I enjoy flight sims (clearly) but I have to admit it's not my first love when it comes to pass times. The sport I enjoy most during my leisure time is sailing, fortunately my wife enjoys it also (don't go there😉)........

Two person sailing dinghies like you might see in the Olympics, at a club on the south coast of the UK where we race. It's a fantastic sport with lots of flying (flightsim) crossover considerations.......Total concentration, can get quite technical, safety and responibility are paramount, weather is a big feature, a big vertical wing or 3 depending on boat type (3 in our case), under water wings, rudder, centre board instead of aerofoils..........sailing is a hell of a lot cheaper though🙂

We do occasionally do the bigger yachts but it's not quite the same. They tend not to be so responsive or immediate. The difference between a go cart and a truck. 

Ther are a drawbacks: Going sailing is not something you can do if you have a spare hour, it's an all day commitment. 

The weather can cancel a days sailing, this might happen about 20% of the time. The wind needs to be between say 5 knots (to overcome the tide) and 27 knots (unless your an olympian and then slightly more). Top end wind strength strength does depend on ability and boat type. Good visibility essential, Rain can be horrible.......We don't go out if it's too cold but the youngsters do.

At our club we have to do RYA power boat courses as well so that we can crew the Safety boats when it's our turn to help with the racing.


Any light aircraft pilots out there? if so, what weather conditions keep you on the ground. Does it happen very often?
Any other sailors out there?

Edited March 21, 20224 yr by GaryK

I was a co-owner of a Cal-20 sailboat that we sailed on San Francisco Bay!  This was about 45 years ago.

 

That is a beautiful boat and what a fantastic location🙂 Is that you in the boat?

Here's one of me and my wife on Chichester Harbour.

50 minutes ago, GaryK said:

Two person sailing dinghies like you might see in the Olympics, at a club on the south coast of the UK where we race.

 

Nice!

Lots of boat activity here in Guernsey of course. And my daughter has an urge to get a rib. Not that we know a  thing about such things. 😁 I think we'll just stick to going out with her friends in their rib.  Quite a few jet skis in the summer which looks like great fun. 

Edited March 21, 20224 yr by martin-w

7 minutes ago, martin-w said:

 

Nice!

Lots of boat activity here in Guernsey of course. And my daughter has an urge to get a rib. Not that we know a  thing about such things. 😁 I think we'll just stick to going out with her friends in their rib.  

Anything on the water is good fun and Guernsey is a great location for it. Probably better weather generally than where I am🙂
We use ribs for our safety boats.

Edited March 21, 20224 yr by GaryK

I always felt sailing was something different to everyone...you could make it as hard as you wanted (by racing) or as easy as you wanted (by cruising). No two days on the water were ever the same.

My Dad introduced me to power boating at a young age. In early adulthood I took up sailing going on to become a Certified Sailing Instructor. My description as follows:

Power Boating is about the destination

Sailing is about the journey

Through the Sailing Association (this was back in the late -90's) I had the opportunity (with 18 others) to return 3 sailboats for their owners from Maui that had just completed the biennial Vic-Maui race.

That was a great experience...3,000 miles blue water in a 42' Sloop with a 3 day Gale to keep things interesting...memories I'll cherish forever. My biggest take-away from that trip...be good to the boat, she'll be good to you.

I used to own a Hobie 16 catamaran. Lots of fun. 

56 minutes ago, GaryK said:

Probably better weather generally than where I am

 

It is a bit warmer yes, being so far south. We rarely see snow in the winter and lovely in the summer. The marina in St Peter Port is jam packed with boats at present. All ready for the summer. This year will be the first year in a couple of years that a multitude of tourists will arrive, given a certain pandemic.

Cruise liners are being allowed back too this year. 

Ribs are pretty awesome for nipping over the Herm, Sark and Alderney. 

2 hours ago, GaryK said:

That is a beautiful boat and what a fantastic location🙂 Is that you in the boat?

Here's one of me and my wife on Chichester Harbour.

Great pic of you!  Not me in the boat!  Just a great pic of a Cal-20 on the Bay!

I've never owned a boat myself but I used to be really good crew for a day sail.  I found out as a teenager that I actually get seasick if sleeping overnight on a sailboat.  That was on a cruise down and then back up the Chesapeake Bay.

My brother has owned several boats including a mahogany hulled thistle that he had for quite a while and we did the most sailing in -- usually at lake Sardis in Mississippi.  Thats also where a storm drove us to shore one time and the hull got damaged and I dont think it ever got fixed enough for me to sail in it again.  He sold it somewhere along the line.

My mom, my brother, my nephew - they're all into sailing when able.  Me - not as much as them - but I do have good memories of good times either just me and family or us sailing with friends.  One of my brothers friends had a really cool little craft that was open at the back (you can tell Im not a true sailor 😉 because I say 'back') and the water would come in over the edge and just flow right back out.  Someone we knew had a Hobie cat.  That is the coolest sailing vehicle I know of for a day sailor.

There used to be nothing better than digging your feet up under the straps and leaning way out to avoid capsizing.  great exercise too - it must have been.

1 hour ago, rmeier said:

I always felt sailing was something different to everyone...you could make it as hard as you wanted (by racing) or as easy as you wanted (by cruising). No two days on the water were ever the same.

My Dad introduced me to power boating at a young age. In early adulthood I took up sailing going on to become a Certified Sailing Instructor. My description as follows:

Power Boating is about the destination

Sailing is about the journey

Through the Sailing Association (this was back in the late -90's) I had the opportunity (with 18 others) to return 3 sailboats for their owners from Maui that had just completed the biennial Vic-Maui race.

That was a great experience...3,000 miles blue water in a 42' Sloop with a 3 day Gale to keep things interesting...memories I'll cherish forever. My biggest take-away from that trip...be good to the boat, she'll be good to you.

I just knew there'd be some sailors on here and your description of power V's sail is spot on. I can't say I enjoy doing power boat at the club because we sometimes have to get up close to sailors who may be in the water and they usually end up in the water because it's rough.....Giant meat blender at the back end of the rib. Careful, very careful.

and 188AHC:
 There's a few Hobie 16's at the club. The ultimate beach Cat, great fun and quick. 

Here's a pic taken at our club 2009ish during a Catamaran Open event (race) Just so everyone knows what a Hobie 16 looks like:

 

My brother had a Santana based in Sausalito on San Francisco Bay.  He took me out a few times.  Great fun but not quite as fun as flying.

Noel

7 hours ago, birdguy said:

My brother had a Santana based in Sausalito on San Francisco Bay.  He took me out a few times.  Great fun but not quite as fun as flying.

Noel

No, Indeed not.

Different kinds of enjoyment, different kinds of fun.🙂

And after a days racing dinghies a different kind of BS around the bar. Nobody can BS like a sailor.

I did a little sailing in Perth Australia with Sailability which helps People with Disabilities enjoy sailing generally with the aid of a companion in dingies which are specially built to be suitable.  In doing so I had the advantage of being taught by Paraolympians.  The bar talk is the same for everyone.

If you like sailing there is a rather enjoyable fairly low cost program on Steam called esail which may be of interest.

Edited March 23, 20224 yr by harrry