Cruising Program

Do you want to sail beyond the Key Bridge and explore the Chesapeake Bay? Or do you dream about a sailing vacation in the Caribbean? Well, you aren’t alone. Many Downtown Sailing Center (DSC) members who learn to sail on our J/22s and Sonars eventually want to learn to sail larger boats. The DSC’s cruising program provides recreational and educational sailing opportunities on our fleet of cruising-class* sailboats. As a DSC member, you can enjoy sailing on our cruising boats, take classes to become a better cruising crew member or even gain the knowledge and practice the skills needed to become a cruising skipper. DSC cruising skippers may charter our boats for their own private sailing vacations.

By participating in the cruising program, you can learn:
• how to plan a cruise
• how to operate an auxiliary-powered cruising sailboat
• how to handle, reef and anchor a cruising sailboat
• coastal navigation
• how to maintain and do repairs on a cruising sailboat

In addition, DSC cruising members have the opportunity to:
• attend lectures on topics of interest to cruisers
• earn US Sailing certification for basic cruising and coastal cruising
• accumulate hours underway to document experience
• operate the cruising boats in various outreach programs of the DSC

Some of the DSC’s cruising sailboats go out on select Wednesday and Sunday open membership sails, giving members the opportunity to experience sailing on a large boat and decide if they want to participate in the cruising program. On Wednesday night or Sunday membership sails:
• DSC members may act as crew at no charge
• the cruising skipper may designate their own first mate, but the dockmaster will assign other crew
If you are interested in sailing on one of the cruisers, ask the dockmaster if one is scheduled to go out when you show up for an open sail.

For more information about the cruising program, please send an e-mail to cruising@downtownsailing.org.

*The term "cruising-class" generally refers to keelboats with auxiliary power (inboard or outboard engines) and some provisions for sleeping and cooking.

The Downtown Sailing Center is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit community sailing center.
Located at The Baltimore Museum of Industry
Photography donated by Andy Herbick Photography, and others.