Why Narragansett Sailing?
Why did we choose Narragansett Sailing and Boating School? Why include such a complicated word in the name of our school?
That’s what many people ask the first time they see the school’s name.
Narragansett Bay: Best water body
Choosing where to set up your sailing school means choosing the body of water where students will take their first step “on the water”. That’s a huge responsibility. The Bay of Narragansett is well known to sailors all over the world because this is the original home of the America’s Cup and because of its constant innovations and dynamic boating industry. The bay is a very active sailing scene in North America and welcome numerous boating events, boat shows, sailing competitions and international boating events.
Six good reasons to choose the Northern end of the bay.
We like teaching sailing in Narragansett Bay, the New England’s largest estuary, especially from Barrington or Warwick?
1- An area with little indigenous boat traffic : less stress for our students and more room to maneuver. This is key when you start sailing.
2- A protected harbor with a large enough sailing area outside to stretch skills, but small enough to be protected without waves or boat wakes to be an issue. It is also a wonderful cruising ground with lots of places to go and explore. You’ll always be able to take photos of the coast from the boat.
3- A place where current could be felt and experienced, but weak enough not to be challenging : practice and hands-out with an instructor give you confidence.
4- Good marina environment to be able to learn docking skills : sailing is fun but stopping the boat may be useful?
5- An area with a plethora of navigational aids and a variety of buoyage types : make it easy to learn navigation rules and to become familiar with what can be find anywhere else.
6- Adjacent proximity to a more robust body of water for our “learning area” where students can challenge themselves as their skills grow; but also have a variety of protected anchorages nearby for overnights : safe and nice anchorage is one of the secret for an happy crew…
7- Offshore and Coastal opportunities and many destinations: The Narragansett Bay is a gateway to numerous nearby destinations. We can teach ASA 106 Advanced Coastal Navigation and reach fantastic harbors and islands like Block Island, Martha’s Vineyard and even the famous island of Nantucket, MA.
Why Cove Haven and Greenwich Bay marinas?
Coven Haven Marina and the Greenwich bay marinas are well-known marinas in Narragansett Bay. Don’t get confused Greenwich bay marina is loacated in Warwick, RI. Both marinas are completely protected from storms, but easy to get out to the upper bay. To top it off, we have plenty of parking and one of the largest marinas in the bay to practice docking and close quarter maneuvering using an actual marina slip! Both marinas include excellent facilities for our students who want to spend nights on board.
Conclusion:
So why did we keep the word Narragansett, such a complicated name in the name of the school? Because we think that taking your first steps in this fantastic Rhode Island bay will give you the desire to sail furthermore and confidence in yourself on a boat, not to mention its pretty green space facing the sea!
More about sailing in the Bay:
See you soon!