Newbie to sailing - need help

[ElbowGreaseLightning]

Next week I am going on a sailing course for 4 nights. The company has not given me loads of info, so I need a bit of help. I have been on boats before, but only for the day and it usually involved lots of Prosecco, so I am not a sailor, yet.

I need help in the following:

1. What should I take to wear? I have a waterproof coat and a hat, but not sure what I should be wearing on top and bottom.

2. What to take to eat. I anticipate on being starving hungry from all the sea air and activity, but the galley will be small.

Tips would be very much appreciated.

@ElbowGreaseLightning you can tell you’re a newbie as you missed a couple of vital things in your OP … where are you going (ie what are the weather/ sea conditions likely to be) and will you be sleeping on board at night and if so where (marina, local port, anchoring somewhere remote). Any reponses would depend on your answers to these questions :)

If you have paid for a sailing course with a reputable company they will provide you with waterproof, safety clothing and food. This information should be provided with all your booking conditions.

Roll on deodorant (I got told off for using a spray!) earplugs as you are likely to be sharing a cabin. Have a great time

NC because outing.

If you tell us where you are sailing, we can give much better advice. If it is in UK then I would suggest you consider the following:

1. for daytime clothing, bring plenty of layers. If you do any sort of mountain sports then those clothes can work well. On the water, especially when sailing upwind, you may need 2-3 layers more than you would need in the same conditions on land.
2. If you are sleeping on the boat then remember it can get much colder than you would expect at night, unless there is a heater and it runs well. Look at the weather forecast and check out what the coldest night time temperature is likely to be. Unless you are somewhere very warm, Bring a warm sleeping bag and warm pyjamas, and consider earplugs and possibly an eyeshade mass if noise and light wake you up.
3. Bring 1-2 woolly hats like you would use in winter, and wear one if you start to feel even a little bit cold. It is easier to stay warm than to warm up if you get cold. I have slept wearing a hat when on a sailboat and it made the difference between being OK and being really too cold.
4. Assuming you are going to be involved in handling ropes, consider buying a pair of builder gloves such these to protect your hands uk.rs-online.com/web/p/work-gloves/0467298. They are just like sailing gloves, minus the word "sailing" and they cost about 50% less.
5. Remember to drink a lot of water because it is really easy to get dehydrated while sailing.
6. Bring sunscreen and lip protector. If you bring a cap to protect your head from sun, bring a bit of string to tie it on to your life jacket, or expect to lose it overboard. So do not bring your favourite cap.
7. Bring sunglasses, since light reflecting off of the water is bright and tiring for the eyes
8. If you have to bring your own food, then bring food that requires as little on-boat preparation as is possible. You may have access to a gas hob or gas oven, and there might be one or two small pans and pots knocking around, but do not expect much. Also the galley is going to be small so it is usually more efficient to have one person prepare a meal for everyone, unless you eat out. It is not realistic on a sailboat for several different individuals to each take turns cooking their own meal.
9. ask the company running the course whether there are mains or 12V sockets for charging your phone or other devices, but in case you are a large group with limited sockets, bring enough charged battery packs for your phone to cover the whole trip, if you can.
10. for the waterproofs, if you are trying this out and may never sail again, ask the school whether you can borrow or rent "oilies" from them. Or, buy relatively cheap ones like this www.decathlon.co.uk/p/women-s-sailing-waterproof-salopettes-sailing-300-nav If you expect to sail numerous times in the future, you will probably want to invest in some point in something like this www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk/2022-musto-womens-br1-sailing-trousers-true-navy-swtr011-p-26165.htm

I hope this is useful.

Thank you very much ILoveSailing. I will go through that list.

We are doing a 4 night competent crew course off Norfolk. We are staying on board to sleep, in the marina we are setting off from, I believe. The reviews on the company are really good re the course, however they have not given me much info aside from the fact that I have to bring my own food, and I can hire waterproofs.

I've looked at the weather and there will be a bit of a heatwave on, with the lowest temp at night at 14 degrees.

Yes, I am a newbie and that's why we are doing the entry level course.

Layers are the best bet for clothing as pp said. Pack some super concentrated cordial and maybe flavoured rehydration salts as depending on how the water is stored it can taste a bit weird and it's easy to get dehydrated. Some sugar sweets are good too if you start feeling sick, which I find happens more when I'm physically tired. Sweet snacks in general are good to have, maybe those salty/chocolate/nut bars would be a good pick me up. Don't forget the sunscreen even if it's overcast!

Oh and fruit! Tastes extra super delicious when you're tired and hungry. Plus it helps with the rehydration. Tbf I've only sailed in the tropics so I might be getting a bit carried away with all the drinking advice. Have a great time op. 😎

to add to the list

Torch. For getting up in the night and going to the loo without falling over stuff or going to the shower block in the marina in the dark

YES that is an excellent idea.

The most useful sort would be something like this:
smile.amazon.co.uk/Vekkia-Flashlight-Headlight-Adjustable-Resistant/dp/B08YYBP86N
smile.amazon.co.uk/BORUIT-Headlamp-Battery-Headtorch-Headlight/dp/B09KFYWW9D

-headtorch format means you can have both hands free while doing things at night, especially useful if out on deck or carrying something while needing one hand to hold on to the boat
-red light option is useful at night because it is less likely to awaken other nearby sleeping people

You have to bring your own snacks or all food? Because I’ve been around a hell of a lot of sailing and I’ve NEVER heard of a sailing school operation which asks guests to bring all food! Boat fridges tend to be tiny, jobs are small/2 rings ffairs, no microwave etc etc so no idea how
that would work in practice!

Hobs. Not jobs obviously 🙄

Can I also ask what you wear on your feet?

Depends what sort of sailing.
Something like these are good general purpose for small boats
https://www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk/dinghy-kayak-dive-boots-c-27_93_188.html
eg The GUL 5mm all purpose
For larger yachts you would wear wellingtons. Something like these
https://www.wetsuitoutlet.co.uk/2022-gill-tall-yachting-boots-blue-909-p-30614.html
The main thing is - you are inevitably going to get your feet wet at some point. Either from a wave or jumping off the boat into some mud to tie up. So you can wear trainers but take a spare pair obvs

Deck shoes that don’t mark the decks. Many wear sturdy trainers these days. Anything non slop and non marking.

Sea sickness tablets!!

I've been lucky enough to have done lots of sailing in the UK with generous friends who are very experienced in having 'newbies' on their boat and give sensible advice. You are much more exposed on water to wind, sun etc. Even in sunshine it can feel cold if it's windy. So layers(short sleeved t-shirt, long sleeve t shirt, thin fleece that zips right up, shorts, trousers(pref not jeans which are horrible to wear when wet and take ages to dry). A buff or light cotton scarf to keep the wind or sun off your neck is really useful. Deffo sunscreen and sunglasses. Something to keep your sunglasses from falling into the water, one of those cords with rubber endloops or a shoelace will do. Trainers with light coloured non marking soles are fine but they do need to grip on a wet surface. A set of dry clothes and dry trainers to change into in the evening. You might be hopping on and off the boat to the pub in the evening so the shoes still need to be sensible.
When you are out doing the actual sailing don't allow yourself to get cold and or hungry. Both can make you feel more inclined to seasickness. So layer up and take plenty of Mars bars or high calorie snacks of your choice! Take a couple of bags of fun size chocolate bars and you'll be very popular!

You'll have a fab time! Great to learn new skills and people who sail are a pretty sociable bunch on the whole. 🙂