats up to 25ft in length.

The two happiest days in a boat owner's life: The day he buys it, and the day he sells it.

Nice!

I have sailed my whole live. Living in the Netherlands with so much water around is everywhere that might not come as a surprise.

I started sailing and racing dinghies when I was about ten. These were mostly Dutch types, such as Vrijheid, Stern, Schakel. During my naval college years I sailed a OK dinghy. An international class that still exists. Quite the handful.

I have sailed on many yachts, here on the Northsea and channel, but also in the Caribbean. My wife is from Barbados and her dad used to quite a famous racing skipper in his time.

My brother in law is currently e route from Texas (where he lives) to Barbados, singlehanded. He has done it a couple of times before. He has a lovely yacht.

Due to all my travels I haven’t owned a boat for quite some time. Luckily, we have lots of friends who do and I get invited often to crew. I am still looking at buying my own boat, but it will be a motorboat. Not sure if it will ever happen though. Lots of other things to do as well.

Take and enjoy your boat!

Jeroen

Very interesting. I hear similar background from Americans at my club, and colleagues at work. They have all been on sailboats of their grandparents, parents, or relatives since childhood.

Having lived in Bengaluru till 25, the water body I had seen was river Cauvery, the violent Mekedatu and such. At 10, I was still racing clay bricks as cars. I think, I knew of the ocean, and the Europeans using sail boats to come to India, but never knew there were modern sailboats, or boat slips on large water bodies. Almost everything was new to me. :)

Did some sailing (cadet class) and rowing as a school kid, loved the adventure! Now edging past my prime, but am subscribed to a lot of YouTube sailing channels - mostly couples living on boats at exotic locations. Love to see their adventures, and more soothing and inspiring than watching soaps and teleserials or movies…

I find this by far the most interesting and well put together YT sailing adventure :

https://youtube.com/@gonewiththewynns

Jeroen

Yeah I am subscribed to them. Here’s another random one from my YouTube subscriptions

https://youtu.be/hGWJj2HGoAo

Thanks to OP, I guess this was one of the few topics that was missing in this forum.

I lived 7 years near Beaufort, North Carolina which is a small town very well known among the sailing community in the east coast of the US. A colleague of mine, who owned a 36 feet Beneteau, used to live on it every weekend. He was very passionate and an adventurous sailor. He took me for a weekend sail once. While I enjoyed it very much, I thought it was a super boring thing to do every weekend just sailing around aimlessly or going on long passage just watching endless amount of water in the horizon at 5 knots if winds are good. You have to be a very good handy man in order to sail extended overnight trips. One needs to be a very good in his/her carpentry, plumbing, electrical and diesel engine fixing skills. The boats are a sinkhole for money, because there is always something to upgrade if you are passionate sailor. I think it is more fun to go on a day sail in smaller boat like yours. There are a lot of folks who sell off their homes after retirement and live permanently on a 40+ feet sail boat sailing around along the east coast and the Caribbean.

Another time I went on an 18 feet single outboard engine boat 35 miles into the see on a fishing trip with 3 other friends. The first hour speeding into the ocean through the choppy seas of an inlet at 5 am in the morning was scary as hell. This was my first and only time fishing. Once you reach where you want to want fish, you just cruise around aimlessly looking for fish. In about 7 hours, we caught maybe 5 fish, 4 of them not edible or illegal to be fished, so had to be thrown back into water. So after spending 7 hours in the sea and burning a gazillion gallon of gas, we had one fish, about 30 cm long, to take home. For people who like to fish for recreation, it is not the amount of fish they catch, it is the whole process of fishing process that is therapeutic.

As far as I know, if you are training to sail a dinghy, it is a requirement to know swimming. One needs to know how to put dinghy back into upright position when it capsizes.

But if you are training to sail on a larger sailboat, swimming is not a requirement. Because when you are in deep sea and if you fall in the water, swimming might be of very little help. So the whole point is to ensure that one stays on board.

I don't know about other cities, but in Mumbai sailing is quiet accessible and also not expensive. I pay around 10k a year in Membership fees and boat rental charges range from free to 150 rupees.

Yes, given the size of the city we should have a lot more boats. A marina would be nice. But my experience is that people in general are afraid of venturing out in the sea. Hence the lack of waterfront

This!

My wife is Dutch, hence, we usually spend our summers there. Absolutely love sailing on the Friesian lakes.

Depends on the facility. There are those run by universities - aquatic centers and they have a blanket need for a open ocean swim test to enroll in any lessons. They provide a body suit, as the pacific is usually cold.
Private clubs do not ask about swimming :)

Can you share any further info on this including what membership needs to be taken? I'm in Mumbai (south) too & would love to learn. Thanks!

Sure, here is a link to getting membership to colaba sailing club. https://www.colabasailingclub.in/membership/

You would need two members references. If you are serious about it then I am happy to help you get them. DM me when you are ready.

Thanks so much! I'm travelling on work till the 4th of Feb. Would love to start immediately after whenever possible. Regards! (DM sent)