July 2010
Monthly Archive
Where can you buy new laser 4.7 sails in Ireland?
admin 28 Jul 2010 | : That's The Spot, Where To Sail
the irish laser assoc. shows several 4.7 sails for sale (some are listed as new)
http://www.laser-ireland.com/forsale/index.html
new laser practice and class legal sails
http://www.apsltd.com/c-2311-laser-sailsbattenssailbags.aspx
hope this helps
What is the best sailing school in Florida? My husband and I are beginners who are interested…?
…in learning together.
We would love to someday have our own sailboat, but first we need to be properly trained to sail and maintain a vessell. Can anyone recommend a good sailing school that is both reasonably priced and appropriate for a novice?
The "American Sailing Association is the leading authority on sailing instruction & sailing schools in the United States." The American Sailing Association publishes annual lists of outstanding schools and instructors. These are the 2008 Florida winners published this year. (Note: their ratings are based on student evaluations)
http:// asa .com/news/ outstanding2008 .html
6 Florida schools that won in 2008:
http://www. castleharbor .com/ Coral Gables
http://www. charlotteharborsailing .com/sailing-lessons/ Port Charlotte
http://www. ecsailing .com/ Pensacola Beach
http://www. laniersail .com/ pensacola .htm Pensacola
http://www. rrsailing .com/ Panama City & Key Largo
http://www. windwardsailing .com/ Amelia Island & Jacksonville
http://www. bwss .com/ (2000-03 winner – Ft Lauderdale)
http://www. sailingcourseguide .com/Contents/Locations/ Locations .htm
I hope this helps.
How much experience do you need to go sailing?
How much experience do you need to go sailing in the Caribbean? My wife and I are pretty new at this, but we want to do it really bad.
The Caribbean is actually a wonderful place to sail for beginners… Once you’ve learned the basics, this beautiful sea with over 7,000 islands, and crystal clear turquoise waters is the best sailing & sail training waters in the world.
Getting across the Gulf Stream is the hardest part… After that… it is sweet dreams, pristine sandy beaches, gin clear waters, and lobster bakes…
For beginners… you have the added safety of finding deserted but sheltered island coves every night… VHF and SSB "buddy boat" networks… and smooth sailing.
You can do this… no problems.
More on sailing in the Caribbean below..
John
PS. My son has been sailing from Galveston, and Ft. Lauderdale through the Caribbean to all the "Paradise Islands" including Barbados, Trinidad, Tobago, Aruba, and the coast lines of Venezuala and Colombia for 13 years now… He and his girl live aboard and make their living chasing down and locating (reposession) vessels for banks.
Never once, no not once… have they seen or heard of pirates (except the ones from Hollywood on set, making the movie).
The US State Department & US Embassy maintains a list of "travel warnings" and areas to avoid for US citizens (see below).
So… Don’t let the size of your boat, or size of the myth – limit your the size of your dreams.
Are Parrots good for living aboard a sailboat and offshore sailing?
I am planning on buying a sailboat and living aboard in the next year or so and am wondering about what types of pets would be good for sailing. You always see pirates with Parrots and I thought that there might be some reason, other than it being an exotic pet from distant lands, such as it is good for finding land, or they make good companions on long voyages because they can talk.
Idk what the best shipboard pet might be, but be aware that talking is not necessarily the same as companionship and parrots don’t converse they squawk sounds you can understand. Imo a basketball named Wilson would be a better companion (check out the Tom Hanks movie CastAway). Good luck on taking your great adventure; it’s truly something to look forward to! RJ
How big of a boat can you sail with certain US SAILING certifications?
admin 23 Jul 2010 | : That's The Spot, Where To Sail
I was wondering the specs of what you can sail with a US SAILING Small Boat certification and a Keelboat certification.
I’m Canadian so I am not very familiar with the american system, sorry I wont be a huge help. I believe that the small boat and keel boat certs are just a grading system and not a requirement for someone to sail a boat of that description. From what I can find, small boat refers to dinghies and keel boat could probably go up to 50 or 60 feet. There is another license that you should have for operating any boat, our canadian equivalent is called the pleasure craft operators card. I’m sorry I couldn’t give you a better answer but you should try checking out the US coast guard or government websites for more information. Good luck, I found those sites very difficult to navigate.
I’M GOING TO KONA, HAWAII TOMORROW?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
admin 19 Jul 2010 | : That's The Spot, Where To Sail
i live in california and i’m 16 and leaving for kona, hawaii tomorrow with just my mom. it’s not as great as Oahu right?? like what should i expect? is there going to be really pretty water? lol.
also what would you recommend doing there. i was thinking snorkeling, surf lesson, kayaking, para sailing. i just want some info on what to expect and what you think of kona, hawaii
Kona is hot and sunny all the time. It’s mostly dry and arid without much greenery – it hardly gets any rain so there are no waterfalls or jungle-type areas. The hills are mostly made up of old lava fields – black lava rock for as far as the eye can see. Kona is about the most touristy town on the Big Island which can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. Either way there aren’t all that many tourists there to begin with so it won’t be all that crowded. The best snorkeling and diving is in and around Kona.
Overall Kona is a pretty fun place to just hang out and relax in. There aren’t that many sites to see there, but there are plenty within an hours drive to Waimea, a 2 hour drive to Hilo, and a 2 hour drive to Volcanoes National Park. You should definitely go snorkeling, kayaking, and para-sailing. AND if you can you should absolutely go on a night time Manta Ray dive. It’ll blow your mind, trust me. The main part of Kona near the water (forgot the name of the street) is pretty cool to stroll along and eat lunch outside somewhere.
What do you call the undergraduate major related to sailing/nautical -being a ship captain?
I am looking for a school which is not related to military foundations and provides sailing major- program. But I am not capable of finding the correct title of that major to a university.
Some possibilities might be
Marine maintenance
Ship repair
Marine science
Naval architecture
Transportation management
Transportation
How do I find bridge clearances for sailing?
I am new to sailing. Right now in a dinghy with a 20′ mast. Would like to move up later but there are a couple of bridges nearby where I sail and I am having trouble finding info regarding clearances for them. Is there a site that lists this info?
It would help if you had mentioned where in the world you are boating. However…
For "free" information on bridges:
The Army Corp of Engineers maintain bridge heights and claearances for every single bridge over navigable waterways in the USA.. Simply go to their site (below) find the District you are boating in, and walla… you will get the bridge clearance.
In addition, the ICW bridges are below… and at the link below.
On the East Coast the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) stretches 1,095 statute miles from Norfolk to Miami… If you are cruising the full length, your vessel will pass under 130 bridges. Of which, two/thirds (85) of them are opening bridges.
The minimum bridge controlling height from Norfolk to Miami is 56 feet above the water. All the non-opening bridges but one have a height of 65 feet. The one exception: a fixed 56-foot bridge at Mile 1087 between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The alternative for taller boats, of course, is making the trip around offshore.
The below links all offer free information…
single hander cat for 14 yr old?
what catamarans would be good for a 14 year old weighing approx. 50-65kg preferably single handed but with the option of attaching a jib would be great. i have looked at the dart 15 and hobie 16, would these be good starting cats?
get a paper tiger or an Arrow- they are perfect for this age as they are quite small, and any old idiot can sail them.
The arrow has a jib, whearas the papertiger just has a main. I’m pretty sure they both have trapeizes.
a good training boat is an arafura cadet- there small, and hard to find, but it will be easiest to learn how to properly sail a cat on one of these.
What do you bring a host of a weekend sailing trip?
My hubby and I are going on a sailing trip with one of his coworkers on his sail boat. We will board on Friday afternoon and return on Monday making 3 stops. I have never done this before and although I have purchased host gifts before, I have never purchased a gift for one hosting such a luxurious trip. What (other than wine-which is the only thing I can think of) is a good host gift for a sailor?
A great bottle of red wine and an accompliment of cheeses!!! Works for me!!
What happened to the sixteen year old girl that was sailing solo around the world and became and became lost?
admin 02 Jul 2010 | : That's The Spot, Where To Sail
I never heard what finally happened to the girl, I think was from California, who became lost at sea just a couple of weeks ago. For a while it was news, now I hear nothing.
While claiming upon setting out that the choice and risk was hers alone, she ended up calling for help when she ran into trouble; putting others at risk and costing some country’s taxpayers lots of money for the search and rescue.
