I bought a Hobie 18 a few months ago. Sailed a little in college, 25 years ago, so I have a "newbie" perspective.

First, while the posts and threads on this site are wonderful and educating, experienced sailors practically speak in code. Sailing is not complicated, the LANGUAGE is complicated.

Second, because my children have no experience sailing, I replaced all the lines on my boat with new "color-coded" ones. Green is starboard jib sheet, red is port. White is main sheet. Black is traveller line. Now I tell them "Pull on the red one." They're starting to get it.

Unless one knows someone personally, how does one learn? I'm taking out as many of my teenage children's friends as I can, but honestly, I'm not qualified to teach them. Where does the overweight 46-year old go to learn?

How about a regatta where everyone agrees that in the first set of races, over say, a six-week period, the experienced skipper will let the newbie crew. Get rid of the pressure and just have some fun. In the second set of races, all the newbies get to skipper and the experienced guys/gals crew.

There is no way I'm entering a regatta, ever. It's not a matter of being concerned that I'll lose. It's a matter of being concerned that I'll do something so stupid that I'll be dangerous to other boats.

This may be politically incorrect, but I think that trying to get youth whose parents don't sail involved is a waste of time. They don't have the money, they don't have the means. Try to get the 40-year-olds, who have money, who don't want to play video games, who are still physically fit enough to do, into the sport.

My two cents' worth.....