There’s no need to own a cottage or boat to partake in water sports during the few precious months when temperatures rise above freezing. And there’s no need to be a skilled swimmer or adrenalin junkie to be out on the lake. Just strap on a life jacket and let the summer winds guide you across the water on a sailboat.
“Just about anybody can learn how to sail,” says Milutin Ajdacic, the commodore of Westwood Sailing Club located on the north side of Toronto’s Outer Harbour. All that is needed is a touch of mechanical inclination to figure out where the wind is coming from, Ajdacic adds.
The youngest sailors begin to learn the ropes at around age seven, Adjacic says, but his community-owned club only accepts members 18 or older. The $415 annual membership fee at Westwood includes the use of club boats and facilities, racing and safety clinics, and social events. Instructors certified by the Canadian Yachting Association offer beginner or “white sail” courses for $60 for members, as well as intermediate lessons.
The club’s variety of sailboats reflects the different ways sailing can be approached. A two-person Albacore is commonly used with first-time skippers and their instructors; more experienced sailors can hop on a one-person Laser and reflect in solitude while navigating the winds; and those with a need for speed and competition can race in a Hobie 16.
And once a week after sailors have worked up an appetite on the harbour, they can return to a dinner and discussion of who caught the best gusts. “The sailing community is a very pleasant community to be a part of,” Adjacic says. “I have met a number of friends [through sailing].”
With calm beaches and close friends, sailing clubs provide a cottage experience five minutes from downtown Toronto, Adjacic says. “Make friends, challenge yourself, learn something new.”
It’s not too late to set sail this season. For information on Westwood call 416-461-2870 or visit www.westwood.on.ca. For further details on sailing visit www.ontario
sailing.ca.