Berkeley Parents Network: Classes in Boating and Sailing

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Classes in Boating and Sailing

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Questions

Paddleboarding in East Bay?
Sailing Camp or Lessons for 10-year-old
Reasonable sailing class (or group) for adult
kayak or canoeing summer camp for 12-year-old

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Reviews of programs

Paddleboarding in East Bay?

July 2012

My daughter and I are interested in stand-up paddleboarding in the East Bay, preferably in lakes and not the bay (she's only 8). I'd like to find someplace to rent boards by the hour and have some local lake adventures. Thanks! new paddleboarding family

Cal Adventures has paddleboarding lessons from the Berkeley Marina. There is a nice calm basin to get started in. Then you can rent paddle boards from Cal Adventures until you decide on what to buy. Happy paddling! kathryn l.

You can rent them at east bay park (Del Valle lake) in Livermore. They have kayaks, paddleboards, etc. http://www.kayakdelvalle.com/kayak_rental_rates.html
marta

Hi, my daughter (12 yo) just got into paddleboarding and has done it so far at Richmond Marina, Lake del Valle, and ShadowCliffs. I know you can also do it somewhere in Sausalito. But if you don't mind driving to Pleasanton, Shadowcliffs Reservoir was a great place to do it-- warm water, $6 for parking, and honestly can't remember the hourly rate but something like $12/hr. Have fun. luisa

Sailing Camp or Lessons for 10-year-old

Jan 2009

My son, who will be 10 this summer, wants to learn to sail. I know about the Cal Adventures camp, which is pretty pricey and I'm just wondering what else is out there? There seems to be a camp on Lake Merritt, but ew. Seems like it would be more fun to be out on the bay. Any other options? Any opinions about those two camps? Swallows and Amazons fan

The Richmond Yacht Club in Point Richmond has a fantastic junior program. It is on Sundays from 9 - 3. You can go to www.richmondyc.org for more info, or call the club at 510-237-2821. Megan

Encinal Yacht Club in Alameda has an excellent junior sailing program - one of the best in the Bay Area - for beginners through advanced sailors. You do not need to be a yacht club member to participate. Neither my husband nor I sail, but both our son and daughter (with very different personalities) have loved the programs there. The summer program offers three 3-week sessions, with Thursday evening racing and a barbecue at which families are welcome. There are also weekend sailing classes during the school year. For more information, check the web site at http://www.encinal.org/pageResource/juniors/2009/junior_program.html, or contact the Junior Sailing Office (510)769-0221 or juniors@encinal.org There will also be an Open House on Sunday, March 1, from 3-5 PM

Reasonable sailing class (or group) for adult

Jan 2008

My friend would really like to check out sailing, but has been floored by the prohibitive cost of a lot of sailing schools. Any ideas for an inexpensive class or group? Unfortunately, he is in SF without a car, so the Cal Adventures classes at the Berkeley Marina won't work for him (though that is the type of thing he is looking for) Sailor's Friend

I'm pretty sure that the City of Oakland Parks & Rec has sailing classes, and sailing camp in the summer. I don't think they are expensive. janet

Lake Merritt Boating Center in Oakland (run by the City of Oakland Parks and Rec Dept) is a great place to learn to sail. They offer group or private lessons for extremely reasonable rates. Your friend could take BART to downtown Oakland (probably the 19th St. station is closest) and walk to the boathouse from there.

Hi - I work at the San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, which is at the base of Hyde Street. Our Small Craft department conducts sailing classes and lunchtime sails during the Spring and Summer months. We also have an active volunteer program, and our collection of Ships includes the ALMA, the last sail-worthy scow schooner on the West Coast (It is a National Historical Landmark)-- the Alma sails around the SF Bay giving history and ecology tours to the public (for a fee). In general, some of the programs are fee-based, others are free, and some are available only to volunteers. Please see our website for more information about sialing activities on teh San Francisco Bay at the nation's premier Maritime Museum -- we are a federally funded public institution - a National Park like Yosemite and the Grand Canyon, but here in your own backyard!

the Park site: http://www.nps.gov/safr/ AND The supporting assoication site: http://www.maritime.org/index.htm

Explore these two sites, but here are sopme ''deeper digs'' into the websites.

http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/small-craft.htm

Additionally, your friend may want to check out the South End Rowing Club, an historic rowing club next to the park. I know it is not sailing, but it is a really good group of people to make connections with. Their web site is: http://www.south-end.org/ The Dolphin CLub, adjacent to South End, is a swmming club: http://www.dolphinclub.org/ Both Clubs have rowing and swimming groups. Both have been in the area since the 1870s! sara .

Cal Sailing Club. they are an all volunteer, non profit co-op of sailors and windsurfers who are only there because we love it. they offer instruction and use of gear at $60 for three months, $55 for students. they also require a couple of hours of work every three months as itbkayaks the members that keep the place going. For that you could come down every day and sail, surf or both. they like to say that webkayakre the best deal in sailing.

Monday and Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings are our regularly scheduled dinghy lessons. Windsurfing lessons are on Saturday mornings and keelboat lessons on Wednesday evenings and other times by arrangement. they also have special seminars covering particular subjects.

Other schools offer American Sailing Association recognized keelboat certifications. We on the other hand have our own ratings and start you out in small boats. The seat of the pants feedback on a small boat is wonderful and with practice you could be a junior skipper within a month or less. This would let you take out your friends sailing on a dinghy. We have five keelboats (larger than dinghies) in the marina and give regular lessons on them as well, but expect to put in at least one year of diligent sailing and learning before attempting a keelboat sailing test. We sail in, out and around the harbor in our keelboats whereas other schools would make you use a motor.

Feel free to come on down and check us out, ask questions and get a feel for the place. At our open houses we give free boat rides to the public and you can check our website for the dates at: http://www.cal-sailing.org/

Fair winds and happy sailing, yolanda

I would suggest your friend post a note on Craigs List, looking for someone in SF or the East Bay who could pick him up at a BART station and go to the Cal Adventures classes. That way he could meet someone in the class, plus get a ride there. I took classes at the Berkeley Marina awhile ago, and they were great, so I really recommend them if he can find a ride. Lori

kayak or canoeing summer camp for 12-year-old

May 2003

Hi, I am looking for a kayak or canoeing camp for my 12 year old daughter in the berkeley oakland area. Anyone have any recommendations? darlene

Recommended:

Cal Adventures Youth Program (3)

Berkeley High School Crew Team

Website for BHS Crew: www.berkeleyhighcrew.org

November 2003

Join Berkely High School Men's Crew! BHS is one of 2 public schools west of the Mississippi offering crew to its students. The BHS Men's crew team is actively seeking any grade level BHS male student to join their novice team. Unlike private high school rowing teams/clubs, no prior athletic qualifications are required - only the interest to row and be part of a great team of guys! Financial scholarships are available. Practice is in the afternoon after school, Monday @ BHS, Wed & Fri and occasional Sat @ our dock, Jack London Aquatic Center (JLAC).BHS men's crew has consistently fielded competitive boats in the Junior National Races sponsored by the US Rowing Association. Our guys have been recruited by top collegiate rowing programs - we have alumni from CAL, Univ. of Washington and Princeton. Our next race will be Sunday, November 16 @ the Head of the Lagoon, San Mateo. Visit our website: www.berkeleyhighcrew.org for race schedule and to contact head coach Chris Dadd. jane

Nautilus Institute

May/June 1999

The Nautilus Institute's Pegasus Project offers teens a free life skills and leadership training program aboard a 51-foot ketch. Call Paul Kassatkin at 697-9296 or check their web site at http://www.nautilus.org/pegasus (from the May/June 1999 Berkeley High School PTSA Newsletter)

Oakland Strokes Summer Rowing Camp

Website for Oakland Strokes: www.oaklandstrokes.org

April 2004

Has anyone had experience with the Oakland Strokes rowing camp? I am looking on behalf of my 14 year old son. Thanks! Rachel

My then 13-year-old daughter attended the Oakland Strokes rowing camp last summer and loved it! She enjoyed the camp and the sport so much that she joined the team. Crew is a really great sport, and the Strokes gives kids an opportunity to meet other high schoolers from a number of schools, keeps them in great shape, and enhances their college applications. This camp, geared to late-middle to high school kids, is fun whether or not your child has any long-term interest in the sport.

Oakland Strokes, a nationally recognized junior rowing club, offers a week-long summer camp for 12 to 18 year- olds who have no prior crew experience. Morning or afternoon sessions are available for $175 per session. The camp will be held at the Jack London Aquatic Center on the Oakland Estuary during the weeks of June 21, June 28, and July 26. Financial assistance is available for Oakland residents. Find more information and a summer camp application on our website, www.oaklandstrokes.org. Pam Bluhm

November 2003

The Oakland Strokes is a long established and very successful Junior level rowing club. Membership in the Oakland Strokes is open to all high school students and financial aid is available to those who qualify. Practices are held in the Oakland Estuary close to Jack London Square. This is a great sport that encourages physical fitness and teamwork, and is a real asset on college applications! We are recruiting new members through November 30 for both men's and women's groups. For more information, check out our web site, www.oaklandstrokes.org
Sally West

November 2003

During November the Oakland Strokes is recruiting high school students for their novice men?s and women?s rowing teams. This is a challenging, fun, and competitive sport and you need no prior rowing experience . Founded in 1974, Oakland Strokes is a co-educational junior rowing program that has members from over 35 East Bay high schools. Prestigious colleges eagerly seek rowers. Recent Strokes alumni are rowing at Yale, Cal, Princeton, Washington, Dartmouth, Penn, Stanford, Cornell, USC and Michigan as well as many other fine schools. To find out more about the Oakland Strokes, visit the team?s website at www.oaklandstrokes.org David

this page was last updated: Dec 31, 2012

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