SailTime Virginia, located at Morningstar Marina, Norfolk, will be extending their boating season effective December 15 from a 9-month season to year-round. Previously the Virginia SailTime club has closed from December 15 to March 15. “We have so many beautiful winter days in the Virginia Beach area” commented Jennie Jameson, who manages the base along with her husband Paul. “With the milder winters we’ve been having, we wanted to give members the opportunity to take advantage of great boating days whenever they can.”
Added Paul, “this is something our members have asked for. We don’t haul our boats out for the winter season except for annual maintenance. They come out for about a week each year and the rest of the time they are sitting there in the water.”
Availability will be weather-dependent with safety as a priority. Boats will not be taken out if temperatures are too cold or winds are too high. For many members of SailTime Virginia, the opportunity to take advantage of a beautiful, sunny, winter day and go sailing will be an added bonus to their annual membership.
Greg Garrett, owner of the SailTime Virginia franchise, noted that one of their goals is to expand opportunities for more people and families to regularly get out on the water. The Jamesons, as base managers, have looked for new and creative ways to make this happen. This year they are adding several new programs to their club including a special 10 time/season bareboat sailing package for graduates of ASA 101 on one of their 26′ keel boats. Said Paul, “we think this will be a good opportunity for new sailors who want time on the water to gain confidence and experience, before moving to a larger membership boat. “
Also new this year is the opportunity for SailTime members to gain experience in racing, by signing up to crew with an experienced Captain on local race days.
Jennie noted that many of their members come a fair distance for the opportunity to get out on the water, so she and Paul are looking for ways to ensure a wide variety of experiences to make the most of members’ boating time. “ About a third of our members come from Charlottesville, Richmond or Chapel Hill, NC.”, said Jennie. “We want to help members expand their sailing experience and sail to places they might not go on their own.” She added, “we will be planning more events this year like flotillas to sailing destinations that are a little farther out, like Cape Charles, or Hampton or Mobjack Bay”. Paul added that “flotillas give new sailors a chance to experience a new adventure with one or more other boats, sailing along with them. It broadens their sailing resume and gives them more confidence to venture out on their own”.
SailTime Virginia is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year and is looking forward to growing its fleet, its programs and its memberships.
