It may interest you to know that of all the myriad avenues just a phone call away for new sailors – sailing schools, yacht clubs, community programs, dinghy days, local marinas, individual fleets, special events (such as, ahem, Summer Sailstice), and of course family and friends – the first call many newbies make is to a sailing magazine. Especially regional sailing mags, such as SpinSheet (spinsheet.com), the excellent monthly for and by Chesapeake Bay sailors.
From a typical sailor’s point of view, this might seem like an odd choice, since most sailing publications are aimed at what you might call a Sailing 3.0 audience – people who already sail. It’s a bit like calling Motor Trend to learn how to drive. . . right? Whatever the reason, magazines get many such calls, not only from newbies, but sailors new to the area, or former sailors wanting to return to the sport after long absences.
“Many of these people didn’t even know we were a magazine,” says SpinSheet Editor Molly Winans. “Many had just moved to the area and were told by someone to call us. They thought we were some sort of sailing consultancy. “After a while,” she says, “we figured we actually were.”
Many people don't know how to get from a beach to a boat. Start Sailing Now can help.
The SpinSheet staff took the hint – then took the ball and ran with it. In 2008, they created a new publication, website and seminar series called Start Sailing Now.
Other regionals would do well to flatter them with imitation.
Now in its eighth year of publication – the 2015 edition came out in January – Start Sailing Now is full of the collective wisdom of the SpinSheet team. Winans says it gets tweaked a bit every year, but the spirit remains the same: make sailing more welcoming in the Chesapeake and around the world.
The newest issue, like those past, has sections on “Talk Like a Sailor,” “Smart Questions to Ask Sailing Schools,” “What Sailors Wear On the Water,” “Getting Kids Into Sailing,” “Lifejackets 101,” and one of our favorites, “Myth Vs. Fact.” In this section, the editors debunk myths like “Sailing is hard to begin as an adult,” “Sailing is expensive,” and “You need your own boat to sail.” (Spoiler alert: none are true.)
And of course surrounding the editorial content are page after page of ads from every sail-welcoming entity imaginable, offering one-stop shopping for the potential sailor.
We're sure there are uninitiated sailors out there who'd love to celebrate sailing with you.
Start Sailing Now’s distribution is also a clever departure from the norm. It’s of course available many of the same places as SpinSheet, but you can also find copies in outdoor clothing/gear stores, gyms, boat shows, and at water-oriented venues such as swimming, kayaking and rowing events. In other words, pretty much anywhere would-be sailors might congregate.
As well as the print editions and website, Start Sailing Now does 10 seminar/Q&As a year at boat shows and spring open houses. Winans puts together a panel of “experts,” which always includes at least one sailor who’s learned as an adult, and a few sailing school representatives. “The live events are where the magic really flows,” she says. “We always have a few laughs and always learn a lot. It reminds all of us in the room why we love sailing.”
There are no formal metrics yet for how many new sailors the Start Sailing Now program has helped create. But the anecdotal evidence is compelling. Top supporters of the program return every year and many regularly call to refurbish their supply of New Sailor Guides when they run out. Most feel just the increased exposure of the program helps their businesses.
The Chesapeake is an awesome place to learn to sail - and to keep sailing.
And then there are the newbies themselves. Here’s a quick look at a few real people who learned the ropes:
Steve Young – “I had powerboat experience, but never had the opportunity to sail. In 2013, I saw that the Baltimore Social League offered sailing and no experience was needed, so I signed up. On the first day of racing I was hooked. In 2014 I became a skipper on a J/22, formed a racing team and sailed almost every day that summer. Getting started (sailing) wasn’t as intimidating as I thought. I wish I’d started years earlier.”
Donna Colaco – “I grew up in Houston. I was never exposed to sailing until I moved to Washington DC for college and ended up staying for work. I learned to sail in 2008 on Flying Scots with DC Sail and the Downtown Sailing Club (both in Baltimore). I come from an Indian-American family, and was happy to see that other people from different cultures – and all walks of life – are starting to sail.”
Kurt Abendschein – “I was reading the Horatio Hornblower novels when a good friend invited me to sail on his Sabre 402. Having a good time as a passenger, I wanted to learn more, so I picked up a copy of SpinSheet and found a couple of crewing positions through their online resource at spinsheet.com. Other than the books on 18th-Century Naval warfare I had read, I had no idea what to expect. I was surprised with how exhilarating and peaceful (sailing) could be. I was also surprised at how friendly and eager to teach sailors were.”
Of course, even with Start Sailing Now, SpinSheet still gets the occasional newbie calls. But these days, they’re balanced with all the “attaboys” from happy businesses and new sailors.
(Happy Anniversary to SpinSheet, which celebrates their 20th year this summer!)
