What You'll Get
Sailing a boat, like piloting the space shuttle, requires careful training, a specialized outfit, and accepting that you’ll one day coast off the edge of the Earth. Explore aquatic unknowns with today’s Groupon: for $195, you get an all-day Intro to Sailing lesson for two on any weekday at BaySail in Havre de Grace (a $390 value). Courses set sail at 9 a.m. and dock at 4 p.m., with an hour-long lunch break from noon to 1 p.m.
During BaySail's one-day Intro to Sailing class, groups of four students pile onto a Capri 22 sailboat to practice cruising along the Chesapeake Bay’s safeguarded waterways. During the voyage, a skilled instructor teaches tyros specialized vocabulary for the boat’s layout and direction of travel as well as foundational skills such as tacking, jibing, rigging, and interpreting beluga whales' turn-signals. Students will also learn rules for navigating the maritime highway so that their future voyages don’t culminate in an explosion of blaring air horns and angrily twirling semaphore flags. During the hour-long lunch break, patrons can scour Havre de Grace’s abundant selection of boutiques and eateries for a nutritious snack.
Each student should bring a water bottle to class and wear light, soled shoes. After the course, adventurous graduates can rent a variety of daysailers, yachts, and bronze peg-legs from BaySail as they continue to hone their seafaring skills.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Oct 15, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person, may buy multiple as gifts. Reservation required 2 weeks in advance. Subject to availability. Must be 15+. Min. 2 couples required to sail. BaySail reserves right to cancel or reschedule 24hr in advance. Fee up to Groupon may apply if lesson canceled after confirmation call. Valid only Mon.-Fri. Must wear light-soled shoes. Must sign waiver. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About BaySail
Right where the mouth of the Susquehanna River yawns into Chesapeake Bay lies the protected, uncrowded waters of Havre de Grace harbor. BaySail's instructors take advantage of these opportune conditions, operating a sailing school that's accredited by the American Sailing Association. Upholding training standards that have won the ASA's School of the Year award, they lead sailing classes ranging from introductory lessons to certification courses in coastal cruising and bareboat chartering. In addition to lending its fleet for lessons, BaySail's team rents its vessels—from a Capri 22 to a Hunter 460—to members. The sailboats also glide out on chartered cruises, taking guests to nearby destinations such as Inner Harbor and the Sassafras River, where sassafras trees come to spawn every winter.