CRAB and Chessie Jr are partners of Annapolis Community Boating. These organizations provide community sailing opportunities for anyone.

CRAB:
Tomorrow, Sunday July 28th, CRAB is hosting their Sail Free day at Sandy Point State Park. This is an opportunity to go sailing for about 1 hour. There is no sailing experience required. They are offering this between the hours of 9:30AM and 3PM. No registration required. More info can be found at www.crab-sailing.org

Please note that Sandy Point State Park, at the foot of the Bay Bridge, is a very active park in the summer and on the weekends. As the day progresses there will be a line to get into the park. There are also park entry fees.

CHESSIE JR
Chessie Jr is a program geared for juniors age 13-18. Every Monday and Wednesday night at 5PM the boats go out and train the juniors about the mechanics of larger sailing boats. Wednesday nights also include racing in the Wednesday Night Races in the Annapolis harbor. The session started in April but runs through September. Registration information can be found at: www.chessiejr.org

No sailing experience is required to join this program. Chessie Jr’s goal is to give the youth of the area instruction so they can become competent boat hands on the bigger boats and the desire to make sailing a recreational sport for the rest of their life.

Chessie Jr is also interested in finding groups of youngsters who would like to have a day course during the summer months. If you have a youth group, scout troop or team that wants to learn about sailing please contact info@chessiejr.org

Some new sailors think that in order to go sailing, you need to buy all new gear. As is the case for many outdoor sports such as golf or skiing, the people who get into the sport and stay in for many years may have closets full of gear for all weather conditions. The good news is that you don’t need brand new gear to start sailing. You may already have what you need in your closet.

Most people who want to get into sailing already like outdoor sports. New sailors are often already skiers, runners, hikers, campers, waterskiers, anglers, or paddlers. There’s something about the water and the desire to “feel” it that draws us all in. The conditions we should expect on the water aren’t so different than those on land, except for the fact that you might get wet, even on a sunny day.

Hikers, cyclists, and runners tend to dress in high tech layers. This is exactly what sailors do, and we often wear the same brands. Under Armour and Patagonia are “high profile” brands, but there are other (sometimes more cost-effective) brands that work just fine and can be found in regular sporting goods stores. A short sleeve T-shirt, a long-sleeved T-shirt, a fleece vest and/or a long-sleeved fleece, nylon shorts or pants, and a rain jacket may already be in your backpack. The missing link may be waterproof pants. If you get into sailing, these will be a necessity—but to start, you may consider just borrowing some or buying cheap hiking pants, as sailing “bibs” or “salopettes” start at $150.

Although many sailors do wear them, you don’t need to buy boat shoes to go on sailboats. One definite “no-no” of sailing is wearing black-soled shoes that may scuff a white deck. However, there are other shoes besides deck shoes that do the trick. Teva and Keen sandals have non-scuffing bottoms. So do high top “Chuck Taylors” and neoprene booties many kayakers and paddlers wear. Before sailing on any boat, it may be a good idea to ask about footwear, but you may already have something functional for your first few sailing excursions. If it’s chilly, wear high tech or wool socks instead of cotton ones.

Necessities: hats with straps (to keep them from blowing off in the wind), sunblock, and sunglasses. It’s also helpful, however not always a must, to have sailing gloves, which can be bought for under $20 at a marine supply store.

The keys to dressing comfortably for sailing are to remember three rules: one, you may get wet, so be prepared. Two, sun reflecting on the water is strong, so protect your skin and eyes. Three, it can feel 15 degrees colder on the water; always bring layers.

Fashion is not nearly as important as getting out on the water. Don’t let gear fear get in the way. Go sailing while the season lasts!

      If you’re wondering what the heck Annapolis Community Boating is, well, in some ways so are we. It’s a fledgling organization; all we know for sure is we have good people and good intentions. Our aim is to make it easy and affordable for people in Anne Arundel County to get into boats and boating.

     Who are we? The board includes some well-known local people: America’s Cup sailor and TV commentator Gary Jobson; ocean racer Jim Muldoon of Donnybrook fame; former Rolex Yachtswoman of the Year Susan Dierdorff Taylor; marine lawyer Todd Lochner; Washington Post boating writer Angus Phillips; Lee Tawney of the National Sailing Hall of Fame; Don Backe, founder of Chesapeake Regional Accessible Boating (CRAB).

     We share a love of boats and the Chesapeake and want as many county people as possible to experience it. To that end, in our first full season we’re running free boating sessions at City Dock on Sundays from April to June; we’re producing a video and lecture to take to schools and clubs, we’re running week-long, on-the-water introductory sessions for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Annapolis, the YWCA and school groups, and we’re looking for boats and a place by the water to call our own.

     Our goal is to create a program like the Downtown Sailing Club’s in Baltimore, where local folks who don’t own boats and don’t belong to yacht clubs can join up and inexpensively enjoy boats and boating.

    We’re always looking for ideas, sponsors, donors and volunteers, and we’re always looking for people and groups to take out on the water. If you have an interest, e-mail us at info@annapolisboating.org.

    Fair winds. We’ll see you on the water.

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   Annapolis Family Boatbuilding will be building six small sailboats over the July 4 weekend at the old Trumpy Yard, 222 Severn Ave. in Annapolis. Families or groups interested in buying a kit, then building a Bevins Skiff can check the website www.Annapolisfamilyboatbuilding.org or call 410-626-1413.

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    Annapolis sailor Terry Hutchinson was named U.S. Sailing’s Rolex Yachtsman of the Year in a ceremony in New York last month. A video of the proceedings is online at the National Sailing Hall of Fame’s website, www.nshof.org.