Chapter 1

Ready, Set, Go: Time to Start Sailing

IN THIS CHAPTER

Exploring the essentials of beginning sailing

Dissecting the parts of a sailboat

Answering basic sailing questions

Describing where sailing can take you

It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins, the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it - we are going back from whence we came.

-JOHN F. KENNEDY

Water covers nearly three-quarters of the planet. Over the course of human history, the oceans (as well as lakes and rivers) have served as pathways upon which trade and civilization have developed. Getting away from shore, you feel a link to those ancient mariners who set off over the horizon. When you're flying across the water, you're harnessing the same forces of nature that powered the early explorers.

Why are humans drawn to the sea? President John F. Kennedy had a poetic answer. Generations before you have felt the call of the wind and waves, beckoning to accept their offer of unknown possibilities - adventure and serenity.

Even in today's high-tech, fast-paced world, sailing regularly rates high on pollsters' lists of desirable activities. So if you ever find yourself dreaming of packing it all in and setting sail over the horizon or of simply having your own boat to sail near home on a warm, breezy afternoon, you're not alone. And this chapter shows you that getting out on the water is easier than you think.

What You Need to Start Sailing

Starting sailing is a little different from starting most sports. In basketball, you can start to learn the basic moves, such as dribbling and shooting, without worrying about the "playing field" - the court boundaries or the height of the basket. But the sailor's "playing field" - the wind and the water - is constantly changing. The wind changes strength and direction, while waves and/or current change the water conditions. Sailing is harnessing the power of Mother Nature, and sailors need a healthy respect for her power. So in this section, we cover some important weather and safety considerations you need to know before you start sailing.

Also in this section, we encourage you to begin your sailing career by taking lessons from a qualified instructor - we both did - so you can focus on learning the basic moves while the instructor makes sure that the conditions are suitable for learning.

Taking lessons

You can find sailboats near almost every body of water. And where you find sailboats, you can find sailing schools and/or a sailing club with experienced sailors looking for crew. Most boats longer than 15 feet (5 meters) are meant to be sailed with more than one person, and the average 30-foot (9-meter) sailboat is best sailed with at least four crew members. So go down to the local marina, check out the bulletin board, and ask around. The offers you get to go sailing may pleasantly surprise you.

Although having friends to take you sailing can make practicing and progressing easy, we strongly recommend taking lessons from a sailing school with certified instructors before you head out on your own. For a variety of safety reasons, we don't recommend sailing alone while you're learning the basics. In Chapter 2, we help you find the right sailing course for any experience level.

Location, location, location

You can probably guess that the weather and water conditions in a given area affect the sailing possibilities and that most sailors put away their sailing clothes in wintertime in the snowy latitudes, while Southern Californians can sail year-round. But even snow and ice can't stop some die-hard enthusiasts who sail ice boats on frozen northern lakes. Not to be outdone, adventurous sailors in dry desert areas blast around on "land yachts" or "dirt boats" with wheels. Assuming that you plan to go sailing on regular, salt or fresh, nonfrozen water, your main concerns are twofold: the water conditions (waves, currents, depth, and water temperature) and the wind conditions (wind strength and changeability). Some areas have very consistent conditions during a particular season; in others, conditions are more variable. In some places, a typically windy spot and a calm location may be less than a mile apart due to some geographic feature.

That's why knowing the local conditions can be invaluable to any sailor. We encourage new sailors to start, if possible, in steady light-to-medium winds and protected (calm) waters. A sailing school knows where and when to find those conditions in your area. But as you gain experience, you can enjoy boating in more challenging conditions, such as sailing in windy Chicago or San Francisco in midsummer, cruising in foggy Maine, or blasting down the Molokai Channel in Hawaii.

Feeling the wind

You probably know that a sailboat doesn't move unless it has wind. (Yes, you can start the engine, get a tow, get out a paddle, or swim along pulling your boat - but we're talking about "sailing" by using the power of the sails, right?) The wind rules a sailor's universe; it's the sailor's alpha and omega. To become a sailor, you need to raise your awareness of the weather, starting with the importance of feeling and finding the wind's direction.

Look around for a nearby flag, and use its direction as a clue. In Chapter 5, we show you how to develop your feel for sensing the wind direction and staying aware of any shifts. Knowing the wind's direction is crucial because you get your boat to move by adjusting the angle of the sails relative to the wind's direction. When the wind direction changes or you change course, you need to change your sail trim, or the angle of your sails to the wind, as you see in Chapter 5.

No matter how constant the weather seems to be on shore, the wind is frequently shifting both speed and direction. Staying aware of these changes is important for your safety and comfort while sailing. Sensing the wind's speed is also important so that you avoid going sailing when the wind is too strong or blustery or getting becalmed - unable to sail when the wind dies. Check out the marine forecast (www.weather.gov) or study the forecast for your area on a marine weather app recommended in Chapter 8 before a day of sailing to avoid getting caught in unpleasant (and potentially dangerous) conditions on the water, such as thunderstorms or thick fog.

Considering safety

Before going out on the water, you need to consider some safety issues and be prepared with basic safety gear, especially life jackets. In Chapter 3, we give you plenty of tips on what to wear and bring so that you're comfortable and safe on the water. Chapter 7 covers other essential safety information, such as safely recovering a person who falls overboard and getting a capsized dinghy upright and sailing again.

Looking at a Sailboat

Sailboats come in all sizes, shapes, and types. The beauty of sailing is that you can't help but find a boat (or two or three) that's just right for you. All sailing craft, big or small, have at least one (and sometimes more) of the following components, which we outline in the following sections: a hull, an underwater fin for steering control and stability, a mast to hold up the sail (or sails), a sail, and plenty of rope.

All sailboats have a hull

The hull is (ideally) the floating body of a boat and can be made of a wide variety of materials, including wood, fiberglass, metal, plastic, or even cement. The hull can be as small as a surfboard or more than 100 feet (30 meters) long.

You can get a good idea about how fast a boat is by how it looks. Just as you can tell that a sports car will be faster than a golf cart, you can tell that a big, heavy, wide boat with a short mast is a good cruiser but won't break any speed records on the water. Sailboats fall into three basic types based on their hull shape, as Figure 1-1 illustrates.

• Windsurfers and kiteboards: These boats are basically surfboards with a sail or kite. They come in many sizes and shapes, depending on their intended use and the skill level of the rider. Windsurfing and kiteboarding are great ways to enjoy the sport with equipment that you can put in or on top of your car. For more on this fun and fast part of the sport, check out Chapter 13.

  WHAT FLOATS YOUR BOAT?

  
  

  Have you ever sat in a boat and wondered how the heck it doesn't sink? Well, you don't have to wonder anymore.

  Your boat floats because it's less dense than the water in which it sits. Density is expressed as mass per unit volume. The density of fresh water is 62.2 pounds per cubic foot (1 gram per cubic centimeter). Salt water is denser, at 64 pounds per cubic foot, so a given object can float better (or higher) in salt water than in fresh water. In salt water, a boat floats if it's less dense than 64 pounds per cubic foot, including everything on board: mast, sails, and people. If the density of a boat...