The objective of this website is to build and maintain a network of friendly, team oriented and physically active sailors who are up for crewing on my sailboat, Sofia, a Tartan 27 located in Annapolis.
To that end, I organize events for cycling/skating, team building, learning to sail and sailing (on my boat and elsewhere). Sailing experience is not a requirement, as long as you are willing to get involved in the event planning, you are up for helping with the logistics, you like to have fun and enjoy being part of a team.
Please take some time to look over my website. You can sign up for any events that spark your interest. You can also contact me with your general interest, and get in the loop on my activities and sailing related invites.
Sunday, April 19, 10am at Union Station, Washington DC
This is a start of the season cycling trip out to Annapolis for lunch followed by a visit to the Spinsheet Crew Party.
The biking part will be on off-street trails and a couple of local roads in Annapolis; we'll be using bike-friendly public transportation to get part of the way there. Inline skaters are welcome, I'll be doing the bike part on skates.
The Spinsheet Crew Party enables sailors, aspiring sailors and sailboat owners to network and go sailing. Click here for an event flyer with details. 
The Bike and Sail is something I'm organizing for friends and to find active people to go sailing with.
Sign up below, email or call/text me to be invited. I will confirm in advance with everyone who's in. If you're joining me for the first time, we'll need to talk on the phone beforehand about the details of this event, due to its complicated nature.
Saturday, May 30, 9:30am, at Union Station, Washington DC
This is an evolving cycling trip on mostly off-street trails to go daysailing in Annapolis, and enjoy a meal and some libations afterwards.
Members of DC Sail and Annapolis Community Boating are especially welcome, although this isn't a formal event sponsored by either organization. Inline skaters are welcome too; I'll be doing the bike part on skates. We'll be daysailing a small keelboat in Annapolis and relying on bike-friendly public transportation to get part of the way there.
Sign up below, email or call/text me to be invited. I will draw from the sign up sheet first, and confirm in advance with everyone who's in. If you're joining me for the first time, we'll need to talk on the phone beforehand about the details of this event. The ideal group size is 3-4 people; we'll need a sailor qualified to take out an additional boat if the group gets any bigger than five.
Saturday, July TBD, 9:30am, at Union Station, Washington DC
This is an evolving cycling trip on mostly off-street trails to go daysailing in Annapolis, and enjoy a meal and some libations afterwards.
Members of DC Sail and Annapolis Community Boating are especially welcome, although this isn't a formal event sponsored by either organization. Inline skaters are welcome too; I'll be doing the bike part on skates. We'll be daysailing a small keelboat in Annapolis and relying on bike-friendly public transportation to get part of the way there.
Sign up below, email or call/text me to be invited. I will draw from the sign up sheet first, and confirm in advance with everyone who's in. If you're joining me for the first time, we'll need to talk on the phone beforehand about the details of this event. The ideal group size is 3-4 people; we'll need a sailor qualified to take out an additional boat if the group gets any bigger than five.
Saturday, August 15, 9:30am, at Union Station, Washington DC
This is an evolving cycling trip on quiet secondary roads to go small boat sailing and enjoy a corn roast at a beach overlooking the Chesapeake Bay.
We'll take bike friendly public transportation to reach Baltimore, then cycle out to our destination. Inline skaters are welcome; I'll be doing the bike part on skates. Kayaks will be available at the beach for non sailors, and occasionally a windsurfing school offers brief lessons and equipment.
Sign up below, email or call/text me to be invited. I will draw from the sign up sheet first, and confirm in advance with everyone who's in. If you're joining me for the first time, we'll need to talk on the phone beforehand about the details of this event. The ideal group size is 3-4 people; we'll need to arrange additional return transportation if the group gets any bigger than five.
Saturday, July TBD, leaving Washington DC from Union Station at 930am
This is an evolving cycling trip on mostly off-street trails to go daysailing in Annapolis, and enjoy a meal and some libations afterwards. ...more info
Saturday, August 15, leaving Washington DC from Union Station at 9:30am
This is an evolving cycling trip to go daysailing and enjoy a corn roast in Baltimore County. The bike part is on low traffic streets and is a little shorter than the Annapolis ride. ...more info
Winter and Spring plans mostly involve maintenance, touching base with returning crew members, making friends with new crew, and making plans for the sailing season. An extended trip such as to Cape May
or distance racing such as the Governors Cup are always worth considering if some great people are available to do the trip with. As the weather warms up, maintenance activities taper off to shakedown sails and enjoying the strong spring winds while shaking the winter rust off of our sailing skills.
Spinsheet organizes a few winter ice skating sessions which I participate in as well.
Summer plans generally include spending time in Hawk Cove (just north of the mouth of the Patapsco River that leads to Baltimore) enjoying
Hart Miller Island ,
Island View Waterfront Cafe , Dock of the Bay Restaurant and the Baltimore County Sailing Center .
Fall plans include sailing as late as into November, and taking trips by boat or by car to the
sailboat show in Annapolis , the Cambridge Schooner Rendezvous , and the Chestertown Downrigging Weekend .
I've had some absolutely fantastic people sail with me over the years and have organized the photo gallery below in appreciation to everyone who has come onboard.
Past trip highlights: Trips in 2014 and 2013 were mostly daysails as I discovered the magic of sailing on other people's boats. In 2012, I sailed Sofia from Baltimore to DC, then to Annapolis. In 2011, I sailed Sofia in the DelMarVa Rally circumnavigation
.
I've been sailing for more decades than I'll admit, took my first lesson at the Belle Haven Marina
and was a member of the Manhattan Sailing Club for many years. Currently I am sailing instructor active in Washington DC at DC Sail and also in Annapolis. I have also taught at the Downtown Sailing Center .
I've sailed in/to lots of places, such as:
The Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore to Annapolis; Solomons; Point Lookout ; all over the Potomac The DelMarVa Peninsula including the Delaware Bay; Ocean City; Wachapreague ; Deltaville The Hudson; Manhattan; Long Island Sound; Fisher's Island; Block Island; Newport; Martha's Vineyard Abroad, on the Mazury lakes in Poland; also Tasman Bay, New Zealand
I have successfully received a number of sailing credentials including ASA 101, 103, 104 and US SAILING Level 1 Small Boat
and Basic Keelboat sailing instructor and also Powerboating Instructor .
I have sailed/raced/crewed/taken classes/taught on lots of boats, notably: FJs, JYs, Flying Scots, J/22s, J/24s, the 42 foot Pintita
, Navy 44 sail training craft, & the American Spirit , a 65 foot schooner.
If you are learning to sail, check out the Baltimore County Sailing Center, which is a place I always visit in the summer, either by boat or by car (and sometimes on inline skates). It is a non profit organization overlooking the Chesapeake Bay with a fleet of small sailing dinghies that you can launch from the beach.
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Beginner Friendly Events at the Baltimore County Sailing Center (BCSC) at Rocky Point Beach Park |
Learn to Sail Lessons July :: 4 sessions :: $250 for all sessions |
Corn Roasts August :: 4 sessions :: $20 per session |
Round the Island Race early September :: 1 session :: $40 |
At the BCSC, you can go to the beach, learn how to sail, get some practice on their boats, try racing in your first regatta, and even get fed a couple of times, all for under $400. Where else can you do that?
If you live in DC, a great nearby alternative is DC Sail , which offers sailing lessons and sessions on their fleet of Flying Scots and FJs .
Some useful links for Chesapeake Bay sailing:
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Current
Conditions |
NWS Current Weather Conditions (Another Link) Current Radar from Weather Underground Current and Tide Almanac current tide levels
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Planning
Material |
Forecasts:
Official NOAA Pretty 3 Day
Charts:
Helenka Sized (little) Sofia Sized (big)
Publications:
Coast Pilot Notice to Mariners a walkability checker for your sailing destination Route Planning: EarthNC (with nautical charts) GPSvisualizer (multiple map options, try "USGS topo (ArcGIS)") Wind and More: windyty.com
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