When I was four or five back in the late 70's, my dad bought a Newport 16, much to my mom's dismay. We went sailing off the coast of Los Angeles and a pod of whales came up to investigate us. My mom started freaking out, which caused me to start freaking out. To this day, I swear the whales started bumping the boat. Dad says they actually stayed a stone's throw away, but they were curious about us and did come pretty close.
Also on that trip, I threw up and a seal played in it. Quite a first adventure! The things that stay in your memory from your childhood still amaze me.
Got into sailing at age 14 in 1960 at San Diego YC, never looked back. Started in Lido 14 (brother had a Starlet) and sorta oozed my way through everything we had over the next few years. Int'l 110, Star, Lightning, Finn, Soling, E22 (first one at SDYC I think) and of course the big boats. Rigged Star boats for Lowell North, graduated to sailmaking, it's a long story. Live on the East Coast now, Cape Cod and vicinity.
The repair ship I was on got deployed to Sasebo, Japan, while in the Navy, and a buddy needed a crew for the Lightening racing skiffs the Recreation department on base had. He was a successful E-class Scow sailer from the Great Lakes and I was hooked after the first run. Since the boats were usually checked out by the officers on the weekends for their races, we did a lot of practice during the week. He even welded some braces in a corner of the workshop, and we'd spend time "exercising" our thighs and stomach muscles for hiking. Then when we wandered down in our civilian clothes one Sunday, someone offered their boat to us for the next race, and second place was way behind us at the finish. The thrill of winning was even greater because we were the only enlisted guys sailing. Life changing events sometimes happen without our planning them. That was in 1963-64.
We, the family had one of those all Styrofoam, row, sorta motor, sail boats that someone sold in the 60's. I built a sail rig. Was, 12-14 yrs. old. An uncle knew the deal...how to sail. In fact he had taught sailing on Lightnings. Pretty good credentials! Anyway, first time on Kerr Lake, NC, wind got up, I didn't let go and the whole rig sorta blew up. But it was great FUN all in all.
My first memory of sailing solo was in the Chesapeake, at a very young age. I had mastered Sailin downwind, apparently, but did not have upwind skills. I had to be rescued, which felt humiliating, but did not deter me from trying to get the right skills
1st boat I sailed on was a old Moth boat. Not a great swimer heeling over scared me at first. After I moved up to the high side all got better. That was when I was six. Been sailing for amost 60 years.
I was nine and the old man bought a GlenL 17 that terrified the women in the family sailing Green Bay. Same year he bought a Barnett MAX I started sailing solo. Still have that little thing at the lake house.
"Helped" my dad build a kit boat when we lived in Holland in the 50's. Sailed it on the Loosedrechtplaase south of Amsterdam. Cheese and sardine sandwiches.
I learned to sail on a small inland lake in Minneapolis, at age 3, on a 7' Sport Yak 2 row/sail dinghy. At 4, my dad attached a few hundred feet of floating poly line to the boat, and I got to sail solo around the docks, learning to handle the boat and points of sail. By the middle of that summer, after my dad was comfortable with my ability to tack upwind, I was sailing Lake Nokomis untethered.
I started about age 11-12, not a little kid but not yet a teenager. I sailed at Lake Whitney in central TX, where I still do most of my sailing. My first boat was a Folbot lateen kayak, bought with money saved up from lawn-mowing. The next year I bought a Snark Wildflower, and sailed it for nearly 20 years. Since my father was a teacher, we spent a lot of time in the summer camping at the state park at that lake, so I got a lot of practice on the water.
My Grandfather let me learn in his Grumman canoe with sail kit (Lee boards & rudder). He figured damage would be much less than if he gave me the Laser to play with at age 9.
Introduced to sailing by crewing on a CF 27 at the San Diego Yacht Club in PHRF races. Bought a Snipe and joined the Mission Bay Yacht Club and raced with them and a little later the San Diego Laser fleet. Moved to Chicago 27 years ago and owned and sailed keel boats (Pacific Seacraft 31, Colvin Gazelle schooner, Tartan 34C) and raced on a bunch of others. High costs of ownership and dwindling usage got me out of big boats. I now sail a 16 foot Phoenix III designed by Ross Lillistone that was expertly crafted by Cameron MetCalfe in Ottawa Canada. I trailer launch and keep the boat in my garage. No more 45 minute drives to the yard or marina just to fiddle around with the boat! And no more $3K plus checks twice a year for moorage and storage.
When I was four or five back in the late 70's, my dad bought a Newport 16, much to my mom's dismay. We went sailing off the coast of Los Angeles and a pod of whales came up to investigate us. My mom started freaking out, which caused me to start freaking out. To this day, I swear the whales started bumping the boat. Dad says they actually stayed a stone's throw away, but they were curious about us and did come pretty close.
Also on that trip, I threw up and a seal played in it. Quite a first adventure! The things that stay in your memory from your childhood still amaze me.
Wow! That's quite a neat memory! Answers the question if you can chum for seals. Hahaha.
I started when I was 10 sailing El Toros in Lincoln, Nebraska on a man-made lake
Got into sailing at age 14 in 1960 at San Diego YC, never looked back. Started in Lido 14 (brother had a Starlet) and sorta oozed my way through everything we had over the next few years. Int'l 110, Star, Lightning, Finn, Soling, E22 (first one at SDYC I think) and of course the big boats. Rigged Star boats for Lowell North, graduated to sailmaking, it's a long story. Live on the East Coast now, Cape Cod and vicinity.
The repair ship I was on got deployed to Sasebo, Japan, while in the Navy, and a buddy needed a crew for the Lightening racing skiffs the Recreation department on base had. He was a successful E-class Scow sailer from the Great Lakes and I was hooked after the first run. Since the boats were usually checked out by the officers on the weekends for their races, we did a lot of practice during the week. He even welded some braces in a corner of the workshop, and we'd spend time "exercising" our thighs and stomach muscles for hiking. Then when we wandered down in our civilian clothes one Sunday, someone offered their boat to us for the next race, and second place was way behind us at the finish. The thrill of winning was even greater because we were the only enlisted guys sailing. Life changing events sometimes happen without our planning them. That was in 1963-64.
We, the family had one of those all Styrofoam, row, sorta motor, sail boats that someone sold in the 60's. I built a sail rig. Was, 12-14 yrs. old. An uncle knew the deal...how to sail. In fact he had taught sailing on Lightnings. Pretty good credentials! Anyway, first time on Kerr Lake, NC, wind got up, I didn't let go and the whole rig sorta blew up. But it was great FUN all in all.
My first memory of sailing solo was in the Chesapeake, at a very young age. I had mastered Sailin downwind, apparently, but did not have upwind skills. I had to be rescued, which felt humiliating, but did not deter me from trying to get the right skills
YMCA Camp in northern MN. Sold a lotta salt water taffy to learn…
1st boat I sailed on was a old Moth boat. Not a great swimer heeling over scared me at first. After I moved up to the high side all got better. That was when I was six. Been sailing for amost 60 years.
Naval Training Center San Diego 1969. Probably the best thing that came out of that experience
I was nine and the old man bought a GlenL 17 that terrified the women in the family sailing Green Bay. Same year he bought a Barnett MAX I started sailing solo. Still have that little thing at the lake house.
"Helped" my dad build a kit boat when we lived in Holland in the 50's. Sailed it on the Loosedrechtplaase south of Amsterdam. Cheese and sardine sandwiches.
I learned to sail on a small inland lake in Minneapolis, at age 3, on a 7' Sport Yak 2 row/sail dinghy. At 4, my dad attached a few hundred feet of floating poly line to the boat, and I got to sail solo around the docks, learning to handle the boat and points of sail. By the middle of that summer, after my dad was comfortable with my ability to tack upwind, I was sailing Lake Nokomis untethered.
He'd probably get arrested for that these days...
I started about age 11-12, not a little kid but not yet a teenager. I sailed at Lake Whitney in central TX, where I still do most of my sailing. My first boat was a Folbot lateen kayak, bought with money saved up from lawn-mowing. The next year I bought a Snark Wildflower, and sailed it for nearly 20 years. Since my father was a teacher, we spent a lot of time in the summer camping at the state park at that lake, so I got a lot of practice on the water.
My Grandfather let me learn in his Grumman canoe with sail kit (Lee boards & rudder). He figured damage would be much less than if he gave me the Laser to play with at age 9.
I was an aviation geek until 50, not interested unless it had wings. Then got the US Sailing bareboat certification so I could do charters
Introduced to sailing by crewing on a CF 27 at the San Diego Yacht Club in PHRF races. Bought a Snipe and joined the Mission Bay Yacht Club and raced with them and a little later the San Diego Laser fleet. Moved to Chicago 27 years ago and owned and sailed keel boats (Pacific Seacraft 31, Colvin Gazelle schooner, Tartan 34C) and raced on a bunch of others. High costs of ownership and dwindling usage got me out of big boats. I now sail a 16 foot Phoenix III designed by Ross Lillistone that was expertly crafted by Cameron MetCalfe in Ottawa Canada. I trailer launch and keep the boat in my garage. No more 45 minute drives to the yard or marina just to fiddle around with the boat! And no more $3K plus checks twice a year for moorage and storage.