If you're like many couples, you may be coming into cruising having different levels of sailing experience. One person may have a lot of experience where sailing is second nature, while the other has had more limited exposure or has had less of an opportunity to learn. One of the things we have observed over the last few years is that this disconnect can be a source of friction on a boat when it comes time to set sail on a cruise together. The friction can come not because of the skills gap but by not being on the same page about your learning plans and how to help each other continuously improve.
Although I've sailed on Stephane's previous boat, taken navigational courses and was bareboat certified before we stepped into cruising, he just has much more time on the water and sailing is intuitive to him. Over the last couple of years, I've gotten more comfortable with boat handling, maneuvers and docking and have been working hard on my passage and practical sailing experience but it's a journey. We have worked through many of our initial disconnects but as we have been taking a lot of training this year, we have observed and discussed with other couples ways to approach learning and preparation so the cruising dream starts off set up for success and neither party gets frustrated.
As we move to a Performance Catamaran, we will both be leveling up and have taken this past year to be much more disciplined about how we learn together, and what we need to individually get better at so we can safely and comfortably sail our new boat with confidence as a team. One one hand I want him to learn more so we can be in the best situation, but if I don't continuously learn the gap will only get bigger. We wanted to outline some learning categories we hope you can find helpful when you are developing your own learning and development plans.
<aside> ⚠️ Please note, we are not affiliates with any of these recommendations, we just found them useful.
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Sailing is an activity that requires both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. So much can be learned before you even step foot on a boat, making you more confident and less overwhelmed when you finally take that first class. There are many sailing theory videos on YouTube but we think it's good to get more programmatic online help if you can. This is often offered through local sailing clubs but it's also worth looking into structured online programs as well. A good online course will cover basic points of sail, some navigation, tides, colregs, and safety.
I really liked the NAVATHOME courses and did that myself as Stephane was also preparing for his RYA certification. They offer many course levels but I really liked their approach and all the study materials.
Basic Training Online Course $40 everything is online and you can get a feel for how the program works. You can finish this or sign up for a more involved course like Day Skipper or Coastal Yachtmaster. The Day Skipper Online Course is $280 and they send you the course materials, charts and study guides with an online component and access to instructors.
It is also helpful to practice some basic things at home. Here are some examples:
There's tons of youtube videos and cheats, it just takes practice!