The Manhattan Project
Morning Roundup: Second Helpings Edition
Compromise Uncertain on Same-Sex Marriage Law
Fire at 17th and L NW Forces Evacuations
Sculpture Garden Ice-Skating Rink Remains Closed
As we headed back towards the dock and our lobster hat-wearing crewman took down the sails, we were treated to a lovely sunset. (Lynne Venart)
Last summer, DCist enjoyed a sailing lesson from DC Sail, the city's nonprofit community sailing center operated by the National Maritime Heritage Foundation (NMHF). We joined three of the friendly folks from DC Sail on a five person, 19-foot Flying Scott, and cruised through the Washington Channel past Hains Point.
This past Friday, we joined them again for one of their bi-weekly Friday night cruises on their larger, 65-foot schooner, American Spirit. The schooner can fit 35 passengers, and travels down the Washington Channel past the airport, and all the way to Nationals Park and Alexandria depending on the wind levels.
Setting sail just past 6 p.m., we pulled out of the dock past the Presidential Sequoia and into the open water. The four-member crew raised the sails, and off we went, passing Hains Point on our right, and leaving the Washington Monument in our wake. The large boat provides a more laid-back environment than the more intimate Flying Scotts used for lessons, with little chance of getting splashed, slipping, or having to do any actual work. If you ask though, the crew might let you steer the boat for a bit, teach you the difference between rope and line, or demonstrate various knotting techniques. Three young, aspiring sailors took the wheel during our cruise, managing to keep us on track with the help of our lobster-hatted crewman.
The NMHF provides light snacks and non-alcoholic beverages for all, and passengers are welcome to bring their own food and alcoholic beverages for consumption on the boat. You can expect the crowd on the boat to be varied, with a few families as well as a handful of couples and groups of friends opting for an alternative to the typical Friday evening happy hour by bringing their own coolers of wine or beer.
The two-and-a-half-hour schooner cruises cost $30 per person for non-members, but those who are interested in sailing more than once (or getting a tax deduction) should opt for purchasing a $50 annual membership instead. The membership comes with one free cruise for the NMHF member and one immediate family member (non-married couples will need to pay the full $30 for the non-member passenger), as well as a discounted $15 rate for each additional cruise.
In addition to the bi-weekly Friday cruises, the NMHF offers flat rate charters at $1200, Boating and Baseball cruises every Saturday that the Nats are in town, adult sailing lessons and certification, Thursday evening members race nights, and Wednesday evening social sailing, which costs only $10 for non-members. Social sailors don't have to be trained; just show up at 5:30 p.m. and join one of the more experienced sailors on a Flying Scott.
All cruises and lessons begin at the Gangplank Marina, next to Cantina Marina on the Southwest Waterfront. Advanced registration is required for schooner cruises; call 202-547-1250 or email arediker [at] nmhf.org to sign up.
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A quick note - you can also sign up on the website at http://www.nmhf.org/sailing/cruises/sailing-special-events.aspx
Never knew there was a Presidential Yacht...from their site:
Six months after JFK's death, during a May 1964 dinner cruise on the presidential yacht the USS Sequoia, Bobby and Jackie "exchanged poignant glances" before disappearing below deck, leaving Ethel upstairs. "When they returned, they looked as chummy and relaxed as a pair of Cheshire cats," according to Schlesinger
Hopefully it was just dinner and cocktails going on "below deck"...just sayin. He was a Kennedy after all.
Yeah. They were totally banging eachother. Everybody knows that. But can you blame them? Your older brother or your husband gets his head blown off, you're going to try and find comfort where you can. I mean, they didn't have Pocket Pu$$ies back then, plus dude was a Catholic.
As a child I used to play at Halloween as if I were a sailor and go trick or treating down to the sea in ships. My sack of candy and things were at the wheel and my Halloween mask was sails cutting through a beautiful autumn night with lights on front porches shining like ports of call.
Trickortreat was the captain of our ship, saying, "We are only going to be in this port for a short time. I want all of you to go ashore and have a good time. Just remember we sail on the morning tide." My God he was right! We sailed on the morning tide.
Trick or Treating Down to the Sea in Ships, Revenge of the Lawn ~ Richard Brautigan
you're on a boat
You could have brought Molly along for some much needed post-abduction maritime decompression. But nooooo.