Chesapeake Bay Schools & Charter Companies

[MDrueen]

That's helpful information. We live in Fairfax, so the shorter drive to Deale is part of the appeal. I'm wondering just how bad the summer traffic is if we looked at finding a slip further south in VA.

So much to think about and learn... it's a good thing the purchase is still a while away.

[PalmettoSailor]

Originally Posted by MDrueen

That's helpful information. We live in Fairfax, so the shorter drive to Deale is part of the appeal. I'm wondering just how bad the summer traffic is if we looked at finding a slip further south in VA.

So much to think about and learn... it's a good thing the purchase is still a while away.

The shorter drive is why we finally decided to move our boat up. From Leesburg, the drive to Deltaville was over 3 hours. As much as I love Deltaville, I don't think I'd encourage you to keep your boat there when you get one, but for a few trips a year doing classes and charters I'd argue it would be worth it. If you have some local knowledge of the area south of the Potomac then buy a boat and get familiar with the Deale area down to Solomans, you'll have a good chunk of the bay covered.

There are a few places in VA on the Potomac that might be less milage, but because they are even further off the beaten track than Deltaville, the drive time is pretty much the same. Living in NOVA, its hard to argue against keeping your boat between Annapolis and Deale/Rose Haven.

[jdrueen]

Everyone, thank you for sharing all of your lessons learned. The thought behind using the same company for classes and chartering was that it would be easier (at least initially) to get a charter boat from the company that's helping you build the skills you need to sail it well. I was also wondering that there's a cost efficiency to be had too in the form of discounts for your first charter (or two :-).

I love the idea of talking to the schools and getting to know the instructor(s). There would be nothing more frustrating than taking a class with someone who's style and demeanor was incompatible.

The suggestion to use the course and charters to explore more of the Bay is one that we hadn't thought of. I like it!

Again, appreciate everyone's $.02.

[josrulz]

For what it's worth, I'd second what midlifesailor has said. I used to live in Fairfax county, and I chartered out of Deltaville many times. Great area, and I enjoyed it, but the drive was a killer. The charter company changed owners, so I switched to something closer.

Ended up chartering from Haven Charters in Rock Hall, several years in a row, because they were good to us and had well-kept older boats that cost less to charter than newer boats. It was still a couple hours to get there, but not as far as before, and we were in striking distance of Annapolis, St Michaels, etc.

We didn't buy a boat when we live in VA, but when we were thinking about it, Rosehaven/Deale seemed like a good bet from Fairfax for a slip location. Just my two cents. We also know a lot of people from VA who keep their boats in Galesville, MD. Might be another option for you down the line.

Ultimately, we moved just outside of Annapolis and bought the boat once we could keep it close to home. But not everyone has that choice...we were lucky.

So...lots of random info in there--hope it helps.
-J

[moorehal]

You may want to look at some of the following:

Pentagon Sailing Club. Their program can take you through the Navy Sailing and ASA curriculum up to D-CS/ASA 106 for a lot less money than most of the commercial schools. They run the lower level course on Capri/Catalina 22s on the Potomac. Their higher level courses are run on chartered boats out of Annapolis. DoD badge not required.

They award the B-CSN and ASA 104 concurrently. With the B-CSN, PSC has a strong relationship with Annapolis Bay Charters. You can then charter an ABC boat as a PSC member at the same discount rate over their publicized prices that they accord to PSC.

There are many deeply experienced sailors at Pentagon, who own their own boats on the Bay, and have extensive experience in the BVI. PSC runs an annual BVI trip that costs about $600 per person for 10 days of sailing. PSC skippers charter a lot on the Caribbean and are well-known there. Horizons will let PSC members charter by themselves with an ASA 104 or Navy Sailing B-CSN. However, PSC will not let you charter a PSC arranged "club event boat" unless you have a D-CS/ASA 106.

Navy Pax River Sailing Club. They have one of the best sailing grounds and boat setups in the Bay, across from Solomons Island. You will need a to be able to get a DoD badge, as they are at West Basin on the Navy Pax Air Station. They use Catalina 16s for ASA 101 and Catalina 250s for ASA 103. For their big boats (they use donated Naval Academy offshore boats..Luders 44 Yawls and Navy 44s), they switch to using the Navy Sailing Qualification process.

Both clubs will permit you to challenge to take out their boats at minimum cost.

Another good place to sail is Sail Solomon's which is run by Andy Batchelor and his wife. They offer the full range of ASA certifications and they also run a very economical chartering package.

J World has fabulous instructors. Their racing programs are really where they distinguish themselves. However, if you want to get a ecognized US Sailing, ASA, or Navy Sailing Credential, they will not be able to award it.

The Maryland School of Sailing in Rock Hall is the gold standard, especially if you want offshore experience.

The commercial schools are much more expensive than Pentagon if you are primarily looking for a 104 or 106 qualification. Go to JWorld if you want the racing, Maryland SoS Rock Hall for the offshore, and Sail Solomons if you want to charter bay boats cheaply.

If you are interested in learning about mechanical and electrical systems, the Annapolis School of Seamanship (John Martino) is outstanding.

As for distance, Rock Hall is a good three hour drive from Fairfax. PSC's river fleet is about 30 minutes from Fairfax in no traffic. Their bay boats are run out of Port Annapolis (about 1 hour 15 minutes from Fairfax). For Sail Solomons or Navy Pax, you are looking at about 1 hour 45 minutes of driving in no traffic.

[Yamsailor]

You might want to try this ASA school:

Chesapeake Sailing Instruction | Bay Bridge Sailing School

[jdrueen]

All, Many thanks for your input. We've enrolled in the Maryland School of Sailing this summer. The idea of spending a few days sailing an Island Packet was too tempting to pass up

[jaysandy]

Look up C and C charters out of Mears Point in the Cheasapeake, They also have a Leopard 45 cat for the cat experience with schooling. Available for charter also

[jdrueen]

Well, we finished the MD School of Sailing course (ASA 104) last week. It was a very well run course and provided exactly the exposure to Chesapeake Bay sailing we were looking for. The IP 32 was a nice enough boat, but lacked a few necessities mostly because we were the first class to take out that vessel this season. The instructor was top notch and did a nice job of tailoring one-on-one instruction and assignments to our various levels of experience and ability.

Thanks to all who recommended the MDSoS. It was a very worthwhile investment!

[AirborneSF]

Can't beat the military clubs for price, I'm a member of Pax River Sailing Club, and it's great, they have a wide range of boats you can use with the proper level of inst. My.02