Sailing to Brooklyn from Ireland

It is really amazing how many international sailboats come through Brooklyn. Earlier this year, Thomas Coville's maxi trimoran Sodeb'O was moored at Gateway Marina prior to its attempt to set a North Atlantic crossing record. And last year, we came across the crew of S/V Pasha, who came to Brooklyn in search of a laundromat.

I was fortunate enough to go sailing this weekend. With Baby Salt's arrival, it has been rather difficult squeezing in time for a sail (more on that to come). Following the sail, we saw the sailing vessel Safari of Howth, a Halberg Rassy 42, docked at Miramar Yacht Club. The ship, owed by Carmel & Ken Kavanagh, hailing from the Howth Yacht Club, was easily identified by its Irish flag flying from the stern. Safari of Howth left Ireland about two years ago and comes to Brooklyn by way of a long journey which included stops in the Caribbean, Florida and up the Eastern Seaboard. The boat will be in Brooklyn through the end of August, then will sail to the Chesapeake and Washington areas where they will stay until mid-October. Then its back to Ireland for Christmas.

The skipper, graciously invited us aboard, prior commitments kept us from accepting his offer. And while we didn't board the Safari of Howth, the skipper didn't leave us empty handed. We were each handed a beer prior to our departure.

Learn to Sail in One Night: $25

On Friday, June 6, Miramar Yacht Club is offering its "Learn to Sail in One Night" class to non-members. The class is condensed to only the basics of what's needed to know how to sail. The veteran instructors will cover:
sailing nomenclature, parts of a sail, apparent wind, Bernoulli Principle, points of sail, luffing, sail trim, slowing and stopping a sailboat, sailing again after a stop, tacking, jibing, general rules of the road, red-right-return, anchoring, docking and a few knots. Whew!

And they are offering a free sail the class runs from 8:00pm - 10:30 p.m. and cost $25, which includes materials, refreshments and we'll mention the free sail again.

To make a reservation or get information please call 718-743-5823 or e-mail sail@miramaryc.com.