Sailing for All? Really? $$$? - Page 3

qdriver · #21 (**permalink**) 07-26-2010

In the Boston area, there is also a program at Piers Park (piersparksailing.org). You can get a US Sailing Basic Keelboat course + a full membership for the season for about $800. This was the best bargain for full-season usage I could find among the schools teaching sailing in keelboats. If you take the learn to sail course only, then it's about the same price as Courageous or BSC, maybe a little cheaper. The good thing about Piers Park is that it always seems easy to get a boat, but there is not as much variety in boat types as in some other clubs...there are 10 or 11 Sonars and a Colgate 26.

Community sailing is a less expensive option, but you are going to be limited to sailing in the Charles river near the science museum.

BreakAwayFL · #22 (**permalink**) 09-19-2010

Quote:

Originally Posted by night0wl

Try finding a community sailing center. Many large cities have them (Milwaukee, Chicago, etc). Also, there may be local sailing clubs that have subsidized or really discounted adult learn to sail programs. I'm a member of the Gulfstream Sailing Club in Fort Lauderdale and our Adult Learn To Sail is less than $200 for 8 weeks of Saturday instruction. Lastly - check out local community colleges...they too may have non-credit or adult enrichment sailing classes at lower rates. Broward Community College, for example, had an 8 week learn to sail for about $250 a person including books and certification.

Thanks night0wl, I live in FLL and was looking for just that information!

ejholmgren · #23 (**permalink**) 09-20-2010

Buy a book and a cheap dinghy for a summer (or two?), then take a keel boat class? This is my first year sailing, and I have a 16' MC Scow and a 12' Barnett Butterfly (the latter which I picked up off CL for $200 w/trailer).

Having not been much of a boat person up until now, I think I'd feel weird taking a course and then hopping on a 20'+ boat all by myself. I figure I'll get some good basic experience in during the next two years (and a few good dunkings), then take a basic keel boat course and move up to something like a Cape Dory Typhoon or a Tanzer 22 after that.