Being able to teach people how to sail is crucial for getting new people into sailing. So what is the best way to teach new people?

This is a totally open-ended question, so I am am not even going to suggest all the possibilities. I am just hoping that some good ideas will come out of it.

Hey Mary, let them sail a F16! Done deal. JOKING THOUGH!!!!

Anyway, I recruited a friend from work. NEVER EVER SAILED in his life before. I sold him a good, but run down Hobie 16 cheap. He has restored it with my help and actually went out and sailed it on a local lake. WITHOUT any help from prior sailors.

What did I do to show him how cool it is to sail? Well I was constantly yapping of how much fun I had out on the water with my boat. I also showed him plenty of online sailing videos, specially the spitfire video.

I guess a newbie sailor is out for the fun rather than the competion, show them how much they can have and let them try it.

Don't know about teaching, but I plan to sail in as many local (monohull) events as possible. Just to expose others to the F-16 concept. Would have done the same thing with an A cat.

Okay, so far the responses are either to:
1. Just send the guy out on his own and let him figure it out for himself.

2. Hope that people will learn by watching me expose myself.

Certainly some of you must have had some experience with showing other people how to sail a boat!!

Mary, I think you mis-read my post.

I wanted to say, that we can help people learn to sail by showing them how much fun we have.

Show them how much fun they will have and they will come. I think if you put someone on a boat for them to figure it out, it can be more dangerous than fun for them. He went out by himself because it was his choice, not mine.

btw: I finally figured out my forum problem. Got it resolved.

What's wrong with a little exposure! Let the huddled masses know there's something other than a power boat. Desire must precede learning, at least in this case.

Robi said


I'd say that is the single most important point. We can help ruin an opportunity, or create a life long "bug" by exposing them to potential problems to avoid, until experience or curiosity takes them to that next level.

Make sure we've pointed out basics. Explain the "no sail" zone (breifly, as to detract from it being a negative) and beyond that you go anywhere. Staying upwind of "home" and the work involved to get back from downwind. Sail with the person until they're ready to go it alone. Show them how to right the boat, show them where to "never" dump the boat (and explain why), and what to do if they do dump it.

Emphasize the basic safety items, and keep tabs on them, ask them how it's going, but let them also discover on their own and ask questions of you.

Who does cerification for sail training? Is there a multihull proficiency?

Fortunatly I have a boat big enough to put extra people on (Stiletto 27) Speed is relative, when you get a boat that big moving good it impresses the heck out of people, sailors and non sailors alike. You then hand a sheet over and show them how to trim for starters. Its almost a given that they ask "whats next?". My favorite is giving them the helm to let them feel what is happening when the sails are set and the boat takes off. The down side to this method is "hey you've got room, why do I need a boat?" The upside is possibly they will want to sail more and possibly faster and get smaller, more portable beach cat. Either way someone new is sailing.

I also work with my sons boy scout troop (as the small boat merit badge counseler). Now thats the age to hit them. They really have a need for speed!

Clayton

Mary,

You are getting answers to 2 different questions here. Your question is how to teach someone to sail. Some of the answers you are getting are to How do you get them interested in learning to sail. I find that the answer to the second question is by taking people out to let them find out how much fun and how exciting it is without getting into trouble or scaring them. I have taken many people out who had never sailed and got them hooked including all my grandchildren (8). I also think you should avoid the subject of racing at this point. I don't race though I have, and am not interested in it.

The answer to your question is to get them on a small enough boat where they can feel the results of every change they make and be with them but let them handle the boat. That could mean anything from a Sunfish to a Laser to a Hobie 16. If they want to learn you have already gotten them interested. A friend of mine told me it takes 20 minutes to learn all you need to know to sail and you spend the rest of your life trying to go faster.

Howard

H-16 and Marshall Sanderling catboat

Any pictures of the Sanderling?

I have found the most difficult concepts to teach onboard are tacking & jibing. (ie. see/feel the wind comming from that direction..., huh?)

So I have gravitated to teaching Tackng & Jibing using a remote control sailboat which gives the student a bird's eye view of the concept in motion, and reinforces the concept/transition much easier to understand when on a real boat.

my favorite way is to take someone out with me. make a few maneuvers while describing what i'm doing and why i am doing it. sail around for a while, then swap places and give them the tiller. just say 'here, you steer' i do the sheets. i say 'sail toward that point'. soon they're hooked! i guess the point is, its mostly 1 on 1 exposure that creates the belief in sailing. maybe thats why our numbers are few.

Pete,

I have pictures. If you go to the catboat forum of Trailer Sailor you will find a lot different pictures and if you look at my posts you will see my boat. If I can attach one to a private message I will.

By the way I have owned the Hobie for going on 21 years and the catboat has been in the family for almost 34 years.

Howard

Just start early, when they are about nine :-) :-)

I usually bring them with me once and when they ask for more I send them to a professional teacher (a friend). Sometimes I give them a copy of Sail Magazine manual too.

I've been a kayaker and a rafter for years. I have a competetive nature and like pushing myself. I am 37 and in great shape. I met some new friends who sail. The first time I seriously looked at a catamaran I thought 'okay, knock the mast off that thing and throw it in a river and I might can do something with it' Then I got to try it out. I loved it! I knew within minutes sailing would be a big part of my life. I am going to learn but finding someone willing/able to put the time in to teach is not easy, especially in the winter. I started reading everything I could find, including this forum. I hear there is a sailing course for women here in Columbia, SC this summer. I have found another female friend who will take the class with me. What advice can you give me? I don't know these sailors very well. How do you learn without just making a nuisance of yourself? I have read on this and other forums about women as 'hood ornaments' That is a bit irritating but I can deal with it. I seriously want to learn. Give me a couple of years and I will be the really cute 'hood ornament' passing you by.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Wendy

Hah! Good to have you with us Wendy...you are in good hands with the Seacats. Time on boats and more advice than you would ever wish for will come readily.

LOL. Busted!
Thanks Jake. I will remember that promise...

Sunny:

It seems most people either love or hate saiiing, right from the beginning, no in between!

Not many women choose to sail beachcats, those who do are invariably very good. At least that's my observation!

See ya on the water!

Hi Mary,

A few years ago, I spent a lot of time teaching people how to sail, both at clubs at the NSW Academy of Sport..... We used a very simple training technique that was very effective, worked well in monos and multies and had people sailing around a course with good VMG within a few days, ready to hit a club and race.

Day 1

Firstly in the morning when the wind is light, step the mast on the boats (no boom or sails), have the students tip the boats over and practice righting the boats.... This will show them that getting wet is no big deal and they can easily right the boat again.

Now set up 2 marks on the water. Put the boats on the water once again with only the sticks up and have one student paddle up front whist the other steers.... This will teach the student how to steer without worring about that thing (boom) swinging about there head. If the student is steering all over the place the other student up front will sure let them know about it. After one lap.... They change places. With several students, you can turn it into a race to add a bit more fun to the task.

Now they know how to steer with the rudder, set up the 2 marks as shown (Can set them up like this for the steering task too)


Fully rig the boats for sailing whilst students attend a theory leason on what is tacking and what is gybing. Show them this diagram and explain how they are going to sail around these 2 marks and where they will need to tack and gybe. Then explain to them how to trim the sail... ie. pull in until the sail just stops luffing. Keep it simple.

Now send them out for their reaching leason. Quick de-brief and answer any questions.
This will be a good solid days work and they will leave feeling a real sense of accomplishment.

Day 2

Breif the students on what they did yesterday and then explain to the students what todays task is..... Upwind / Downwind. Use the diagram below to explain. Whilst you are doing this, have the boats and course set as below.



Now explain how and why we zig-zag into the wind and how we change directions for this (tack).... Teach them about sail trim ie pull the sail in tight and steer up until the sail luffs and then steer down.

De-breif & questions, then continue.

Explain what to do at the top mark... Bear away and ease sail, gybe half way down, then at the bottom mark round up and sheet in.

The students will be tacking a lot in here and it may be necessary to give them on the water advice (as with other tasks)......

When they feel fairly competant with this, set up a wing mark and get them to run windward / leward, triangle, windward / leward course.... Help them out and work with any strugglers.

Day 3

Now teach them how to rig and de-rig a basic boat. Let them go out and sail the course again, then bring them in for some more theory such as how to read tell tails and how to depower a boat plus hove too techniques. Also talk to them about how to go about continuing to sail when they leave the training course ie how to find a club and how to get involved. Then let them go out and have a little more sailing, de-rig and lessons over.

Hope this helps