Any sailors here?

[Halfbaked_Boy]

Huya, I've always been fascinated by the relationships between flying and sailing, and it seems from some of my yaghting mags that there are lot of aviators out there who pursue an interest/hobby as a mariner also and if there are any around here then let's hear about it :)

My step dad and I have a little yaght based down at Gosport (fallen victim to the old 'Gosport-rush' in the harbour many times in the past!) that we sail whenever we both find our days free.

So anyone else into this alternative form of piloting?

Cheers, Jack.

[pilotwolf]

Yep but power boats only...

PW

[Say again s l o w l y]

Yep, mostly smaller stuff but last was an 18ft skiff and do a bit of 1720 racing when I can.

[AlexL]

Yup, I'm a sailor, and a Scuba Diver - both sports seem to have their fair share of pilots.
I've got a 37ft yacht on the east coast, around ipswich area.

[Confabulous]

Ernie Gann was a sailor I believe - would like to get into it myself. Powered of course! :} :E

[Jinkster]

Yep, dinghy sailing mainly but hold the Dayskipper and Yachtmaster shorebased and hopefully do the practical sometime this year!

Jinkster

[Talkdownman]

Yes, three decades and a few thousand nautical miles.

I consider that a yacht is two halves of a glider on its side:

The mainsail being half a mainplane.
The jib being half the leading-edge droop in airflow with a large angle of attack.
The fin-keel being half a tailplane.
The rudder being an elevator.

Eg. Fabricate two identical yachts from very light materials, glue two together, throw very hard and it should fly. Briefly.

The navigation and communication principles and TCAS systems are also similar.

Traffic separation options in the vertical plane are, however, somewhat more limited than with aviating........;)

[Mike Cross]

I've sailed for a long time and reckon there's definitely an aptitude link betweeen sailing flying and skiing. They all have a set of common factors:-
Travelling in a direction different to the one in which you are pointing.
Going up down and sideways at the same time
Emptying one's wallet.

I find it far cheaper to sail other peoples boats. I'll probably do the Beneteau Cup this summer and am looking forward to a week's bareboat charter in Turkey on a Dufour 385. I also have a half share in a RIB and will be marshalling at the Fleet Review.

[TheKentishFledgling]

Yup, sail Hobie 16s often in the Summer months. Hoping to do some sailing in the South of France this summer with some mates.

tKF

[rotorboater]

Got a Corby 40 racing yacht & a 1720 sports boat as well as a rib.

I agree about sailing being like flying in some respects, the wind is critical to both and they can both be seriously expensive!

I am always looking for more crew, so if you are near North Wales or Dublin and have some experience, let me know.

[sparks-flying]

I used to keep a yacht in North wales but had to sell it to progress with my flying, would be keen to sail some more though ROTORBOATER if you still need crew!!

[Jinkster]

rotorboater, if you need anyone - have little experience with the big boats but dinghy no problems,always wanting to gain more experience feel free to PM.

[Halfbaked_Boy]

Jolly good chaps; splendid to see so many people into this :)

Rotorboater, I'm not so much into racing itself (although we have taken the Seawych on the IoW circumference race and fared pretty well considering) although a long term ambition of mine (once all this airline business is sorted out and I find out where I stand in life!) is to retire, and get together a crew for some transatlantic/global circumnavigate sailing, the proper stuff. Of course we'll just have to see how things go.

Thanks for all the enthusiastic replies!

Cheers and keep 'em coming, Jack.

[Sleeve Wing]

Yup, I'm another.
Coastal Skipper's ticket on Powerboats but prefer sailing; it's far cheaper. You see, I like to fly as well !

Now sail regularly with a friend, another airline pilot, on the Solent and in the Channel.

I'll get used to the fickle weather one day.

Sleeve. :ok:

[Jinkster]

Anyone know the Folly Inn?

:D

[pilotwolf]

Anyone know the Folly Inn?

The one at Whippingham, IOW?

PW

[Mike Cross]

Anyone know the Folly Inn?
Yes. (and the Anchor, the Three Crowns, The Union, the late lamented Row Barge, the Crab and Lobster, the George Hotel. the Master Builder, the Seaview Hotel etc etc etc) :ok:

Next question?

[Taildragger55]

Yes, dabbled a bit.

It is obvious that flying and sailing have a lot in common:

-neither can be indulged in in these parts unless the weather is behaving atypically

-both are totally impractical ways to get from A to B

-both cost a fortune in hangarage/moorings,

-both offer a variety of possibilities for killing yourself messily

-both offer infinite potential for buying fascinating twiddly technical gizmos at ludicrous expense

[sailor]

You called?
:ok:

[Ace Rimmer]

Yep here's another...Matter of fact used to do it for a living though if I'm honest more of an ex-sailor now. Started out in dinghies Oppie, Mirror, Int Moth, 470, Contender and 505s (with occaisional forays into Int 14s)

Then raced offshore 1 Admiral's Cup 2 Sardinia Cups 3 One ton Cups and a 1/2 ton Cup - oh yeah sailed a mini tonner (a much modded micro tonner)... that was fun. Got paid for it too Also used to do deliveries as a means of keeping the wolf from the door and paying for flying. Pretty much packed it in when I got a proper job - no time for serious sailing (though i did go back to playing with 50's and 14s for a few years.

Long believed that flying and sailing are pretty much the same thing - but you try explaining that to to sombody who does neither!

[OpenCirrus619]

Sailing is THE way to go - both in the air and on the water:ok: . Engines are useful for maneuvering in and out of the marina or for getting a launch - but the real travelling should be done using the power provided by Mother Nature.

I used to spend as much time (finance permitting) as I could sailing (35-40') and have an RYA Yachtmaster - but in recent years flying has taken over. The most I manage is a week or two sailing holiday every other year.:(


OK, OK - I'll 'fess up. While I don't "get" power boats I do love power planes just as much as gliders.;)

[Mike Cross]

I agree re the power boats. I used to have a half share in a Fairey Swordsman which, as powerboats go, is pretty nice.

But the motion, particularly in the open sea, is nowhere near as comfortable or as damped as a sailing boat.

Coming back from St Vaast la Hogue once took us 13 hours on account of the sea state. I was the only one not sick and that was because I had to steer all the way (couldn't risk the autopilot dropping us off the top of a big one).

They are pigs to raft up to each uther as they have no tumblehome and the flared decks smash into each other. While you do get some fairly awful people in yachts, there seem to be more of them in power boats

Mike

[PH-UKU]

So what is the ultimate way to combine the best of both these worlds ?

From my limited experience, it's .... float-flying !! :D :cool: ;)

Done a tiny bit of sailing, and a few hundred PPL hrs, and finally put the two elements together last year ... now getting a syndicate up and running with a 210HP amphib .... anyone interested :E

Imagine landing on a loch, and cutting the engine while you sit on the float and just drift in the sunshine .............or pull up on a deserted shoreline ........... total heaven.