Do you like being a cruising sailor, know how to increase your own cabin sailing yacht safely, have some extra fun, make new acquaintances and go through many experiences? A good way is joining a sailing club. You'll be surprised at what it can bring! Expanding the horizon You are a cruising sailor, you have a cabin sailing yacht, sailing in the weekends regularly round the lake. You're a little tired of your business, you want some more, but perhaps you do not dare to go alone. You can find the sailing itself still very nice, but the habituation sneaks in, the challenge is gone and the new has worn off. It may sound unkind, but it will be eventually a bit boring: always go with your partner or children. You also want to speak with other sailors sometimes. You may also have bought another boat that you can and want to extend your sailing area. But how do you do that? Preparing yourself To step further, you have to gain knowledge. You may get to know for the first time in your life with shipping lanes, salt water, currents and tides. You can then prepare yourself by reading textbooks, Navigation, TKN and monitor VHF courses, doing exams and watch YouTube videos. All of them are very useful, but you must also gain experience in practice. Before learning to perform special practice with your own boat one day, half-day with an instructor is certainly very sensible. These include the practice of special maneuvers like passing a lock, picking up a mooring buoy, putting on and sail away on stream. Joining a watersports club You get to know new friends. One advantage of a club is that you become familiar with a very diverse group of people. You'll find a group of sailors with very different backgrounds: bank managers and physicians, but also factory workers and the unemployed; not the education or the work is important, but the shared love for sailing. In a large club, the members are from different country and therefore they are all experts in their own area of operation. They can tell you exactly which areas is nice for sail (or not). The members have all sorts and sizes of boats. Your boat lie in ports alongside or against other participants, you talk some, view each other's boats and you have so much information. Course of events For longer holidays we often meet each other only once (without boat) before departure: a meeting with fellow travelers. For weekends that does not happen often. During the event there has been a leader / coordinator, an experienced sailor. He discusses the daily route, answear any concerns, warns of dangers and important: keep the weather in mind. If it seems irresponsible to sail, then it does not. That is reassuring for inexperienced people because of broader water is for most people, a sudden change of weather is the worst nightmare. Except that you're in a group, in fact, you have a lot of learning from each other, you're not alone anymore on the road. Sailing with a group of boats brings a lot of fun. Weekends and holidays for families with children are organized so that the new friends from the other boats are always nearby. It is not only nice for the children but also for parents. For couples without children and single-handed sailors, it also has its advantages. It's cozy; you have a claim, you will be once again together in the cockpit on the drink, even goes barbecuing together or eating out. Nothing needs, anything goes. You can stay on your own boat as much as you want, but a little contact with your fellow travelers, to work with and assist in the group is of course much nicer for both parties. Disadvantages of cruising with a group Sailing in a club is not for everyone. It requires some adaptability to a group of people (and boats) to go out. Now sailing is a sport, especially suitable for flexible people. But sailors are often stubborn people. To suit to a group, it can sometimes be difficult. Sometimes a participant thinks more, or to know better than the leader of the group, and he must resign themselves to the joint decision to enter or change the destination. If you think you have difficulty with it, you'd better not start. That only creates tension and frustration. Conclusion Many people will agree: You will gain a lot of fun and friends at a sailing club. Go for a club and be amazed at what it can bring. Besides, there are some other kind of activities that you can enjoy at the weekend like go camping. Only with a Coleman easy up tent and some utensils, you can go to refresh yourself for some days. Whatever you choose, let's go now!
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