Where's Marty? At the Baltimore County Sailing Center, which brings access to the water for all
Hi everyone!
Fall may begin tonight but Summer, NEXT Summer, is already on the radar of the Baltimore County Sailing Center!
This is a great story playing out on the Eastern shoreline of Baltimore County in Rocky Point County Park. A paragraph from their website pretty much says it all:
"The Baltimore County Sailing Center is a nonprofit community sailing center that is driven largely by volunteers dedicated to bringing people of all ages and abilities onto the water and inspiring a life-long passion for sailing. The center specializes in summer camp programs, junior sailing, and racing. BCSC also connects with the community through its partnership programs that encourage those who may not have the opportunity and/or access to the water to gain a full Chesapeake Bay experience!"
This past Spring and Summer over 600 kids, who may have never been on a boat, got to learn the Chesapeake. Personally, I can tell you that if my wife and I had never become boaters I feel that we would have missed Maryland.
Just going this morning, to the amazing Rocky Point County Park right on Hawks Cove and smelling the Bay made my day. (Hawks Cove is the body of water just inside of Hart-Miller Island between Back River and Middle River.) Watching a couple of the kids -- one experienced, one not so much -- pull sailboats to the water's edge and get on them kept Fall at arms length awhile longer.
This picture was from this past Summer.
That is Hart-Miller island and campers, and from Rocky Point Country Park that is a good mile and a half sail. Respect! That trip is not as easy as it sounds, but once you learn the skills sailing is not nearly impossible at that age. (Not, shown but there are adult volunteers in small powerboats making sure all is well!) These are the same skills the Phoenicians, Egyptians and Vikings used to find a bigger world. And the kids confidence in their own skills will move these youngsters well forward!
This program is popular enough that registration for next Summer is just around the corner.
By the way, if you are a sailor and would like to volunteer, these good mariners can use your help. All the info is on the website! And if you want to help out by keeping these programs afloat, that information is there too.
Fall may be near but that just means Fall boating on the Bay, and really it is the best time to enjoy the Chesapeake. Really! Fall Sailing Programs are just starting. Summer may be ending but boating is not!