Richardm1564 wrote:
I am about to purchase my first H16 and have a few options open to me for where to learn to sail.
I live very close to both the ocean and inter-coastal waterway here in NE Florida.
Is the ocean to rough or risky (run away boats ect...) to learn to sail in?
Is the wind in the inter-coastal water way even enough to get the H16 moving?
Any thoughts or advice would be wonderful. Thanks!
I had no sailing experience when I first learned to sail and I learned in the Pacific. I had nothing to campare it to so I didn't know the difference. I remember praying for 5mph winds but after a while, I wouldn't put my boat in the water unless winds were at least 10mph. I think your choice is relative. I got all the difficult stuff over with early. One of the good things about my situation was that there were always other sailors (and lifeguards) around. The challenging conditions (high waves and high winds) made me want to sait in conditions that most sailors wouldn't sail in. Most of the beach cats would only sail coastally. I was one of the few that would sail offshore. I got so good at righting my boat solo ( got that over with early) that the Long Beach Lifeguards asked me to train their entire staff every year at catamaran capsize and rescue.
I've never sailed on a lake and the only thing that would attract me to them would be flat water. I'm not famiar with the conditions in your area or the conditions you're willing to sail in so my opinion won't be worth much. All I can say is "as challenging as you can stand it." You'll have to figure that one out for yourself.