My daughter wants to learn to sail so she can rent a sailboat the next time we go on vacation. Is there some sort of organization that certifies schools and sailors, like they do for scuba diving? Does anyone issue some kind of card saying so and so is qualified to sail a boat so big?
Second question: when watching movies about old time sailing ships, you always see the crew scrubbing the decks - whaling ships, clippers, HMS Bounty, men o’war - always scrubbing the decks? Why? what made, say the deck of a clipper ship so dirty? Was it simply fatigue duty? How come? (Note to all Navy and Coast Guard types: I know they didn’t have rust and paint to chip then).
I don’t believe you actually need a license to sail. I’ve sailed off and on for years and never needed to get one. My father doesn’t have any particular license (other than ownership of his boat).
Skippering a sailboat is a skill, and it’s quickly obvious if you don’t have it. Anyone can hop into an outboard and take it out, but if you know nothing about sailing, you’re probably not going to get very far (and certainly not very fast).
Coast Guard offers lessons for free all you need to do is pay for the book(s). the easiest way to find out when is to get a Local Notice to Mariners and they have lists or at least a phone number of who to call. let me see if I can remember the damn link. I used to do LNM for 2 years so that’s how I know.
http://www.uscg.mil
also has stuff for both the professional and amature boater
http://www.navcen.uscg.mil/lnm/default.htm
is what I was looking for, use the map to pick out the region and then read though the first part of any LNM and it should tell you who to call, where it’s at, cost, etc. let me know if you have any problems.
The Coast Guard doesn’t certify schools (certified and approved are two different things), but they give the test and issue licenses to ships’ Captains along with other ratings and attachments. She doesn’t need a license unless she is going to be carrying passengers for hire. The entry-level Captain’s license is called a 6-pack. I refer you to the classified section of any magazine about boats or sailing or your local Coast Guard station for further information.
If she is completely inexperienced, it is a very good idea to take lessons. Basic sailing isn’t difficult, but then drowning isn’t really all that hard either. It’s also possible to damage a boat if you don’t know what you’re doing, and that can be expensive.
There are sail schools in pretty much every population center near a body of water. Check the yellow pages.
As for dirt on a boat, I’ve sailed on schooners and brigantines and they got dirty mainly because we had more than thirty people living, cooking, eating, bathing, and working in an object about 100’ long for weeks at a time. Of course, wood gives off dust and oil like everything else, too, so even with no people the boat would have dirtied up with time. Bear in mind, also, that in the old days they had only natural fiber ropes (hemp, mostly). These do not last very long in a humid, salty environment unless they are coated frequently with tar. Hence the slang for sailors, tars. So the extensive rigging suspended above the deck would have been coated with sticky tar; the sailors working aloft would have been coated with the stuff, hand and foot, and they had to come down and walk on the deck sometime. Depending on what era you’re talking about, it was also common for sailors to braid and oil their hair to prevent scalp lice and other infestations (ostensibly the origin of the “sailor’s bib” that still hangs off the back of the Navy enlisted man’s dress uniform). In short, there were plenty of reasons that cleaning the deck, as well as the rest of the boat, was a full time job.
I just thought of another thing. Actors aren’t sailors, and swabbing the deck may just be the easiest “nautical” activity to get Hollywood extras to do correctly.
I have sailed for about 6 years and also have never heard of a sailing license or any certification program to prove you know what you are doing. I own a small (12ft) sailboat in Missouri and have rented boats in Pennsylvania and have never had to provide paperwork stating I knew what I was doing.
I imagine that the people renting the boats will want some sort of proof that your daughter knows what she is doing before they let her take out a big boat, but something like a Sunfish should be no problem in calm weather. In fact they should basically be willing to show her how to do it and send her on her way. If it is windy or if we are talking about a big body of water other rules would likely apply.
I bet she could call the place that rents the boats and ask them.
The following site has some info on learning to sail.
You can also check with your local marine store that handles sailboats. If she just wants to learn to sail for fun, there should be someone available locally that will provide instruction. Cost in our area with boat is around $45 per hour. I was told it can take from 3 to 15 hours to become proficient enough to go out on your own. This info is for a 22 foot sailboat.
You might find a local sailing club that uses smaller boats and costs a lot less. In any case, a place to start is asking questions at your local marine store.
I have sailed for about 6 years and also have never heard of a sailing license or any certification program to prove you know what you are doing. I own a small (12ft) sailboat in Missouri and have rented boats in Pennsylvania and have never had to provide paperwork stating I knew what I was doing.
I imagine that the people renting the boats will want some sort of proof that your daughter knows what she is doing before they let her take out a big boat, but something like a Sunfish should be no problem in calm weather. In fact they should basically be willing to show her how to do it and send her on her way. If it is windy or if we are talking about a big body of water other rules would likely apply.
I bet she could call the place that rents the boats and ask them.