Sailing and Camping

If you want to go and sail out on your own, you're going to need to know how to sail a sailboat, get some sort of accreditation as a skipper or sailor and buy your own boat. So first things first: where to go to learn how to sail. If your father is a fisherman, chances are good that he'd already have taught you. However, for those who haven't even seen the ocean up close, we have to try to locate a school for sailing.

There are several sailing schools offering to take you on a sailing class, but choosing the right one may not be easy. The first thing you may have to consider is proximity - you will want to find a school that is close to home.

To find a good school near your home, you could go the the American Sailing Association (ASA) for a list of accredited schools in your area. If you do find one that you like, check out the schools accreditation with ASA. Make sure that it has been updated and that won't drastically affect YOUR accreditation as a sailor once you are through.

The sailing class will probably last for several weeks and cover more topics than you thought you needed, but once you are through, you will be able to sail your own sailboat or maybe just go bare-boating on a sailing charter. If you can't afford to buy or you're your own boat, just hang on. Maybe you might someday be invited to be a crew member of a yacht on a regatta. Wouldn't that be a good chance to use your knowledge?