Deep Creek Sailing School - Deep Creek Lake Blog

Sailing School 2015

Sailing school starts as the winds start to pulse around 9:30am which gives you plenty of time to get breakfast and drive to the beautiful South end of the lake. You start out in the classroom, gaining an understanding of the sail boat and basic sailing instruction. The instructors will happily send you out for some water time as you gain a coherent/safe understanding of how to handle a sailboat.

The anticipation, nervousness and pre-sailing jitters subside as you mount up with two other crew members and assemble your boat. The mainsail/jib has to be attached to the mast and boom/keel and tiller/rudder have to be secured before the intimidating task of taking off from the dock. Once you break free of the dock you find the exhilaration that sailors have experienced since the beginning of time of being propelled by the wind. You learn to carve through the wind at different angles and tack into the wind. Upwind seems as though you are at time warp speeds while downwind you feel like you are crawling. You learn how to tweek every bit of speed out of the wind with sailing fundamentals taught in class while self-educating yourself in the water.

Cruising for an hour or so to get the basics is fun but we are all competitors at heart and when you see fellow students peeling off towards the race course you are drawn like a vacuum into the temptation of competition. Three buoys are positioned in basically a triangle shape to give you a race course configuration. Every turn you make around each buoy challenges you to adjust your sail and jib to maximize the wind angles that change dramatically at each turn. Sound complicated? It is not as bad as you may think and most people catch on very quickly, leaving you the rest of the week to race your newfound friends. Competition is intense in the water and you may find yourself talking a little smack to boats that you over take when your crew navigates perfectly around a buoy to take the lead. You take turns captaining the boat operating the main sail/tiller while the other crew member works the jib. Every action that you perform helps the boat by increasing or decreasing the speed; a slight mishap can allow the competing boats to painfully and slowly squeak by you.

As you work your way back to the docks after a fun day of sailing there is nothing but smiles, laughter and positive comrade array. What better way to meet new friends, learn to sail, and get a great workout while unleashing your competitive spirit. Take time to register yourself and bring along family and friends. After all, you have chosen this wonderful lake to build your family memories and sailing has to be one of the top ways to enjoy it. Highly recommended!

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Gran Fondo-Sailing School

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Gran Fondo-Sailing School. This past weekend was the 4^th annual Gran Fondo. Over 1200 riders took to the beautiful back roads of Deep Creek and Garrett County on rides ranging from 22 miles to the infamous Diabolical Double…125 miles. Riders started at 7am and some were still riding at 6pm. Weather was exceptionally hot for the lake in June (low 80’s) making the ride even more difficult. My teammate and Buyer Specialist, Kathy Johnson, has promised her husband she will do the 44 mile ride next year on their tandem bicycle. Stay tuned!

Something to consider next year… I have been spending the week learning the basic sailing fundamentals at Deep Creek Lake Sailing School. On day 3, I am already solo-ing with other students and putting the heat on the veteran sailors on the race courseJ. A lot of the students are on their 3^rd to 5^th year of sailing and they annually take off a week to enjoy the course and brush up on advanced sailing techniques. All kidding aside, you better sign-up in advance as the class is always booked. They hold the school twice each summer at the Deep Creek Lake Yacht Club.

Flying Scot circa 1968 getting the job done

Just a quick hint for your primary home or your vacation home. I’ve had several requests in the last 10 days asking what lockbox I would recommend they use for their home. This is one of the best investments I have made. Combination is very easy to change.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-5401D-Wall-Mounted-Set-Your-Own/dp/B0002YP1UI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1372266810&sr=8-2&keywords=master+lock+box

Our featured listing for this week is a great mountain home in the Sunset Ridge community of McHenry close to Wisp. Never been rented; exceptionally clean and new-feeling. http://vt.realbiz360.com/Listing-1304165.html

Our market in DCL is gaining momentum, especially since the interest rate hike. We’ve seen rates go from 3.875% to 4.75% on a 30-year fixed (conforming – under $417,000). Some project that they will come down but I wouldn’t wait to find out! However, there are still some good loan programs. One of our clients was just quoted a 3.175% rate on a 10/1 ARM from a local bank. That’s hard to pass up! The inventory is up with plenty of homes to choose from. Most owners list their properties this time of year in time for the summer selling season. We are still seeing some great deals for buyers. If you’d like for us to do an updated property search for you just shoot us a quick email or call with your search criteria.

Sailing Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Lake Sailing School

I was showing property this weekend starting at Thousand Acres when I discovered something with my clients while checking out a waterfront property/dock. I have been on this lake for over 6 summers but have never seen the amount of sailboats out and about, although I have understood that it is the norm. Without sounding corny, you could almost liken the movement of the numerous sailing rigs on the water to a gripping scene at a fine ballet with a symphony playing some world renowned score.

There was a calm amongst the chaos as boats zig zagged through random trajectories trying to juggle the jib, tiller, battens, turn buckle, chain plates, cleats and winches (yeah, I googled those terms!). Actually, the two person crews that captain these sailing rigs had an immense amount of experience and it only seems chaotic for a novice like me…BUT NOT FOR LONG!

I have signed up for the adult Deep Creek Sailing School to get my “wings” or “anchor” or what every term is used after you become a veteran Sailor. After all, my father was a submariner which is kind of close to an actual sailor, so there are bloodlines! DeepCreekSailingSchool offers a week-long sailing school for both adults and juniors beginning with the basics and working up to being able to sail with confidence with any deckhand who has ever swabbed a deck. I talked to a friend last night who has vast experience in sailing who told me that the first thing to do is get a deep understanding of the winds and then apply it to the information learned at the sailing school and that’s just what I’m going to do.

Don’t ever feel it’s too late to find a new passion or love. Life is too short not to find new and exciting things and sailing is at the top of the list at the moment.

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Sailing School 2015

Greeting from Deep Creek Lake-Gran Fondo-Sailing School

Sailing Deep Creek Lake-Deep Creek Lake Sailing School

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