Alexandria, Virginia & Washington, D.C.

Sailing Instruction Home

Discover sailing...and have a great time in the process! We take great pride in the fact that thousands of Washington area residents have experienced the joys of sailing at our school.

The Mariner Sailing School is an authorized American Red Cross provider. This means that you will leave Belle Haven with a Basic Sailing certificate or the optional Red Cross certificate. Either way, you will have no problem renting a boat here or while on vacation.

FREE PRACTICE TIME

We are confident in the quality of our Instructors and offer you a week of unlimited practice Monday - Friday, immediately following the completion of any course.

HALF PRICE WEEKDAY RENTALS

After your week of practice, enjoy sailing with your family and friends at 50% off the normal weekday rate

Classes fill quickly! Download, print, complete, and mail Belle Haven Marina's Class Reservation Form (in PDF format) to reserve your seat.

Need the reader? You can download it for FREE from the Adobe site.

The Mariner Sailing School offers the following courses:

Adult Basic Sailing

A fun 10-hour course that will give you all the skills and knowledge necessary for confident small boat handling...we guarantee it! This course is taught aboard the 19' Flying Scot, and has a student-to-instructor ratio of 3:1 (the lowest in the Washington or Annapolis areas). With the exception of the first 10 minutes of orientation, the entire course is taught aboard the boat with you and your two classmates at the tiller. Topics covered in the course include: rigging, the points of sail, navigational markers, right-of-way rules, man overboard procedures and plenty of mooring and docking drills.

The 2008 weekend courses begin in early April and are offered every weekend through late October. Weekday courses begin every Monday through October as well. Weekend courses sail twice each day (10am-4pm) with an hour break for lunch, allowing you to complete the course in one weekend. Weekday courses sail 2 1/2 hours Monday - Thursday in the mornings (10am-12:30pm), afternoons (1:30pm-4:00pm), or after work (5:30pm-8:00pm).

Youth Basic Sailing

Children, ages 8 -15, gain confidence around the water by learning safe sailing skills. Wearing lifejackets in 14' Sunfish sailboats, they learn to sail and have an all-around great time. The student-to-instructor ratio is 6:1 allowing us to not only teach sailing skills but also insure the safety of your children. Instructors sail along side their group or sail together on the Flying Scots when the winds are strong. The course covers rigging a Sunfish, knots used in rigging, the points of sail, navigational rules, right-of-way rules, man-overboard drills, capsizing & recovery (always the most fun!) and plenty of docking practice. On very light air days, students are taught how to safely paddle a canoe or kayak through the beautiful Dyke Marsh surrounding our marina.

Download, print, and fill out Youth Sailing School Waiver (in PDF format).

The 2008 season will start in early June and will be offered weekly through late August. Monday - Friday sessions are offered from 10 AM to 1 PM or from 1:30 PM to 4:30 PM. It is also possible to sail both sessions. Students should bring a bag lunch if sailing both sessions. Reserve early as class sizes are limited.

Youth Advanced Sailing

After your young sailors master the Sunfish, they will be ready for new challenges. The advanced course introduces new boats to apply their sailing skills. The Flying Scot adds the jib sail training and provides the sailing thrills that keeps their attention! Students learn fine tuning of the sails and boats by racing their classmates at week's end.

Student to Instructor ratio is again 6:1 The Advanced course is offered at the same times as our Youth Basic Sailing course, making car pooling easy.

Private Instruction

Adult Basic | Youth Basic | Youth Advanced || Private Instruction
Learn To Cruise | Rates/Schedule | Things To Know

Maybe you sailed years ago and would like just a couple of hours of instruction to refresh your sailing skills. Or maybe you just prefer a one-on-one learning situation. No problem! We offer private instruction that can be tailored to your needs. These classes are typically taught aboard the Flying Scot, but if you happen to have your own boat that you can bring to Belle Haven Marina, we would be happy to sail with you aboard it.

Learn To Cruise

Have you always wanted to charter a boat on the Chesapeake Bay? Or maybe in the islands? Do you already have basic sailing skills? If you've wanted to learn to sail larger boats, then this course is for you. On the Potomac, you will sail aboard the 34' Canadame, a C&C 34 for two full days, either during the week or on weekends. We also offer the course out of Solomon's Island, MD aboard a Morgan 41. You will learn how to navigate, steer with a wheel (instead of a tiller), operate under power, anchor, fuel, water, and electrical systems. Learn with friends and plan your island getaway! We will be happy to answer British Virgin Island chartering questions and plan a vacation of a lifetime.

Rates & Schedule

Course	Total Hours	Schedule	Rates
Course	Total Hours	Schedule	1 Person	2 Persons	3 Persons
Adult Basic Weekends	10	Weekends 10am - 4pm	$325	$600	$825
Weekdays	10	Mon. - Thurs.	$275	$500	$715
Youth Sailing	15	Weekdays 10 or 1:30	$165	$300	$420
Learn To Cruise	14	Sat-Sun or By App't.	$400 per person
Private Instruction		By App't.	$68/hr	$75/hr

Gift Certificates are available for lessons and rentals!

Things To Know

Things to know before you come to Belle Haven:

Parking

Park anywhere in the marina or the adjacent picnic area parking lot. Parking is always crowded on weekends, so plan to arrive early. Do not park on the entrance road reserved for trailer parking.

Check-In

Plan to arrive twenty minutes prior to the start of your class. The office staff will help you get oriented, collect any outstanding balances, and have you sign a boat rental agreement (required).

Restrooms

There are two National Park Service comfort stations located in the Park. One is a short walk from the office near the ramp, and the other is located near the picnic area parking lot.

Food

As the marina sells only sodas, water and juices in machines, you are advised to pack your lunch each day. This allows a relaxing break in the picnic area between lessons, and you also avoid the pleasure of finding a parking space again. There are several restaurants and grocery stores close by.

Weather

No attempt is made to sail in dangerous or miserable conditions and lessons will be rescheduled. We recommend calling the office if threatening weather is forecasted. We have sophisticated radar access and will make every attempt to call you before you leave home. We will sail, however, when conditions permit instructive sailing, including light showers and light winds.

Clothing

Dress for the weather conditions. In Spring and Fall, a light windbreaker is desirable as it is always cooler on the water. In the summer, wear light color clothes and a hat or visor. Good sunglasses with straps and sunscreen are also important.

Shoes

While nonskid boat shoes are best, any rubber soled shoe (tennis shoes) will provide safe footing. Sandals and flip flops do not provide foot protection.

Beverages

The Flying Scots are large comfortable boats. Feel free to bring a jug of water or juice out on your class, you'll be happy you did on a summer day. Alcoholic beverages are not permitted on the boats.

Free Practice

This is offered Monday thru Friday between 9am and 8pm, the week following the completion of your course.

Rentals

After your week of free time, take your friends and family out any day Mon.-Fri. between 9am and 8pm at half price. We will have the boats rigged and ready to sail.

If you have additional concerns not addressed, please feel free to check with the office.

Belle Haven Marina, Inc.