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Good advice from Sabre and just as important is knowing your boat, for me I have found this takes two to three seasons of regular cruising. By that I mean the way it sails together with all of its features and systems. Often you get to know a system best by fixing it when it breaks or malfunctions but you don't want to be doing that in a blow on a lee shore ! I have cruised the gulf and Northland coast for many years but I'm always a little jealous of new converts since you have the promise of discovering all those places anew for the first time ! take care.

The old kiwi mentality of getting out and doing it counts for a lot. But there is a lot that can go wrong and mistakes that get made. So I always recommend for late starter newbies to also join a boat that races regularly, as crew. It’s always about time on the water observing what is happening in different conditions. This also helps build knowledge about what features of a boat would suit you. And then read read read. There is so much to be gained from reading about other people’s experiences.