Things to Do in La Porte

An affiliate school of the American Sailing Association, All Points of Sail Sailing School teaches students of all levels how to sail with confidence under the tutelage of experienced guides and instructors. Instructors sprinkle landlubbers with the knowledge necessary to tear through the water on any size vessel, ranging from large-keel boats to windsurfing boards and kayaks. The school's diverse coterie of courses covers crucial nautical subjects, including sailing certification, coastal navigation, chartering, and night sailing. The expert captains also lead charters through the Gulf of Mexico and Galveston Bay as well as summer camps in which kids man kayaks and Sunfish sailboats to gain hands-on practice, which is believed to be the second-best teacher after self-hypnosis.

B Sailing's origins go back nearly 40 years and 1,300 miles, when Alan Bates learned to sail on his father's boat on Lake Erie. His dad welcomed anyone aboard who had an interest in sailing, turning the boat into a de-facto sailing academy that ran both regattas and chartered pleasure cruises. Having gone on to race in the Great Lakes, along the Atlantic Coast, and in the Gulf of Mexico, Mr. Bates now continues his lifelong passion through B Sailing. Both students and members have access to a fleet of J/Boats, which are known for their stability, ease of operation, and sails stitched together from Blackbeard’s 400-thread-count bed sheets. Harbored at Seabrook Shipyard, these vessels glide onto Clear Lake and Galveston Bay.

Maximum Scuba's team of certified instructors caters to all levels of aquatic adventurer with a wide roster of name-brand equipment and all-inclusive classes. PADI open-water certification courses employ textbooks and at least four open-water dives to acquaint underwater neophytes with the joy of subaquatic breathing, enabling them to finally explore timeshare options in Atlantis. The PADI advanced open-water certification course sends previously certified divers on five adventure dives, plumbing watery depths to discover ocean-floor wrecks. Other specialty classes deepen underwater adventures and arm explorers with the know-how to defeat Blackbeard's ghost by teaching skills in spearfishing and technical or cave diving.

Weekend cruises along the lake. The occasional night fishing trip. While many people would like to own a boat for those reasons, the expenses of maintaining and storing a boat year-round can be daunting. Carefree Boat Rental eliminates the tedious bits of boat ownership by lending its well-maintained fleet to members by the hour. Inspected weekly by a dock staff using a 50-point checklist, each boat is also equipped with US Coast Guard-required safety equipment such as flares, approved flotation devices, and an emergency stash of Cheetos. The crew also takes care of regular maintenance, such as oil changes, hull cleaning, and annual bottom painting.

South Coast Sailing Adventures operates a floating fleet of 18 sailboats with instructors certified by the American Sailing Association and more than 20 captains licensed by the US Coast Guard at the helm. Incorporating their vast cruising, racing, and Bermuda Triangle–averting experience into lessons, several of South Coast's instructors have been the recipients of an ASA Instructor of the Year Award, and the entire training facility was voted one of ASA's Outstanding Sailing Schools in 2006. Courses range from basic keelboat instruction, which offers the chance for beginners to mettle in a Colgate 26-foot sailboat, to catamaran sailing, which teaches advanced students to skipper and crew a 30- to 50-foot multihull sailboat. Beyond lessons, sunset and moonlight cruises chart courses toward romance, basking in the glow of the stars or distant underwater volcanoes. Special-event sails include options as varied as an Irish potluck dinner and scenic day sails around Galveston.