Sailing Away

With its array of yacht clubs and regattas, sailing has a healthy following in Charleston. It's a tradition that dates back to the city's founding, due to its sailing-friendly waterways.

But do you ever look out over our expansive harbor, rivers and ocean, so visible from roads and bridges, and wonder why there aren't more sailboats out there? Sailing has a reputation — expensive, elitist, even snobbish. Yet it shouldn't be. Sailing is a beautiful, eco-friendly way to enjoy the outdoors by harnessing the free elements of wind and current.

If you want to sail but skip the trappings of the yacht club scene, you're in luck. Charleston has three different programs that offer to get you on the water without joining a club, dropping a chunk of change or even buying a boat. All three have been around for a while, and they seem ready to reach out and bring more people to the sport.

And now — when the water and air temperatures are warm — is an ideal time to try it out.

Community Sailing

Charleston Community Sailing, which is based out of the City Marina, has a fleet of 13 Vanguard 420 sailboats, docked virtually under the James Island connector. The 420s are simple and safe enough for beginners, yet also quick enough to keep competitive-level high school and college sailors interested.

Founded in 1999, CCS formed a nonprofit, community-based program to provide access, facilities and sailing instruction to people of all socioeconomic backgrounds, skill levels and physical abilities. Since then, it has taught more than 1,000 children, produced eight high school teams and has a Special Olympics Sailing Team and an outreach program called "Buddy Sail."

The latter pairs children from the Boys & Girls Clubs with high school volunteers for an afternoon on the water.

In the summers, CCS works with the Charleston County Park and Recreation Commission to put on summer sailing day camps, providing many Lowcountry youths with their first exposure to the sport of sailing.

Some of the summer programs include masters racing for adults, which features five classes on consecutive Monday evenings. The next session starts July 7. The cost is $125.

Two-week beginner ($320) and intermediate ($300) sailing courses will be held July 28-Aug. 8.

Private lessons for adults and children are offered year-round.

"If we get a big enough group of people, we can design a program as well," adds Jessica Koenig, executive director and sole full-time CCS employee.

For more, see www.charlestoncommunitysailing.org or call 607-4890.

C of C Sailing

While many may think that College of Charleston Sailing is about collegiate racing and classes, it actually offers an array of noncredit, adult community sailing courses.

"It's an underutilized resource," says Colin Bentley, dockmaster at the college's facility at Patriots Point Marina in Mount Pleasant.

The college has a fleet of J-22 sailboats, a safe and responsive 22-foot boat that is among the most widely used instructional boat in the nation. The boats have been modified for instructional purposes, allowing for maximum learning situations and a comfortable sailing experience.

From April to September, the college's Sailing Association offers three-week classes that include 15 hours of on-water instruction and two hourlong classroom sessions. Several start this weekend. See www.cofc.edu/sailing and click on "Learn to Sail" for times. The cost is $350. Group classes have a cap of 18 students, three students per boat.

Also, the sailing association offers annual memberships ($225 for students at the college and $400 for the general public) that allow restricted use of the fleets of J-22s, Lasers and dinghies. Sailing privileges are accorded through sailing ability assessed by a competency test, performed by the association's staff.

For more, see the Web site or call Bentley at 216-8450 or Alice Manard at 953-8252.

Ocean Sailing Academy

On to the bigger boats.

The Ocean Sailing Academy, at the other end of Patriots Point Marina (closer to the hotel), offers U.S. Sailing Association certification courses, such as basic keelboat, basic cruising, coastal navigation, ocean passage and focus classes.

"Many of our customers want to go on vacation and be able to charter a boat," says Anne Goold, marketing director for the academy. "We have bigger boats and teach only adults."

Academy President Ned Goss bought the organization two years ago and believed so strongly in Charleston that he shut down other OSA locations in Annapolis, Md., and the Virgin Islands. He thinks Charleston and San Francisco are the two best places to learn sailing in the nation.

"We have strong currents, multiple navigation aids, shipping traffic and islands to navigate around. Charleston provides those challenges you need to have, but it's not as scary as San Francisco," says Goss.

For more, see www.osasailing.com or call 971-0700.

Reach David Quick at 937-5516 or dquick@postandcourier.com.