I thought that other people who are learning to sail from scratch might be interested in reading about what went well for us and what we’d do differently.

Six months ago I couldn’t hold a conversation about sailing beyond, “that is a nice-looking boat”. This made attending the Annapolis Boat Show to shop for a sailboat very awkward.

Since then, we’ve bought a St. Francis 50 catamaran, and taken RYA sailing courses. We’ve rented our house and are in the process of downsizing. We are gathering information from educators to prepare for homeschooling.

Things That Went Well

Beginner sailing courses

• learning the language of sailing — reading helps but practical sailing experience is better
• Navathome’s online RYA sailing program — Day Skipper Theory course — was money well spent
• studying for the RYA VHF radio course using the visual phonetic alphabet

Buying a boat

• hiring a marine documentation specialist to assist with paperwork and process relating to our boat purchase
• having Pat Reischmann as our broker and advisor for purchasing and refit decisions

Other ‘wins’

• getting my hair cut in a simple style that is entirely simple and devoid of highlights.
• my GILL brand technical boat shoes — excellent grip, and no foot injuries

Things I’d Do Differently

I’d learn sailing more slowly

• jumping into sailing as a complete newbie at Antigua Sailing Week (ASW). I would have benefited from the RYA Competent Crew course prior to ASW.
• RYA Competent Crew would have been a better entry course to learn to sail than the RYA Day Skipper course.

I’d buy less stuff

• I’d be a more discerning shopper. To downsize, we have so many things to give away, throw out or donate
• I‘d spend less at thrift stores. Often, someone else’s junk wound up at the thrift store for a reason.

Things I’ve Learned

Buying, refitting, and cleaning a boat

• buying a boat is a bit like buying a wedding dress. An expensive boat begs for expensive accessories.
• cleaning a boat is a lot of work. So much surface area!
• during a refit — do your research and set an expected budget, then multiply that number by three, and there’s your actual budget

Vermin and materials onboard

• boats attract vermin. I hear that cockroaches are not uncommon. Eggs and bugs like to hide in cardboard so leave cardboard off the boat, including cereal boxes. As one person told me:

“We have to live with them not only on the yachts but also in villas and restaurants. Welcome to the Caribbean!”

• stainless steel 316 is marine-grade with anti-corrosion qualities. Cutlery is usually made of stainless steel 304, which is great for knives and forks but will not last at sea. Expect to replace your stainless steel kitchen items. Very few items are made with marine-grade steel.

Seasickness and learning to sail

• scopolamine patches worked to combat seasickness, but left me with short-term eyesight issues
• there is no substitute for actual sailing experience
• navigation is an art not a science
• wind is important when sailing

Caribbean sailing conditions

• Caribbean has virtually no tides
• Caribbean hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30

Sailing culture and etiquette

• sailors tend to dress casually onboard but they carry a dressy outfit — chinos and dress boat shoes — just in case they go out for dinner. This is the only sport that I can think of that has a casual and dressy casual dress etiquette
• there is an etiquette at a marina for having a boat with tidy ropes and fenders. Tires as fenders are déclassé, which is too bad but there it is.
• catamaran owners can be perceived as snobby by some other boat owners

What I learned about myself

• I value Canadian winter and winter sports. I take pride in staying warm.

The next six months should be interesting. We’ll be moving to our catamaran and homeschooling our kids, while gaining sailing experience. I am excited about what the future holds. There’s a lot of learning to do.

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Sadly, Pat Reischmann passed away in October 2023. He was generous with his time and patience. He had a funny sense of humor and we appreciated his insight very much.

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