Thanks!

I like you “don’t let that stop you” attitude! ❤

You are so straight and honest in your communication style. I really appreciate you! Thank you.

I absolutely agree with what he says about the importance of having a boat that sails well in light winds. Ideally, have separate light and heavy weather sails. This is also an issue with boat size. Bigger boats have a faster top speed but need enough wind to achieve it. A 50-foot boat can theoretically make about 9kn but will likely need 20kn of wind to achieve it, smaller boats are generally more fun and easier to sail well in good conditions.

I appreciate your sense of humor, sir.  Nicely done!

Thanks for your approach to encouraging we who are on the fence to jumping into sailing

Ok, so liked, subscribed and heres the comment.. youtube needs more of this and less of bikini clickbait.. bro is 100% right and giving good info for ppl that want to sail but never been out on a boat.. just the licence part alone.. i went out as help on a charter and learned 50x more in those 3 days than i learned passing my coastal license.. good video, make more like this

I love Reverse Entropy's list. I learned so much. (Fix blistering not to keep the boat afloat but so it doesn't spread, but just fix it fast and ugly. Pretty it up later.)  

For young wanna be sailors even a $5000 boat is probably too expensive.  So this is a different list.

#1 is you don't need to own a boat. Even if you can afford one you can't afford the fees, maintenance, repairs, insurance. A guy was about to buy my boat, then he asked what it cost to keep. Foolishly (but honestly) I told him.... I hope he didn't just buy an RV.

#2 Learn whatever you can as much as you can. You don't need a boat. There's no reason anyone should show up to their first sailing lesson without knowing the five basic knots, being able to do them quickly and reliably. (What are they? Look it up. Maybe sources don't agree, so you learn 7 knots. Practice them until they are automatic, than practice again tomorrow, two days... a week. But regularly.) Learn all the parts of a boat. The language is absolutely real.

#3 Visit boat yards, marinas, talk to sailors, boat owners. Offer to do boat work in exchange for sailing. I pay for boat work and always offer.  I pretty much offer to take anyone sailing, no charge. Almost no one ever takes me up on it.  Boat work is not your free labor, it's learning about boats.  The only happy boat owner is one who can fix anything that breaks.
And ask sailors, Hey, do you have a basic sailing book? I've got them. Happy to give them away.


#4 Learn safety, keep high safety standards. I put my PFD on before anyone I've ever sailed with. I know what the Coast Guard stats say: people drown because the 'life jacket within reach,' wasn't when they needed it. I tie in with a safety line, know the physics.

#5 If you think you'll love sailing you will love sailing. ( If you are 14 , only if you've felt this way for more than a week...)  It can be come part of your life.  Unless you are heading towards a high paying professional career that will pay for your boat,  learn how to fix stuff on boats. The biggest complaint boat owners have is we can't find riggers, diesel mechanics, technicians. ( I laboriously learned about my fancy vacuflush system, then I met the local guy for them. I think I know more about how to fix them, but not how to just replace them, which is what he said he often did.)  Boat work pays. You will be working for wealthy people. But never hesitate to help another sailor.


#6 Keep dreaming about owning a boat, but meanwhile  think about being crew. Two years ago I sailed as unpaid crew from Vietnam to Canada. Three months. Sounds cool? It was so fucking cool you can't even imagine. I brought to the boat 60 kg of boat parts and my gear that I had to lug through airports, some sailing experience, solid safety knowledge, an ability to fix almost anything (that was one of the best parts of the whole experience), a willingness to work, follow instruction.  What I got was adventure, experience and confidence. Now when it's 20+ knots I know that's just good sailing.

#7 Once you become a sailor, once you're crew, it's for life. Anyone ever send you a message asking if you can find XX at the local chandlery? You find out and send it to them. If they're in the South Pacific, tell them shipping costs more than plane fare, takes longer, offer to bring it as luggage....

We want to go sailing, not just own a boat.

Here is my take on the light vs heavy boat and my view point comes from 6 years of cruising on a medium light boat and 2.5 years cruising on a medium heavy boat.

On my light boat I could sail do 5 knots in the water with just 7 knots of wind on the beam with the main sails and I was always looking for winds below 15 knots on reaches and below 20 knots for down wind.  I didn't always get that.  In fact, I only had my full sails out (no spin) for about 2% of the time.  I had 4 reefs in about 15% of the time and 2 reefs in about 60% of the time.  The motion of the boat though was rough because it was light.  And that is the key: you can sail a light displacement boat in just about anything, but, you aren't going to enjoy being offshore that much in a light displacement boat in just about everything too.

On my heavy boat I sail with full sails a lot.  In fact, I need to get an asymmetrical spinnaker for winds under 11 knots apparent.  However, because it has a heavy keel (this is the key to monohulls to me) it can take a wide range of winds before sail changes are needed.  I start doing hull speed of over 9 knots at around 18 knots apparent, but I don't really need to reef until about 22 knots apparent, where as my light boat would reach hull speed at 12 knots and 13 knots I was reefing and by 18 knots I'd have 2 reefs in.

The heavy boat is so much more comfortable in the seas and it makes a lot less noise too.  Sounds make a big difference psychologically on people and boat motion can really wear you out on a light boat not to mention the sea sickness problem.  You'll enjoy being at sea a lot better in a heavy boat, especially an older one that doesn't have such a wide stern.  Those wide sterns are always pushing the boat to round up.  Get an older boat where the design was more concerned about handling sea state then the modern ones of interior volume and speed.

Why do I concentrate my focus on how a boat handles at sea if we spend more of our time on anchor?  Because I enjoy being on anchor no matter what.   It's at sea where the boat design really matters.

Wow! Someone said the truth! Thanks for your openness! ❤😊

We love ya brother 💙  !  Thanks from old New Orleans  😎  !

Love this guy.... Precise n value advice...

RYA certification, include all aspects of boat handling, with sail AND with engine. This includes tacking, gibing, navigation, mooring, anchoring. The theory exam is intense too.

Great Advice ! too many make people think they need a super expensive or "perfect" boat visually , while ignoring the very things that make sailing safe , less hassle and  - - fun !

Great video really simply and honest for those of us new to boating 👍😊

Love tip no 2. Thanks for taking the pressure off. 😂

You are a breath of fresh air. Love your videos. : )

In the UK, which is in Europe, at least geographically, you don't need a licence, the mantra of the RYA is 'education not legislation' which for the most part works pretty well.

Another Mads reference!! Hilarious 😂
Thank you for the super informative video

Thanks for this very informative vid!🫡