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.