By Elizabeth Wolf
Sentinel Correspondent
It’s no secret Greenwich has plenty of waterfront—36 miles to be exact—but when only a third of the shoreline in the state is publicly owned the question becomes: How do we access it?
The town has access points open to town residents and seasonally open to non-residents, and while the water is beautiful and refreshing, the next question becomes: What’s there to do?
Quite a bit it would seem, with everything from yoga paddle boarding to motor boating to waterfront dining and old-fashioned fun in the sun.
But a fun and often thrilling activity, one that is sure to leave your with a smile on your face and salt in your hair, is sailing.
Along with several yacht clubs in town that offer a variety of summer programs for sailors of all ages and ability levels, there are many ways for residents to get on the water this summer, including via Greenwich Community Sailing, the Greenwich Boat and Yacht Club, and Indian Harbor’s Junior Sailing Program.
Greenwich Community Sailing, which is run out of the Old Greenwich Yacht Club, is located on Tod’s Driftway at Tod’s Point.
The program offers both junior and adult sailing classes for beginners, advanced sailors, and all ability levels in between throughout the summer in both dinghies and catamarans.
The program also offers boating safety courses and private lessons. Residents simply present a current Greenwich park pass issued at Town Hall, and then its time to get on the water!
Indian Harbor Yacht Club also opens its doors to both member and non-member children from as young as four years old through their senior year of high school.
Targeting a range of ability levels, the club offers programs ranging from introductory Sprite classes in Ideal 18s to opportunities for advanced racers to sail in local, regional, national and international regattas in Lasers and 420s.
In addition, the harbor right off of the club’s docks is home to Greenwich Academy and Brunswick School as well as Greenwich High School’s scholastic teams. This creates a dynamic and picturesque scene in the afternoons of March, April and May.
If you’re looking for a long-term sailing option, the Greenwich Boat and Yacht Club, located on Grass Island, is welcoming new members this season. Needing only proof of Greenwich residency, a completed one-page application, an initiation fee, and a love of the water, individuals and families can quickly take full advantage of the club’s clubhouse, active social calendar, and marina overlooking Captain’s Island. In addition, the club hosts the Coast Guard Auxiliary “Boating Skills & Seamanship Course.” Greenwich Boat and Yacht Club is among the oldest boat clubs in town, having been organized in 1938.
You can whet your sailing appetite by visiting the Bush Holley House Museum’s exhibit “Close to the Wind: Our Maritime History,” which explores Greenwich’s rich sailing history through paintings, photographs, maps, charts and instruments. The exhibit is open through September 4, and the Museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. with docent-led tours at 1, 2 and 3 p.m., or by appointment.
Whether it’s your first time getting on the water or you’ve been a sailor for years, Greenwich has a multitude of ways to get involved this summer. Waterfront directors at both private clubs and community programs in town are wonderful resources to learn more about sailing opportunities, and even pursuing a lifelong membership.
As Kenneth Grahame writes in his children’s classic “Wind in the Willows,” “There is nothing—absolutely nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”
