Is it a terrible idea to sail offshore relatively long distance with absolutely no experience?

I'm considering purchasing a new sailboat to learn on but a lot of the good deals are up in in orange county and los angeles while i live in san diego. There's no way i can tow it home so is it a terrible idea to attempt to learn to sail with it right off the bat by sailing it home? What if I take some lessons then attempt it?

Answers

Ian K

Have it delivered by competent sailors. This is done all the time. Or, have a shipping company move it.

realtor.sailor

It's considered coastal sailing. You're never out of sight of land. But you should still have some experience. Learning the basics will take about a half day but you should be concerned with heavy weather and/or storms. The distance is about 120 miles so that's about 24 hours straight through. If you're solo you're not going to get much sleep. Are there any marinas along the way so that you would be day sailing only?

Ron

Yes it's a terrible idea. Sailing instructions first

fuzzy

If you can get a competent sailor friend t ocome with you as skipper it should be do able provided the yacht you buy is a suitable design & in suitable condition & you wait for suitable weather. (lots of "suitables" in there)

Bertsta

You will die if you try

vote_libertarian_in_2008

I've never sailed on the ocean before but I'm going to say that's a very bad idea. Before doing that I would start low and slow and work your way up so that you don't end up becoming a statistic.

JetDoc

Hire an experienced boat Captain to teach you how to sail AND sail the boat down to you at the same time. Just make sure you have arranged for a place to dock your new boat BEFORE you bring it home.

Been There, Done That.

Yes. Remember boats have no brakes, AND there are boating rules and regulations you must follow, just like driving a car.

Phil M

If you have an instructor come along on the trip, it would be a good idea. By yourself, not so much.

Snezzy

If you have the money to buy a sailboat then you also have enough money to hire a crew (one or two people) who have all the needed experience. There are old salts out there who would jump at the chance to help you. Try to get ones with actual experience and to avoid those whose ship is in a bottle. If you do not have the money, then volunteer to crew for a few years. You can learn everything you need that way, might learn how to buy a good boat, and might even make a few pennies for spending while in port.

Vulcan

you will learn fast what you are doing and have a great story to tell

yes

Percyqted

Sink or swim

Pilsner Man

Go ahead and do it. Then you can ask questions on here about what went wrong, posthumously.

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