> happy to take on a novice that is excited to learn.

Agree. With zero background in wind-sports I joined a crew. The yacht owner mostly just wanted someone that would turn up reliably - we had one guy who was terrible on the boat but he was reliably there. Good mixture of backgrounds of the crew.

I really enjoyed being part of a team sport.

The main cost was committing to one day a week. I got cheap gear (jacket, gloves) and currently I use a summer wetsuit to stay warm and dry (cold water in our Banks Peninsula harbours).

> climbing, skiing, mountain biking, surfing, windsurfing

Suggested by previous comment. But they are not team sports. I am a developer and those sports are good and social but they are focused on your own personal skills.