LEARNING TO SAIL SHOULD BE FUN AND REWARDING
Although we take our sail training for adults seriously, learning to sail should be fun. You will go home feeling a sense of achievement but hopefully you’ll have a good time and eat well too.
At SchoonerSail we have many years experience teaching people sailing skills and how to be part of the crew on our schooner Trinovante.
The focus is on teaching good, solid seamanship skills whilst visiting some of the best sailing areas in the world. The style is informal. Every voyage is an adventure.
If you are a yachtsperson or looking to become one, it is important to be clear that we do not run RYA courses which are geared towards learning to skipper a yacht.
Tall ship sailing where you are member of the crew develops a specific set of skills.
If you are looking for something more ‘in depth’ about sailing schooners check out the links to our Learning To Sail A Schooner Articles at the bottom of this page.
I’d done quite a lot of dinghy sailing but had always wanted to experience sailing a “proper ship”. Finding SchoonerSail online it looked like an ideal combination of a small friendly crew and keen sailors.
Jess W
As a beginner what type of voyage should I choose?
Some people like to try one of our taster weekends first before committing to a longer sailing holiday but there is no obligation to do so and many first time sailors go straight for something more challenging.
If you find it difficult to choose or are not sure what any of our voyages will involve just give us a ring on 07977 594649. Remember, because we are not an agency, booking for many boats you will be speaking directly to the people you will actually be sailing with.
So what can I expect to learn on a Sailing Holiday?
For starters you are definitely going to learn some new nautical words!
Initially most beginners feel quite daunted – that’s normal. From the moment you step onboard you will be totally immersed in the world of sail and the sea.
On a multi masted schooner we need you, our guest sailors, to be involved in everything. From hoisting sail and steering to dropping the anchor. It’s in our interest to teach you as much as possible. The boat sails better, we get competent crew, you learn and enjoy the sailing more.
There is always a mix of abilities on board from beginners to experienced sailors so whatever level you’re at you won’t be alone.
Every year Trinovante sets sail on a different voyage. The 2019 Voyage sails to England, Norway and Scotland. View the voyage map here. You can join for anything from a few days to a couple of weeks and experience a taster weekend, coastal or offshore sailing.
New Skills, New Experiences, New Horizons.
SchoonerSail Learning To Sail A Schooner Articles
John, Trinovante’s skipper started writing these articles after some Trinovante Crew asked for more information on the fundamentals of schooner handling. None of these articles are invented theory. John has simply written about specific situations that have arisen.
Seafaring is an ongoing learning process and John cautions against set piece manoeuvers. You need a plan but it needs to be flexible because things don’t always go according to plan.
Sail Training involves learning HOW to safely handle ropes, some basic knots and using winches among other things. WHY we need these skills is to be able to carry out manoeuveres under sail or power.
Full knowledge of the WHY is not essential. Dip into these Learning To Sail articles if you want.