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Sailing Club of Washington


LEARN TO SAIL

We offer training to SCOW members only
For more information, contact SCOW's Training Director at training@scow.org

Join SCOW and improve your sailing skills with special training offered only to members.  For more information on how to become a SCOW member visit the Join SCOW section of the Website.  Please note the blue highlighted disclaimer at the bottom of this page.

No prior sailing experience is needed to take the basic sailing training. Significant prior sailing experience is required to take the cruiser training- e.g. taking the basic sailing training and then skippering the Flying Scots for a year, or significant cruiser experience, etc. Applicants applying for the cruiser training must submit a brief summary of sailing experience to the Training Director for review. If you are not a Flying Scot skipper you will be required to demonstrate your sailing skills through an on-the-water assessment. Contact the Training Director for more information.

SCOW Training is conducted in accordance with the SCOW Training Policy.  SCOW is not an affiliate or concessionaire of the NPS and SCOW training fees are set so that when combined with the membership fee, will be at least as expensive as training fees charged by the WSM.  For WSM training offerings click HERE.


Basic Sailing  

Our Basic Sailing course consists of classroom instruction in conjunction with hands-on training using the club’s 19' Flying Scots. There are four nights of classroom training and six on-the-water sessions. The goals of the SCOW course are not only to teach the fundamentals of sailing but also to prepare students to take and pass SCOW’s Flying Scot skipper examinations and thus become qualified to take out the club’s boats on their own. The Flying Scots used in the course are the same boats that SCOW members use to race on Wednesday nights during the season and that are used for Thursday night social sails. Once SCOW members earn their Flying Scot skippership they may reserve these boats online for SCOW events or for personal use.

Please see below for 2023 Basic Sailing training dates. Water classes normally run 4 hours with start times at 8am, 10am and noon. We make an effort to schedule students in accordance with their preferences. If you are interested in signing up please monitor your email inbox for announcements about how to sign up.  You may need a registration code to enroll in a class.  

Makeup dates are tentative and depend upon weather, as well as student and instructor availability.  Generally they are only used for rescheduling classes that are canceled due to inclement weather, not for classes missed due to other reasons.


BASIC SAILING - SPRING 2023

Online Land Training


Tuesday, April 11,18, 25 and May 2 - via Zoom

Currently Scheduled to start at 7pm

Water Training

Saturday/Sunday  April 22/23, 29/30 and May 6/7


*Tentative Make Up Days:  May 14, 20, 21


Class if Full


Click to Register     

BASIC SAILING - SUMMER 2023

Online Land Training


Tuesday, May 23, 30,  June 6, 13  - via Zoom

Currently Scheduled to start at 7pm

Water Training

Saturday/Sunday  June 3/4, 17/18, 24/25


*Tentative Make Up Days:  July 1, 2, 3, 8, 9

 

Class if Full


Click to Register     

BASIC SAILING - FALL 2023

Online Land Training

Tuesday, August 1, 8, 15, 22 - via Zoom

Currently Scheduled to start at 7pm

Water Training

Saturday/Sunday  August 12/13, 19/20, 26/27


*Tentative Make Up Days:  September 2, 3 4, 10, 23, 24


Class if Full

Click to Register     

*Makeup dates are only used for rescheduling classes canceled due to inclement weather. 

Cruising Sailing

The Cruising Sailing course is taught on the club’s three 25' Catalina Cruisers.  The main purpose of the course is to familiarize students with the three different club boats, as well as SCOW’s policies and procedures regarding the cruisers, so that they are prepared to take and pass the club’s comprehensive cruiser skipper written and water examinations.  Once SCOW members become Cruiser Skippers they may reserve the boats online for personal use.  SCOW cruiser training is focused on the particulars of SCOW’s three cruisers and relevant local sailing knowledge and requires that a student already has significant prior sailing knowledge and experience, such as at least a year as a SCOW Flying Scot skipper or relevant keel boat sailing experience elsewhere. The course includes two land classes, three days of on-the-water hands-on-training, and one evening of night sailing.  The course is typically followed by some tutoring to practice for the water checkout exam.     

Please see below for dates and the specific steps to take if you are interested in enrolling.  If you are interested in signing up please notify the Training Director as soon as possible by email via training@scow.org. You will need a registration code to enroll in a class.  If interest exceeds training capacity students will be selected by a random process. 

Makeup dates are tentative and depend upon weather, as well as student and instructor availability.  Generally they are only used for rescheduling classes that are canceled due to inclement weather, not for classes missed due to other reasons.


One -  

You must be a SCOW member to enroll for cruiser training.

Two -  

If you are a member in good standing, please email the Training Director (training@scow.org) to indicate that you are interested in taking cruiser classes along with a completed sailing resume.
Submit a completed sailing Résumé to SCOW's Training Director at training@scow.org    Sailing Résumé
Note that potential candidates may be invited to demonstrate their sailing skills on a sail arranged by the Training Director.

Three -  

When it becomes possible to put on a cruiser course you will be notified if a spot is available in the class and you will be provided with a registration code. This registration code will be required to enroll.

Four -  

Once you have a registration code, click on the button below (“Click to Register”) and proceed with your course registration. Note that there will be one charge for the on-line classes and then a second charge only if you proceed on to on the water instruction. Once registered for the on-line land classes, the Training Director will be in touch to provide further information, slides, and a book. Contact the Training Director if you have any questions.


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CRUISING SAILING - SPRING 2023

Times for all classes to be communicated via Email

Land Training

Class 1 - Monday,  April 17 at Washington Sailing Marina - 6:30-8pm

Class 2 - Wednesday, May 10 - via Zoom - 7-9pm


Water Training


Saturday/Sunday, April 22/23, Saturday, April 29 - 8am-4pm

Night Class - Tuesday, April 25 and/or Friday, May 5 - 6-11pm

*Tentative Make Up Days:  April 30, May 6, 7

Skipper checkouts tentatively schedule for May 26,  June 4


*Makeup dates are only used for rescheduling classes canceled due to inclement weather. 

Training Director will email Registration Link to Trainees


CRUISING SAILING - FALL 2023

Times for all classes to be communicated via Email

Land Training

Class 1 - Monday,  Sept. 4 at Washington Sailing Marina - 6:30-8pm

Class 2 - Thursday, October 5 - via Zoom - 7-9pm


Water Training


Saturday/Sunday, Sept. 9/10, and Sept. 16/17 - 8am-4pm

Night Class - Tuesday, Sept. 19 and/or Friday, Sept. 22 - 6-11pm

Skipper checkouts tentatively scheduled for Oct. 21, 22, 28


*Makeup dates are only used for rescheduling classes canceled due to inclement weather. 

Training Director will email Registration Link to Trainees

Capsize Training

Our Capsize training is taught on our 19' Flying Scots, sometimes with the help of our 25' cruisers. Members learn how to capsize and how to right a capsized Flying Scot. The training is conducted on the water during a morning and afternoon.

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CAPSIZE TRAINING 2023

Water Sessions

July 15    9:00am – 5:00pm. 

If you are interested in taking a Capsize Training class, please let our Training Director know by emailing him at training@scow.org

*Tentative Make Up Days:  August 5 or 6

*Makeup dates are only used for rescheduling classes canceled due to inclement weather. 

SCOW is not affiliated with the National Park Service or Guest Services, Inc. SCOW offers training to its members as part of our overall sailing program. GSI is the official NPS concessionaire to offer sailing lessons to the general public at the Washington Sailing Marina. For information on GSI's training, visit WSM Sailing Lessons page. For general information regarding the marina visit the Washington Sailing Marina website.

       

Sailing Club of Washington  [SCOW]
PO Box 25884  •  Alexandria  •  VA  •  22313

We keep our boats at Washington Sailing Marina on Daingerfield Island
1 Marina Drive  •  Alexandria  •  VA  •  22314

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