Good places to begin the sailing life?

Posted by mbauer1981@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 47 comments

Are the Great Lakes a good place to begin learning how to sail a small live-aboard sailboat? Freshwater provides plenty of free drinking water to filter and you won’t have to deal with scraping barnacles off the hull. The downside of course is the bitterly cold winters. Florida has plenty of used boats listed cheap and abandoned. There are many lakes and rivers if you prefer to seek shelter and freshwater sources. The Gulf generally has calm waters for smooth sailing. The downside is having to be mindful of hurricanes but there are plenty of harbors and rivers to seek shelter. Sailing to the Caribbean from Florida would be relatively easy for a beginner. The Puget Sound would be a nice place to live on a boat but if you want to sail out into the Pacific you would need to be an avid sailor. I have been considering South Carolina as a decent starting point. Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie and the Charles river would be a good place to learn before setting out into the intracoastal waterway

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47 Comments

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wychimp@reddit

Lake sailing is good place to start but gets boring pretty quickly

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AmigoDelDiabla@reddit

This is a curious statement. What exactly is boring compared to other places where you may live aboard? I mean, not being able to sail for months at a time is certainly boring, is that what you meant?

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wychimp@reddit

Feeling stuck, minimal tidal/current effects, dirty water, far less cool wildlife, worse fishing, generally less breeze, fewer attractions. There’s really no comparison

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AmigoDelDiabla@reddit

You realize OP said "Great Lakes," right?

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wychimp@reddit

Still doesn’t compare

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jezzarus@reddit

Have you done much sailing on the Great Lakes?

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fourbetshove@reddit

lol. Obviously not.

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jezzarus@reddit

Great Lakes sailing is a little different from regular lakes. Great spot to learn for someone who wants to race

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

That’s what I was thinking. I don’t really have any sailing experience but I do have basic boating experience so I think I could learn the ropes of a small sloop fairly easily. A coastal lake would probably be the way to go rather than hauling the boat in and out of the water on smaller inland lakes. Plus, most inland lakes are usually artificial reservoirs where the water level fluctuates from irrigation use

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MathematicianSlow648@reddit

Pacific North West. Year round sailing in protected waters. Puget sound is just a small part of what it offers.

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Extreme_Map9543@reddit

If you can move or work anywhere in the the country. I’d just move to the location that you find a good boat for sale. That way you won’t have to worry about the shipping costs or anything. Maine is pretty good so long as you start heading south in October. Florida and North Carolina are good expect the opposite issue of scalding summers and hurricanes. But if location didn’t matter to me, I’d find a boat for sale that’s already sitting in a liveaboard slip and I would just move to it. Spend the next year fixing up the boat and learning to sail. Then by then you’ll be able to have an idea where you want to go next

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

I’d be better to go to the main page of Reddit, sail down to the settings tab of the menu, and delete my account. This place only manifests bad advice and troll hate and it’s only a matter of time until some scum hacks into my bank account and attempts wire fraud.

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

I’ve lived in South Carolina before and it has a very strong maritime culture. The communities there are better than in Florida. Florida might still be better though because boats are plentiful there and i would not intend on living in Florida but simply use it as a stepping stone until i have the skills to sail to the Caribbean. Sailing across the Gulf from Florida to the Yucatan peninsula would be a breeze

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Rabideau_@reddit

You might want to start small. Like a sunfish or catamaran.

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

Small sailboats are harder to sail than bigger sailboats. I want a boat with a cabin that I can live aboard. I’ve locked into houseboats but i want to learn how to sail. A 20 to 25 ft shouldn’t be too hard for one person to manage

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Extreme_Map9543@reddit

Id go a little bigger than that if you’re living aboard. Like 25-35 feet. Get a classic 60s or 70s full keel fiberglass tank. Something like a Pearson triton, or Alberg 30. Cape dory 28. Allied seawind. Pearson 35. Tartan 27 or 34. If budget is a real issue just get a Catalina 27. They’re not quite as stout as a good old full keel. But they’re a dime a dozen and cheap annd easy to repair and they’ve sailed around the world. Or maybe a Sabre 28.

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Admirable-Horse-4681@reddit

Before buying a sailboat, you want to have the sailing part dialed in

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Extreme_Map9543@reddit

Sailing is the easy part. What you need dialed in is your mechanical, electrical, plumbing, painting, rigging, and fiberglass skills. Otherwise you’ll go broke.

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

If I knew someone who sails, I’d love to learn; but, I don’t really know anyone, much less a sailor. So, either I can pay for sailing lessons and rent a sailboat to gain experience, or simply buy a used sailboat for a few thousand. They usually come with motors and can be driven around like a motorboat with the sails down. I have some experience driving motorboats. I really just want a boat to live on so I can find an island to live like Robin Crusoe or Swiss Family Robinson.

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Admirable-Horse-4681@reddit

The inter coastal waterway is a good place to start then.

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texasrigger@reddit

I'm biased, but I'm partial to the TX Gulf Coast. The season is year 'round. The wind is extremely consistent. Work is relatively inexpensive. Boat slips are relatively inexpensive. Tides and currents are minimal. There are a number of good bays for protected day sailing, or you can go offshore and travel up and down the coast. On the downside, the only places where you can expect to find contractors who are qualified to work on sailboats are the Houston/Galveston/Clear Lake/Kemah region and the Corpus Christi/Rockport/Port Aransas area. Two fairly small areas on a very long coast. Outside of those, the markets are just too small to support anyone full time. That said, if you are in either of those regions, you have very capable hands available.

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revelm@reddit

I'm going to suggest a different direction. Find a local regatta / sailing club. Go to the Captains Meeting which happens before any given race. There's usually a "Crew Call" to see if there are any crew available to fill in; volunteer. Do this on as many hulls as you can and really learn to sail the boat before you learn to live on it or maintain it. This is invaluable and free experience.

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

That’s not my style at all. I’d be more interested in someone like Captain Ron (Kurt Russell). I can learn as I go. I’ve watched some YouTube sailing lessons and can continue learning the techniques remotely

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BjornToulouse_@reddit

I started mine in the Great Lakes, and it is a great place to learn. But don't let the fresh water and enclosed borders fool you into thinking it is safer there than on the ocean. It can be just as dangerous there. You also have to haul your boat in October or so, so for 5 months out of the year you'd need to find alternative housing. Having said that, "the best place" is the closest to your home, if you are near a body of water. I wish you find the perfect place, and have a great time learning and living on your boat!

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Plastic_Table_8232@reddit

There are liveaboard communities through the Great Lakes. It’s not as common as in other areas but pockets exist.

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CharterJet50@reddit

Really? Where? All I’ve seen is waters that sometimes or often freeze and marinas where everything comes out of the water.

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Plastic_Table_8232@reddit

Lots of folk all over the Great Lakes. Rochester NY, Toledo oh, Oregon oh, Detroit river, lake st Claire, was told huron OH west of Sandusky had a liveaboard community and someone told me Toronto ON but I’ve never been in the winter. They are small, The largest groups I’ve seen are 5 to 6 boats. Private owned marinas or clubs are typically the only options. Larger marinas like safe harbor it’s a hard no go. Most people don’t know about them because they don’t spend any time on the water during the winter. Places near power plants or rivers with a lot of flow are great places because they don’t freeze over or freeze over hard. Many bubble - aerate. It’s not easy and you have to have the boat prepped for it but people do it.

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BjornToulouse_@reddit

Do they stay *in water* throughout the winter? (Honest question, not being snarky)

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Plastic_Table_8232@reddit

Yes they do. Most of the time it’s yacht clubs that allow it. Sometimes private owned marinas. They do bubble. If you want to own a boat being a live-a-board is not only the best value but it allows you to focus all your time and resources on the boat. The boat stays in better condition and you have more time to sail. The only trap is getting the interior / exterior so cluttered that it takes you a long time to get into “sailing mode.” The idea is to keep the boat as close to “ready to sail” as you can all the time. It does have a learning curve but with organization and discipline you develop systems that allow you to be ready to go in short order.

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

The Gulf coast of Florida seems like a good place to start but I’m concerned about the politics and overpopulation down there. South Carolina is sparsely populated and has some good places to moor up in rivers when the sea is rough

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Sam_Sanders_@reddit

You are concerned about the politics of Florida, so you want to move to rural SC??

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

I have lived in South Carolina and Florida. I think the flip-flopping back and forth in Florida politics is actually worse than somewhere like SC which is consistently conservative in politics. When Florida is run by democrats it can spiral out of control but under republican ideology it goes in weird moralist directions. In South Carolina, you know what to expect, whereas Florida is a wildcard.

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Icy_Respect_9077@reddit

Orient NC is a big hub for the sailing community. Cheaper COL, access to the Intercoastal and the Atlantic.

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WaterChicken007@reddit

If these are your political views and you are actively avoiding areas where Democrats have power, then the puget sound area isn’t for you. It is beautiful here, but the Seattle area in particular is solidly blue.

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mbauer1981@reddit (OP)

I was in Seattle a few years ago living out of an RV. I don’t mind liberals and I have some progressive views but Seattle is a mess. Washington state actually became a right-to-work state despite Seattle historically being a pro-union place. I wasn’t planning on going back out there but i was observing the coastal communities out there

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deltamoney@reddit

Does anybody this *actually* impact you? I think you might be letting political theater run your life. Try disconnecting. Don't bring up politics AT ALL with people you encounter. And don't wear your opinions on your sleeve. I think you'll find life is much calmer. I get it. It's a real pain when everyone at the dock is waving political flags and they are also politics front and forward. But idk, you have to pick a priority.

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WaterChicken007@reddit

Not going to debate politics with you on this sub, but I think it is safe to say you wouldn’t like it here. Good luck.

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SailingSpark@reddit

I find lakes more dangerous, especially the more shallow ones. Waves build fast and no matter which way you bear off, you are heading towards land.

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tench745@reddit

I'm on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, and I was once told, "If you want to get someone to hate sailing, take them out on Lake Ontario." Waves there typically have a short period, and can build up pretty quickly. The wind shifts from a lake breeze to a shore breeze and back throughout the day with dead air in between. And there aren't as many cool inlets, islands and rivers to check out until you get up toward the St Lawrence.

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Icy_Respect_9077@reddit

It's so terrible the Montreal Olympics held their sailing events at Kingston. Strong winds pile up on the eastern end of Lake Ontario.

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killacali916@reddit

The San Francisco Bay! One day it's beautiful 7 knots winds next day it's 40 knots and raining. You can sail up the rivers or go out to sea.

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CM_MOJO@reddit

I learned to sail in Chicago on Lake Michigan. It was a great experience. The Great Lakes can be very challenging weather-wise, so I think that gives you good experience.

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Full-Photo5829@reddit

The Chesapeake has lots of good sailing and lots of sailing communities, but the winter is a bit dead. The Pamlico, Neuse River and Bay River have lots of opportunities to sail. There are decent communities there and the cost of living and cost of labor are very reasonable.

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VariationOk3647@reddit

Going to second the Chesapeake. I have a diesel heater in my boat and pretty much sail year around unless there’s ice which is pretty seldom. Honestly winter sailing out here is great because you have all the Anchorage to yourself!

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Terrible_Toaster@reddit

The Great Lakes are a misnomer...they are great inland seas. Massive bodies of water and very dangerous. I have lived and sailed on them for the last 10 plus years. They are amazing and never boring but deserve the respect of any large body of water. And they do freeze over every year so leaving a boat in and lIving on it is just not an option. Most marinas pick up their docks so even of you had a bubbler, you may not find a safe place to moor up. And with the thick ice, you may not want to.

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weav7044@reddit

Lakes are a good place to start and as you get comfortable with the craft you can move up to larger lakes. While I have not been on The Great Lakes yet I have heard they are pretty much small oceans. So they may not be the best to start on as they would potentially be rougher waters than normal lakes. Also as you stated the launching and hauling in of a sailboat can be tedious but depending on the size of your first boat it can be quick. My 16 foot boat takes me about 15-20 minutes to launch at this point. Faster if someone comes with.

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Necessary-Apricot339@reddit

>Sailing to the Caribbean from Florida would be relatively easy for a beginner. Spoken like one.