At The Sailing Academy, you will start out on a yacht with wheel steering. There are two ways to steer a sailboat, with a wheel or a tiller (a long stick attached to the rudder). All modern cruising sailboats have wheel steering, that’s why we start all our beginning students on boats with wheels. We…
January 2016 About 25 of us from the DC area sailed together in the Abacos for a beautiful week aboard 4 yachts, two catamarans, and two mono-hulls. Great wind for sailing, fantastic snorkeling and plenty of beach time. This week was timed (almost) perfectly. I say “almost” because we missed the snow storm that hit the DC area, but many of our flights were canceled getting back home! If you are going to be stuck somewhere for a few extra days, it might as well be in the Bahamas! All made it home safely after the airports were back in service. We were able to re-connect with Capt. Angie, who has been teaching in the Abacos all winter. We were glad to sail with her for a few days. A bittersweet time though: We had a special memorial for “Cricket”…
Bringing Hope Through Sailing February 2016 Second thoughts flashed through our minds as our van traveled down a very bumpy mountainous road to our sailing destination. The foliage was so thick it was hard to see the path through. Eduardo, our skilled driver, navigated the switchbacks like a pro as the van lurches back and forth. Usually, I travel down to the waterfront, and not up. Why were we climbing to the waterfront? Our host explained that we would be sailing in Lake Ilompango, a huge water-filled caldera. My bewildered look brought further explanation: A caldera is a crater left behind by the collapse of a volcano after an eruption. It was somewhat ominous sailing inside a volcano! There are places where steamy bubbles still come up from the depths. I was told that after we leave the shoreline it drops off…