As the author (picture above) points out, training courses are a must for novice sailors.

As the author (picture above) points out, training courses are a must for novice sailors.



Somewhere between Hubby hanging over the starboard side trying to reef the mainsail and the outboard sputtering phlegmatically, I said to myself, Self, you don't know nothin' about sailing a boat. Actually, I thought (hysterically), I am going to sell this watery death trap (that I just bought yesterday) as soon as I crash into land or a dock, which simultaneously seemed inevitable and a huge relief.

Hubby, Novice Sailing Friend and I made it into dock, sails bunched and twisted, but thankfully down. After a shot of whiskey, I could see the boat, the sea, had made their point. While it's true there is no substitute for experience, it's also true there is no substitute for good training either.

Learn aboard courses are the surest and safest way to get the immediate training you need to navigate and operate your sailboat if not in an entirely sea-person like fashion, then at least safely. And as captain or crew, safety should be your primary concern. As a female skipper, I chose a women-only sailing course with a live-aboard portion, but there are as many choices as there are sailors. Couples-only, family courses, local or at a destination, private instruction either on or off your own boat, or land-based boater safety and navigation classes offered through the boaters education club, United States Power Squadron (www.usps.org).

The Squadron Boating Course is an 8-hour course covering the fundamentals to safely and legally operate a boat, including those under sail. Families, a.k.a. crew, are encouraged to attend together.

If you can't make class, USPS along with the US Coast Guard Auxillary has developed an interactive, PC-based America's Boating Course. Look for courses certified by US Sailing, the national governing body for the sport of sailing (www.ussailing.org) or the American Sailing Association (www.asa.com). You and everyone else on the water with you will be glad you did.