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FREEDOM ACCESSIBLE CAMP

The Downtown Sailing Center's Freedom Sailing Program utilizes non-capsizable Sonar 23 keel boats and Access Dinghies to teach beginning, intermediate, and advanced sailing skills to youth sailors with physical or cognitive disabilities. Each day includes on-shore and on-the-water activities, with an emphasis on enabling each camper to make and achieve their own goals in terms of skill and autonomy. On the large boats, teamwork is essential, with each camper performing a specific and essential task on the boat  — either skippering the boat or trimming the sails. On the small boats sailors are able manage an entire boat even with limited mobility, enabling enormous freedom on the water.

The 1:1 staff to student ratio of this program allows an individual lesson plan be tailored to each participant's needs, and safety to be our primary focus. Our ultimate goal for this program is to allow each sailor to explore their abilities through a sailboat. In the past, participants have shared with us that sailing is the activity that they feel most personally free while doing. We want to share this feeling of freedom with as may people as possible.

We teach children ages 8 to 16 basic, intermediate and advanced sailing skills. All classes are held at our facility at the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Each day is divided between land-based and on-the-water instruction, with the emphasis being on the water. Children are grouped according to age, experience, and learning ability. Students participate in navigational scavenger hunts, round robin racing and land-based activities to enhance their sailing ability.

Safety is taught at every level - all participants (and instructors) are required to wear a personal flotation device (PFD), which the DSC provides. The boats we use are renowned for their safety and stability in a breeze and their responsiveness on light air days. Each of the larger boats comfortably carries up to 3 participants plus three US Sailing Certified instructors/counselors. The smaller boats hold one or two people in stable, non-capsizable safety — enabling either one-on-one sailing time, solo sailing, or two campers sailing together!

Level 1 (A1) covers basic sailing skills. Topics covered include principles of sailing, boat rigging, water safety, steering, tacking, jibing and nautical vocabulary. This is a great place to start!


Level 2 (A2) reviews the basic skills as well as right-of-way rules, points of sail, buoys, markers, wind awareness, and knot tying. Everything is covered in more depth; sailing skill, autonomy, and self-direction is central to these lessons. Prerequisite: Level 1 or previous experience.


Level 3 (A3) covers departure and landing techniques, rescue maneuvers, and refining sailing techniques. An additional focus is on making the boat go faster! Prerequisite: Level 2 or previous experience.


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.