About
Deep Creek Sailing School is a volunteer-run nonprofit that has taught sailing at the south end of Deep Creek Lake since 1992. Its classroom is on the first floor of the Deep Creek Lake Sailing Association clubhouse at 204 Yacht Club Road in Swanton, and it offers summer programs for young children, juniors, teens and adults, plus private lessons.
Programs for Every Age
Instructors are US Sailing certified, and the school runs on a volunteer board with no full-time paid staff. Its programs include:
- Creek Critters, a learn-to-sail week for 6- and 7-year-olds that ends with students sailing Optimist Prams, usually two to a boat
- Junior Weeks for ages 8 to 17, mixing on-the-water and classroom time, with a swim test, capsize drill, rigging and safety, and usually a longer sail across to Deep Creek Yacht Club
- Teen Week, an advanced program for sailors 12 and up who want to sharpen sailing and racing skills
- Adult Week for ages 16 and older, for beginners and intermediate sailors, taught in Flying Scots with chalk talks, a capsize demonstration, and spinnaker and racing work for more experienced students
- Private lessons in Flying Scots with an instructor on board, for one to three students per boat (at least one an adult)
Juniors progress through a colour-coded pin system from beginner to advanced racing, sailing Optimists, Teras, Lasers, 420s and Flying Scots. Students may bring their own Optimist, Tera, Laser or Flying Scot.
Before You Go
Every junior must pass a swim test: jumping off the dock, swimming about 50 yards and treading water. The school asks students to bring a life jacket, swimsuit, closed-toe shoes that stay on in the water, a warm layer and rain jacket, sunscreen, water and a lunch that does not need refrigeration, since sailing usually goes ahead in cool or wet weather when it is safe. Some classes meet at Deep Creek Yacht Club on Shoreline Drive. The school teaches but does not rent sailboats, and it is separate from the clubs whose facilities it shares.
Register early for summer weeks, and ask the school about private lessons at least a week ahead.
Address
204 Yacht Club Rd, Swanton, MD 21561