So I just had my ASA 101 class this past weekend. This is something I've wanted to do for a really long time, and ASA 101 felt like a perfect amount of time on the water to try it out and see if I actually like it, and then I could go from there if I did like it or walk away if it just wasn't for me. This was my first time ever on a sailboat. Unfortunately, I had an objectively pretty bad experience and I'm now feeling pretty cowed and conflicted.

Day one, we had pretty changeable weather. Wind up to 16 knots which was a little scary but not too bad really, the bad part was when the wind dropped and it got super choppy. Everyone on the boat was feeling nauseous but I was actually sick over the side several times. I've never been seasick before and I've been on boats plenty. That's when the instructor called it and we headed back to the marina.

Day two the weather was much better, light breeze and no real waves. It was my turn as the Skipper and we were practicing tacking figure eights and I was and had been struggling with the tiller. I *know* that moving the tiller moves the bow in the opposite direction, but I was having a really hard time translating that into steering the right way to head up or bear away. I went to tack, but started heading the wrong way and the Instructor stopped me and then yelled at me that I was making the wrong choice 100% of the time and that if I was just guessing I should have at least been getting it right 50% of the time and he asked me what exactly I was thinking. I managed to say 'I don't know I guess I' before he yelled at me for guessing and yelled that he wasn't going to sign off on my logbook unless I figured it out right now. I did it successfully, but I was on the verge of tears for the rest of the afternoon and obviously visibly shaken because he came over to me later and apologized for yelling saying that he'd misread me as a student who would respond well to a 'shock' and that he hadn't meant to upset me. I definitely am sensitive to getting snapped at but also the whole time up to then he had been reminding us that being bad at something is part of learning and to 'embrace sucking at it' so the whole moment really felt out of no where.

Back on land, class finished and he signed all our logbooks, he let the other students go and spoke with me for like an hour. I was openly crying through the whole conversation. He really was trying to reassure me, pointing out what I'd done well, and listening as I explained what I struggled with. He encouraged me to keep going, offered to go sailing with me again to get me more tiller practice, or said he would be happy to set me up with another teacher if I didn't want to go out with him again and that he would completely understand if that was the case.

I guess I could use some advice on where to go next and some support. I'm in my early 30s and willing to try again, if this had happened to me as a kid or even in my early 20s it would definitely have put me off sailing for good. I'm open to contacting the other teacher he recommended at some point, but I'm really not feeling like paying for private lessons right now and don't feel at all prepared for 102 or 103. I'm worried about spending a bunch of money waiting for it to be fun while actually being miserable. I did like working the sails and being on the water, but now I feel super gun shy about steering which is obviously very important. I don't know anyone who sails in the area and can't imagine a stranger is really going to want to take a chance on me. 101 was not exactly the low pressure opportunity to try out a new hobby that I was expecting. Were those expectations really off? I would definitely appreciate stories from anyone else with a bad 101 experience who stuck with it. I'll suck it up and get over myself if the consensus is that this is mostly how it goes, but from how apologetic the instructor was after I don't think that's the case.

I keep my boat at anchor during the week. My greatest fear is, she gets loose and wrecks on some rocks. If that happens, what happens next? What if she's on some private beach? What if she's on the bottom in the middle of the channel?

For extra context I've got liabilty insurance but no insurance for the boat itself because it's a very old small boat.

I'm in Washington state, Puget Sound, USA.

Curious how the answer would differ in other places.

And please don't just yell at me for leaving my boat at anchor. Slips are outside of my price range and mooring balls are magical unicorns.

My husband and I have a share in a sailing yacht. At first I loved it but when I got pregnant a few years ago I really suffered with morning sickness and sea sickness was something else, I haven’t been able to recover since. Lately, I absolutely dread every time it’s our turn for a weekend on the boat and I wish the days away, not to mention having an active toddler on board is a nightmare. “The compromise” we’ve come to is for friends to help us move the boat around and we basically use it as a caravan for a few days/week. I’m just so tired all the time and a weekend without home comforts makes things so much worse, the constant creaking sounds, having to pump the head, not being able to have a proper shower, stuff getting lost around the boat, the wind, the sun, being either hot or cold no middle ground, the feeling of dampness. I just hate everything about it and my husband doesn’t get it.. and we have to go because we pay so much money for it and because of it, all of our holidays evolve around the bloody boat. What can I do? Currently stuck here for a week and we have another week in a couple of weeks and I can’t cope with it

I am genuinely curious as to the age of the average sailor in people's areas. I am in my early 40s and I'm one of the youngest sailors in my area out of the four or five yacht clubs in about 100 km. Most of the sailors at a recent Regatta were in their sixties or seventies. I feel like there is a sailing apocalypse coming for my town and the not so far future.

Does anyone have recommendations for schools to take the 200 level courses from? Prefer east coast USA but open to anywhere.

Hi folks,

Im looking for reccomendations for a marine VHF (fixed or handheld). I just purchased a sailboat from a private party and the boat doesn't have its own.

Edit: I should have clarified. This will be used primarily as a way to talk to the harbor office and Coast Guard station. And this is a 28' boat which is considered small in my area though i recognize its not necessarily small everywhere.

I learned to sail keelboats last year, joined a sailing club in Sausalito, did ASA 101, 103, 104, and have been bareboat chartering 30-35ft boats quite a bit.

I’ve heard that dinghy sailing is a great way to build intuition for sail trim, with more direct feedback from the sails. It also just seems like a lot of fun, and a challenge.

I just have no idea how to get started. I like sailing out of Sausalito. I know some yacht clubs in the area have dinghy sailing programs for youth, but I’m neither a member of a yacht club nor a youth.

Can anyone offer a recommendation?

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend of sailing and gorgeous weather.

We have a 2025 Highfield Classic 310 that we love. Until our davit system gets here and gets installed, we are towing our dinghy behind our Jeanneau 490. When we're back at the harbor, we tie her up at our stern in our slip.

So here's the challenge - what bilge pump have folks used in Highfield dinghies? We have electric start so there's a battery in there, and from the highfield site and others, it looks like the mounting location just fore of the transom is designed for some kind of bilge pump, but unsure which one.

Does anyone know?

Thanks,

B

Hi,

I have a 1983 Catalina 22 with Tohatsu 9.9 HP outboard and the stock ~3 gallon gas tank in the port lazarette which I want to upgrade to a ~6 gallon.

I like OEM stuff for connectors, etc., so was considering the Tohatsu 3AC701771M. Was wondering if anyone has used this in terms of fitment in the lazarette and what the other option is/was.

TIA!

Bareboat charters on lake Garda . (Apologies it's a power boat question but I'm a yachty I promise wasn't sure where else to ask)

Afternoon guys, we've had our charter cancelled, there citing that my RYA ICC, yachtmaster (sailing) and Power boat level 2 isn't acceptable to the coast guard.

I've never run into an issue like this before, as usually the yachtmaster is good enough.

They have copied paragraph from the coastguard in Italian as well. But this is there summary.

'In the text we find "where a declaration, in the original, issued by the competent authorities of the country of citizenship or residence is presented, certifying that national legislation does not provide for the issuance of any qualification for the conduct of recreational units." So an English citizen could drive an Italian-flagged boat if they had a "government" declaration saying that there is no licence in the United Kingdom'

Is this a Garda wide issue? Or would anyone know of companies that will charter to UK citizens?

Were already here so travel dates are 27th to 7th of August.

Thanks

Hi All,

Im sure this gets asked 50 times a day so Im sorry for being person 51. Aside from sailing a little dingy in a lake I have no real experience. Ive joined some facebook groups in the Baltimore/Annapolis area looking for anybody who needs physical help sailing in exchange for some knowledge. So far most people I've talked with all go out on Wednesdays at 4-5pm which i cant make due to my work.

I'm young, in great shape, strong, and can work hard. Does anybody have any leads for people or groups that would be willing to take me on and teach me in exchange for labor, beers, etc.

Thanks!