Getaway Sailing

Had a great time on the water with three friends. We sailed on a Friday evening and the weather was perfect. Claire was our captain and she was great. Explained sailing as well as the sights, buildings, landmarks, etc. You are able to bring food and drink – added plus. If you’re looking for a something different to do I recommend this!

My wife and I got a Living Social for a 3-​hour harbor sail as a gift. We unfortunately forgot about it over the course of the summer and re-​discovered it past the listed expiration date! I called Getaway Sailing and they were more than willing to honor the deal. Sean kept in contact to let me know the schedule for upcoming sails and helped me figure out the best one for us. The sail itself was wonderful! Of course the wonderful weather in Baltimore that day didn’t hurt. Riggs, our captain, was really, really good and also quite knowledgeable about the sights. The company’s policies that allow you to bring food and drink with you and not have to sit in an uncomfortable vest the whole time were very welcome and made the experience even more fun. We had a great time and will be back.

I went with my girlfriend and a couple of friends and we had a blast. Mike was our instrauctor and he was very friendly and informative and taught us how to sail. He took us around the different docks and harbors and we got to see the ships. We were able to bring our own drinks and food as well, which certainly helped. I would recommend this to anyone, especially because they have rental options for members and other boats that you may qualify for with your associated membership.

Tom and I went sailing this week with Clare as our instructor. She was amazing! We learned so much about sailing, the history of Baltimore and she knew every building we passed. Clare was outgoing, made us feel safe in our adventure and gave us confidence to try something new. We will let our friends know about our experince and hope they will also try Getaway Sailing.

It’s so amazing to get out on a boat and see Baltimore from the water. The peace and quiet that comes from sailing is wonderful. This is a great way to have access to that without having to own a boat!

On the other side of the Harbor from Downtown Sailing Center, this sailing club offers more than just the j22’s that it’s competition has. Getaway has sonars, cals, and 4 larger cruising vessels. The variety of boats is nice, just know that the membership is tiered based on what boats you want to sail.
The club is not well run though and do not pay for a class until it is over as I’ve signed up for a class that the 2^nd and 3^rd sessions kept getting canceled and the class was never finished (and I never got my $). The owner is older and lets the 2 main people there run the show– and not well mind you. This club used to do more social events and had a more relaxed feel. That was before the marketing person came in and is only looking at how much they can charge, who they can charter out too (WARNING– this means the boats are not available to member at that time). Sometimes we feel nickle and dimed as you have to pay extra for dingys, grills, and pumpouts. The staff turnaround is pretty high and once people leave, they don’t have very many good things to say about management– just a heads up there.
You can book up to two reservations at a time and not for more than 7 days at a time. This leaves the boats available for the other members to reserve and makes the system more fair. Also, the reservation system is online which is nice, but it is closed so you can not see who is booking what/​when. This is frustrating at times when we can’t get a reservation b/​c they are supposedly taken, but we see the boats sitting there at the dock. You can always call though and see if you can get on one last minute.
With all of that noted, other than Downtown Sailing it is the only game in town unless you want to drive to Annapolis/​Eastport. I’m a member and will probably continue to be, but you should be aware of some of the issues that club has before deciding to join.
** Update** — I’ve been informed that since I last ventured over to Downtown Sailing, they have a larger, more diverse fleet than before and may just be competition for Getaway.