Sailing - How to [1/3]

So what is "sailing?

Sailing, yachting - the discipline of sport and tourism which uses power of sails. Sailing can be divided into racing and tourism, sea and inland.

Sailing is:

- Thinking (!), The ability to carry the boat, knowledge and experience from many disciplines (such as the traditions of sailing, meteorology, the construction of the river, sailing knots, elements of physics, rescue, and even singing at the fire ... etc.)

- Is also the specific lifestyle - Sailing has its nice customs, traditions, vocabulary, style, call the other (always by name!), Singing at the fire till the morning, nature, etc.

- Work in a team - the crew is a group of people with which you have to work and rule as necessary (and often on small area, seeing every day each other for example two weeks ...)

- Meet new people, meet new regions, the countries.

- Tactics, strategic, planning, analysis, etc. (eg the sailing race)

- And everything else that is hard to enumerate ...

How to start?

It is not difficult. First, the important thing is that age does not matter . Any age is good to learn sailing and then sailing.
You should know that, in sailing there are licences. The licences currently are divided into 4 degrees (ie patents yacht): inland skipper, coastal skipper, yacht skipper and yacht master (although the plan is to reduce that number to 3 degrees).

What do you need those licences for?

When you want to rent a yacht, lenders may ask you to show the relevant licence, which attests to your skills and knowledge. At sea, you can not be a officer (to simplify the officer can be described as the "second-in-command captain") if you do not have adequate licence, and can not be captain of this boat ... The police also have the right to check your sailing licence directly on the water. Of course, the crew does not have to have any licences (eg, wife, friend).
You can of course steer a boat without licence (really!). But the boat must have up to 7.5 meters in length.

How do you get the licence?

At the beginning you can try to obtain a licence "inlad skipper" - only if you are over 12 years. On the first two steps you need to pass the sailing exam (organized by the Yachting Association). Admission is practical (on the boat), and theoretical. You can pass it very simply!. To take the exam you must complete the course. The course can be any - weekend course, at sailing camp, on Mazury, etc. They will teach you everything there.
But remember, that the patent is only a "pass", you do not know everything yet, have only a little bit of skills - you have to continuously enhance your knowledge, for your own and your crew, good.

So what you can do with this licence?

In a nutshell: with an "inland skipper", you can sail a boat on inland waters without limitation (a sail, deck area, etc.). Additionally, you can drive a boat up to 8.5 meters in length on sea, but only in the day, and zone of 2 nautical miles from shore.
Having a licence "coastal skipper" you will be able to not only sail the inland yachts without restrictions, but also sail yourself on yacht to 12 feet long at closed sea (eg Baltic Sea). On the other sea waters you have additional restriction - to 20 nautical miles from shore.
"Yacht skipper" can carry a boat with a length up to 18 meters on the sea waters without restrictions. A "yach master" - has no restrictions. And what is important - exams are only on the degree of sailor and Skipper. At higher levels you have to show only relevant experience.

Have you ever tried sailing? Do you enjoy it?