Kerry S. Mason of Fine Sailing, invites you to reprint this
article in your print publication, ezine, or on your website.
This is a Free-Reprint article. The only requirements for publishing this article
are:
You must leave the article and resource box unedited.
You are not allowed to change our recommendations, nor are
you allowed to change the context of the article.
You may not use this article in UCE (Unsolicited Commercial Email).
Email distribution of this article MUST be opt-in email only.
You must forward a copy of the ezine or newsletter that contains the
article inside to the author at:
webmaster@finesailing.com.
If you post this article on a website, you MUST set any URL's
in the body of the article and most especially in the Author's
Resource Box as hyperlinks. You must also send us a copy of
the URL where you have posted this article.
If you find any of the rules to be unsavory or unacceptable, please
do not publish this article. While we are happy to make the content
available to you for your own use, we must insist on having our rules
and *Terms of Reprint* honored in full.
Thank you for adhering to these four very simple rules.
Learning How to Sail
Copyright © 2004, Kerry S. Mason
|
When it comes to sailing, there are all kinds of things to
learn how to do. How you go about learning will depend on
your particular style. For example, I am not patient enough
to take classes, and have always relied more on the written
word and on-the-water trial and error than on more formal
modes of instruction. Here are examples of ways you can
acquire the skills you feel you need:
Take courses.
Community colleges, marine chandleries, Coast Guard
Auxiliary, boat shows, and a number of other enterprises
offer seminars, workshops, and courses on a variety of topics
related to cruising. If you learn best in a classroom or
group environment, check out resources in your area.
Get one-on-one instruction.
Hire a sailing instructor. Look over the shoulder of a
diesel mechanic. Talk to a sail maker. If you learn best
through individual instruction and consultation, there
should be any number of experts available that you can hire,
exchange services with, or otherwise remunerate in return for
instruction on a particular topic. Read everything you can
get your hands on. Some people learn best through the written
word. There are scads of books out there about every topic
pertinent to cruising, so if you enjoy learning by reading,
there is plenty of resource material available. Check out
FineSailing.com for endless sources of information.
Learn on the water.
There are those who learn best by doing. Boat handling
skills in particular are probably best mastered in situations.
Which leads me to the next "preparing to prepare" topic.
Getting Out on the Water
Find ways to get yourself and your partner onto the water,
either separately or together. No matter how much you learn
from books and courses, on-the-water experience is a great
way to really solidify your skills. This will also help you
decide if being on the water is worthy trying as a lifestyle.
Go with friends.
If you have friends with boats, go out with them. If you don't
have a boat yourself, this will give you time on the water.
If you do have a boat, this will expose you to different boat
characteristics and equipment.
Charter a boat in your home waters.
If you are within easy reach of a body of water, charter a
boat of the type or types that you are considering cruising.
Vary the amount of time, the kind of boat, and the nature of
the weather that you go out in. Charter a boat in faraway
waters. Consider taking boating vacations in other parts of
the world. Besides exposing you to different types of boats,
this will put you into different environments and weather
patterns.
Participate on a racing crew.
If you live in an area with an active racing community,
either or both of you can join a crew (I question whether
you and your spouse would want to be on the same crew, but
that's up to you!).
Many coastal cities and town have "Beer Can" races during
the season that are a little bit more laid back and convivial
than the mainstream racing events; these are best to
participate in if you don't want to be a blood-n-guts racing
competitor.
Copyright (c) 2004 Kerry S. Mason
|
Writer's Resource Box:
Kerry S. Mason is the webmaster for FineSailing.com, the
Internet's #1 resource for sailors, boaters, fishermen and
anyone who enjoys the water. Be sure to visit his entire
archive of articles at... http://www.finesailing.com/articles/
|
|
The article on this page is Copyright © 2004, Kerry S. Mason
You are not required to show the creative commons license
notice when you reprint this work.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons License.
|
|
Article Marketing Tips:
| |
|
- Stand out from the crowds. Educate your prospects and they will turn to you for more knowledge. When they turn to you for more, they will visit your website. It is up to your website copy to sell your products, NOT your article. Provide great information and at your website, address how the prospect will benefit from what you are offering. Using these things in conjuction will help your cash register to ring.
|
|
