Posted: 3/21/2013 5:23:52 PM EDT
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the fiancee and I got a 22' foot sailboat and got a slip for this season.
But neither of us really know how to sail 
I'm trying to find the AR15 of catalina 22's I figure men have been sailing for a long long time so I should be able to figure it out
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Well, the reason I skipped day 2 of roasted nutz last year was to head up to door county and look at a old fiberglass sailboat. I wound up buying it, a 16' rebel, probably made in the 60's (yeah, OLD for a glass boat). We only wound up having time to take it out once, our first time in a sailboat. I'd have taken it out more, but the way it's set up, it's a 2 person job to step the mast. This spring, I'll put in some hardware that'll make it a one person job.
Wasn't as hard as I thought...other than getting out past the docks (hint...leave the jib down too!), and getting the timing right to get back to the dock w/o hitting something.
I'm looking forward to more sailing this year. Need to install a boom vang too. I wanted to refinish the hull this year, but it doesn't look I'll have the time to do it the way I want to. When I was cruising craigslist for sailboats, there were occassionally people who would offer to teach sailing on your or his boat. Come spring, that may be an option for you, if you can't find a local sailing club where you can learn the ropes. |
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I went a couple times with some folks who race out of South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee, and it was a blast. If you want, I can shoot you my bud's info there, and he can get you in touch with the right people. Seems like everyone I talked to there were very open and willing to help each other. |
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I know if you run under high voltage lines and the line touches your mast the massive voltage could blast your eyeballs out, knock you out of the boat and set fire to it. So be careful on large Southern reservoirs when the water level is way up.
No it was not me, have family in the Marine industry so I hear great stories all the time and they know I am Anti Sailing. I truly admire the skills involved, especially when one guy goes out and runs a large craft alone. I also like watching when on that same large craft in brisk winds you hear a main line pop from a quarter mile away, the main sail falls and the boat is on a collision course with a much larger vessel. The speed and skill required by one man alone to recover from that and then avoid a collision is amazing. Yup, I hate sailing but I will watch others do it. Years ago I hired an accomplished sailor and as it turns out her clan was from the Rhinelander area. My GF knows a family here in Racine that goes all over the damn world piloting crafts for owners. There are good sailors in this state. |
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I figure men have been sailing for a long long time so I should be able to figure it out
That is exactly why I hate sailing. Most of my early experiences were in boats with guys like you and EVERY time the boat ended up flipped in deep water. NOW, I think the cats are more forgiving but you may want to figure out at least 55-70% of it before you head out! Have a small outboard on it too to get you back to port. |
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Used to be a hardcore boater, but got out of it a few years ago. I kept the boat in Pt.Washington.
Lot's of fun, but with little kids and a busy schedule, I wasn't able to take advantage of the 3 months of good boating weather we get here in Wisconsin. If you're near Milwaukee, I suggest you contact these guys... http://www.sailingcenter.org/learntosail.php Great skippers that will show you the ropes (or Sheets as they're referred to on a sailboat). You'll get to learn on a few different classes of sailboats as well. |
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Here are some resources for you: Forums - http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/ http://www.cruisingworld.com/ A few informational links- http://www.boat-links.com/boatlink.html#top http://www.helium.com/zone/1699-sailing http://www.bethandevans.com/index.htm Sail Simulator 5 is really fun, and the demo is free. The demo includes online multiplayer, so you can race your friends. Pretty nifty.  EDIT - forgot to make links hot. |