Forget skyscrapers on that next international trip - go sailing

by Nancy Knudsen on 2 Jun 2014 You love sailing, but when you travel you miss out - right? When you're thinking of travelling to the major cities of the world, you think of skyscrapers, not sailing. However, remembering that most large cities were established around deep-water ports, the truth is that the majority of them have now developed a thriving sailing culture.

So why not pick up the trend that Yahoo executive and avid sailor Dave George is following. Find the sailing school or the charter fleet in the city where you're headed and see that city from a completely different perspective.

George, writing in his own blog, says 'All the kool kids are doing it!'

However, the sailing difficulty of cities varies a lot. Given San Francisco Bay, for instance, has some of the most exciting yet challenging sailing conditions in the world — consistently strong winds, big waves, fierce currents, rocky shores, 1000-foot-long freighters, and plenty of fog, you'll need either to be with an experienced skipper or very confident. So assess your city and take advice before you set off on a bare boat charter, no matter how experienced you are.

Sometimes it's easier to take the sailing school experience to learn the ropes in your travels.

But according to George, you can raise anchor in a host of cities, which offer sailors of all abilities big-time urban sailing adventures.

Some of the cities where this is true might surprise you: Istanbul has a thriving sailing community, right on the Bosphorus. So does Dubai. The Omanis are going into sailing in a big way and are very welcoming. In Singapore you'll get a sail quite easily and in Sweden - well, they are Vikings, what more do I need to say? All it takes is a little Google searching and you might find the town where YOU are next headed is also full of like-minded sailors.

However, you have to start somewhere, so here's Dave George's starting list of sailing opportunities where you can just rock up for a sail in some of the USA's largest cities:

San Francisco:

Olympic Circle Sailing Club: Servicing San Francisco’s next wave of sailors since 1979.

Chicago

Offshore Adventures: Captain Rick’s latest passion is racing, so you can speed past Chicago’s skyline or enjoy it leisurely at sunset.

New York City

Manhattan Sailing School: NYC’s largest sailing school gets you up close and personal with Lady Liberty in lessons off downtown Manhattan.

Washington, D.C.

Mariner Sailing School: Belle Haven’s mostly quiet, calm waters are especially suited for newbies

Los Angeles

South Bay Sailing: Charters include champagne cruises and jaunts to Catalina Island.

Seattle

Windworks Sailing: Plying the waters of Puget Sound, just six miles north of Seattle, since 1992.

...and this is only the beginning.