As many of you know, I recently moved to Vancouver. First order of business: find someplace to sail. Vancouver has lots of sailing options, but if you are looking for dinghy sailing on the cheap, the place to go is the Jericho Sailing Center Association, a non-profit community center for all types of non-powered watersports. Jericho hosts a number of clubs, as well as providing individual boat storage and launching. They have a truly amazing facility with a restaurant and bar, and a balcony providing stellar views of the English Bay and the North Shore Mountains. I'm afraid to say that, at least in terms of view, it beats CSC's bench.
The largest club hosted by Jericho is the University of British Columbia (UBC) sailing club. While Jericho has some other good options as well, I knew that this was the club for me. Like CSC, they are an affordable non-profit cooperative. Lessons are run a little differently: students must register (and pay) for courses offered by professional instructors. Their sailing fleet is very exciting: lots of FJs, Vanguards, and Lasers, 4 RS500s, 2 RS800s, some Hobie Cats, and some Nacra F18 catamarans. The club also has windsurfers and kayaks. After boring their head instructor with all the details of my sailing career, I got checked off for their beginner and intermediate boats, and for the RS500 as well after a quick sail with the high performance fleet captain.
I really miss two aspects of CSC, though. First of all, the wind. It is a windy day here if we've got ten knots. Since moving here, I haven't even come close to capsizing an RS500; if you've sailed with me in Berkeley, you know that you can't just attribute that to my skill. Secondly, I miss the CSC social scene. While everyone at UBC sailing is very friendly, there isn't as much natural space for interaction. Since UBC shares the Jericho yard (as opposed to CSC's dedicated facilities), it is difficult to pick out UBC sailors from the others. Also, the formal lesson system doesn't seem to foster as much social interaction as CSC's piecemeal approach.
In summary: there are some really sweet boats up here (and nice people, too). If you are here and want to sail, drop me a line. But enjoy CSC while you can, because it is one of a kind!
Comments 1
I actually came to CSC from the UBC Sailing club. I loved the Jericho sailing center's facilities, having a hot shower or grabbing a burger after a long sailing or windsurfing session was great. The wind is unfortunately no where near as good as SF though.
If you're ever looking for food nearby the Discovery Cafe is cheaper (and imo better) than the restaurant in the sailing center.