Hello. Mike here. Up at Lake Isabella, Ca. Purchased a WWP15 a couple of years ago, but had some family issues come up. Now looking to get on to the lake.
A little about me... like many of you, my sailing experience started aboard the Pequod, swabbing decks and watching for whales. After learning all I could from Captain Ahab, I was ready to be a Captain of my own whaling ship, and arranged for my generous benefactors to acquire one of the finest ships of the Sears Roebuck fleet. Under the tree (at 8 years old) was my very own 11 foot sailboat. I immediately directed the crew to prepare for the journey, and spent the entire summer on the local ocean (Lake Combie, Ca?), searching sternly across the bow for the great whale migration... and Captain Ahab's white whale.
Now... I'm just getting back into it, and it is NOT like riding a bike! I didn't have the turnbuckles for the mast... but I didn't know it and figured I just didn't understand how it was supposed to all get rigged. Took me three months to figure that out! That said, I don't know what's right or wrong, or how it's supposed to look. I think... at the time... that I tried to join this group, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out the answers to the really hard questions that only seasoned sailors could possibly know.
I don't mind getting out on the lake the first time (or second or third times) and calling my wife to bring the trailer to the other side of the lake. But... the worldly sailing experience of an 8 year old excluded, does anyone here offer lessons? I'm out to the SF Bay Area regularly, and would like to participate in functions, etc., but don't really want to be that guy that runs his beater boat into everyone else's pretty boat on day one.
Thank you for any assistance/guidance/advice/cheers/warnings/belittling/etc.
- Michael
Check out the West Wright Potter subforum here There is a very active group Called The Potter Yachters in CA that meet and get together to sail. I know they put out a newsletter in the past. I would advise not getting too close to the whales! ;D The sailboat in my photo is a Potter 19
https://trailersailor.com/forum/index.php?board=2.0
Welcome to our little corner of sailing crazy. Doug gave you good advice - find the other locals who sail. If you went to a Potter group gathering, I bet you'd get answers to all your boat-specific rigging questions. I suggest you find some people close to you who would take you on as crew and teach you the ropes.
But feel free to ask questions (even not-sailing-related!) here, too. The breadth and depth of knowledge always surprises me.
Noemi