Albany, NY Times Union 

ROCK HALL, Md. - With broad expectancy but timid steps my wife and I stepped aboard the 37-foot yacht we were here to learn to sail, and claimed our bunk. The pretty Island Packet boat rested in its slip at Spring Cove Marina, looking titanic compared to the dinghies we had sailed up until then. We were on-board recently with three other adult students for a four-day sailing class at the Maryland School of Sailing and Seamanship on the slower paced northeastern shore of Chesapeake Bay. 

My wife's and my long-term goal is to become knowledgeable to charter our own boat for a family vacation. The short-term goal was to wring as much fun as possible out of this four-day mini-vacation which centered around going to school on a boat every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and hitting the books at night. (Wine and cheese was a mere two minute trip into town, and sipping a glass of chilled chardonnay while studying on deck with the stars overhead was perhaps the most enjoyable homework I've ever done.) 

Rock Hall - a quaint, rustic, yet on-the- grow waterfront fishing and tourist town of 1,600 residents - touts itself as ``The Pearl of the Chesapeake.'' Its deep-running fishing heritage is still very much present - in working watermen and cherished lore - despite a sharp decline in recent years of the number of commercial fishermen who ply the bay for a living. Recreational boating, dining, antiqueing and retirement homes are what lure mariners and landlubbers alike these days. 

The locals, a friendly enough lot, seem to have largely accepted the fact that catering to tourists is key to the town's future. An extensive investment in Main Street added brick sidewalks and period street lamps, to name a few enhancements there. The best crab cakes we've ever eaten came courtesy of the cozy America's Cup Cafe on Main Street. Nightly dining and live music can be found at Waterman's waterfront restaurant. Mingling with the locals is done largely at the Snack Bar restaurant in the heart of the quaint downtown with its mix of home- and tourist-town feel. 

Our main reason for being here of course, was to learn to sail, and we chose wisely among the many sailing schools on both shores of the bay. Annapolis on the western shore (the self-proclaimed sailing capital of the world, or as one local described it to us: ``a drinking town with a sailing problem.'') is perhaps the most popular destination for sailing schools. But with more than 15 U.S. Coast Guard certified captains on staff and a slower paced teaching philosophy than some schools, the Maryland School of Sailing attracts sailors of all abilities. It offers classes from basic keelboat sailing to open ocean cruising classes to Bermuda, the Bahamas, Nantucket and more 

Our even-keeled skipper, Captain Don Boccuti, assured us that after just two days we would feel as comfortable at the helm of this seemingly imposing 37-footer as we were at the wheel of our cars. That's because students are on the boat for 90-plus percent of the time rather than in a classroom. Sure enough, by the end of the second day all five of us had tamed the Avise La Finn, which the boat we were on was named. We were motoring the yacht in and out of the harbor, sailing it around the northern bay at will, and backing it into its boat slip at the marina, all with confidence and success. 

We owed our achievements to Boccuti and the teaching philosophy of the school. He met us all where we were in our respective levels of nautical knowledge, guiding each of us through the extensive course outline in steps at our own pace. The school is sanctioned by the American Sailing Association (ASA) which offers various levels of certification upon course completion. School officials take pride in the depth of learning that takes place. ``We won't compromise our program objectives to reduce costs to get more students,'' director and co-owner Tom Tursi told me. To be sure, sailing school ain't cheap. (See their web site for prices.) But my wife and I wanted to learn from experts and consider the price well worth it. Not all schools mandate their teachers be U.S. Coast Guard certified captains. Classes run from May through October on Chesapeake Bay, and January to April in the Caribbean. 

We'll augment our new knowledge with some indoor classes closer to home, and possibly return to the school next spring for more advanced coastal cruising training. And there's little doubt where we'll go when we're able to safely charter our own craft. Our Rock Hall experience made us eager to come back for more, and with the 200-mile long Chesapeake Bay at its doorstep, it's a perfect gateway to countless nautical adventures for folks like us looking to strengthen our sea legs. 
 
 

to table

---

Return to Home