How hard is it to learn to sail?

If the water is totally still, that means no wind = no sailing.

Assuming some wind - yes, you can figure it out yourself, as I did - but I had a background in surfing. It's prob. much easier to go out with someone who knows what they're doing  the first few times.

A question for Riggerdude it would seem. Pretty sure he is retired from black screen however.

First thing you learn is tacking,  or learning how to use the wind to go different directions...  if you've got a jib, learning how to knock your enemies out of the boat and into the drink with it when tacking, lol 

I learned on a Sunfish. No instructions. You figure it out pretty quickly. Point into the wind = no power. Turn slightly and the sail fills and you start moving. Too much wind and you start to tip so you let out some line or adjust direction. Great fun. 

And remember to duck when you change direction to "tack". 

Watch the Bill Murray movie  "What About Bob" and that has some pointers.  You'll note that "Bob" wears a life-jacket which is a good idea, at least to keep one handy.

I taught myself how to board sail. I already knew how to sail and thought it would be a breeze (no pun intended).

That first day the winds and swells picked up. I couldn't lift the sail and was drifting farther and farther offshore. I had to flag down a catamaran. One of the dudes knew how to  windsurf, so he and I traded places and he sailed in to shore.

That year, and for the following 5 years, I got in about 150-200 sailing days a year. I had one more hairy experience in the Cayman Islands, but those were the only two times I thought I was going to die.

go for it!

if there is no wind that's a problem.  I've raced on the gulf where it was dead- long day. def wear a pfd.

as far as the boat, maybe you could rent one before you buy?

bring a whistle in case you end up like Briank.

That time in the Caymans, I rented a board. They gave me a pretty big sail, but the winds weren't that strong so it was cool. Winds were solid offshore.

I harnessed in on a broad reach. About 75 yards offshore the winds and swells picked up, but I was on a sick plane and was in dreamland. That's really the best feeling in the world.

A few minutes or so later I turned around, and the land was pretty fucking far off. I had been hauling!

Offshore winds meant that I had to tack to get back in. The winds kept picking up and the sail became way too big. I couldn't even hold the boom because my hands were so torn up. I safety derigged and paddled back in. The return trip took almost 3 hours.

The guy at the rental shop told me that I would have ended up in the shipping lanes within an hour, and would probably have been run over by a tanker. If I survived that, I would have ended up in Havana Harbor by the next morning.

My advice to you, Ender, is to pick a day to learn when there are cross-shore winds at best, and onshore at the least. 

Same thing happened to me on my very first Sunfish sail at age 16 on Cape Cod. Landlord lent it to me and I went out on the bay in gentle offshore winds. As the day progressed the wind became stronger, and when I tried to head in I was unable to tack. Had to put the mast down and paddle in - took about 2 hours. I was never afraid for my life but it was a lot of work.

Find a teacher for one day...listen and learn

They give free lessons at Berkeley Marina next to Adventure Playground. 

>>So don't sail when the winds could easily push me offshore at first?

Pretty much.

Either way, just get the boat and go. Sailing on small boats is awesome. My father had big boats (28' - 36') and I fucking hated those things!

I'm all stoked now. I haven't been on a board in 20+ years and just found a place to rent one!

Charter yourself a power yacht with  a bow thruster and you'll do fine. 

>>It's prob. much easier to go out with someone who knows what they're doing the first few times.

  As Surf said, this is also good advice.

A very relaxing hobby, hope you enjoy it.

I plan on doing some sailing at the beach in a few weeks.

Part 1 of 6

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmse69soR2k

>>A very relaxing hobby, hope you enjoy it.

Well, there's the time our sailboat broached during a race on Lake Michigan and we had a man overboard (he was fine and picked up by another boat) when weather blew in.  Same race, some others went overboard on different boats and a man drowned.  Then the time Caliente a 44 foot trimaran capsized during the CYC Race to Mackinac.  Great group of people I've sailed with on the Caliente a few times after the boat was repaired.  A beast- super fast and so fun.

Can be extremely relaxing, but safety first always.  For the most part, I've had wonderful experiences and much enjoyment.  Fantastic sport or hobby.

I was watching the America's Cup last weekend. Christ, those things are more like spaceships than boats! The fastest speed I saw was 31 kph (35 MPH).

I remember, years ago, when there was a big to-do because one of the teams put a wing on the keel. These boats are all wings and foils.

i was going to ask my buddy to take me out.

he aslo can fly planes and build missles...

Sunfish is a fun and pretty easy to learn on. I never sailed anything else but had lots of fun on my old girlfriend's sunfish. 

"Can be extremely relaxing, but safety first always"

Of course. And racing is a whole other deal.  I'm talking about a relaxing cruise for an hour or two.

Sailing is fun, but going out with someone one time is a good idea. Also be aware that you can sail a few miles and then the wind can die.

You'll learn more sailing one afternoon with an instructor or knowledgeable friend than in a whole summer of reading books about it.

i'll be up in Door County WI the first two weeks of August learning to sail and living on the water.