Start Sailing Now shares the stories of sailors who took up the sport as adults, such as Harish Neelakandan, who sails out of Baltimore's Downtown Sailing Center.
Tell us about how you got into sailing.
My first sailing experience was in Boston in the mid-1990s. I was almost 30 years of age and in graduate school at MIT. I spent a few weeks learning to sail in a Tech Dinghy on the Charles River. After that summer, I did not sail again until I joined the Downtown Sailing Center (DSC) in Baltimore in 2009. I was 45 and had forgotten everything about sailing, so I essentially started from scratch.
How did you acquire your sailing skills? Did you take any formal classes?
I took all the classes offered by the DSC. In addition, before I made skipper, I used every opportunity I got to get out on the water. The DSC’s weekly member sails taught me a lot about sailing. So did racing at DSC’s Thursday night racing. I am U.S. Sailing Keelboat certified, and I have also taken U.S. Sailing’s Basic Cruising and Bareboat Cruising courses. Finally, I graduated from the DSC’s Cruising Skipper Candidate program, which involved instruction and practice on the DSC’s cruisers and certified me to be a cruising skipper.
Describe your sailing experience thus far, and what are your future plans?
At the DSC, I have sailed on J/22s, Sonars, and some cruisers—a Hunter 36, a Pearson 30, an Islander 37, and an O’Day 35. I race on Thursday nights in the DSC’s one-design J/22 fleet. I have also raced on a Santana 30 at the Baltimore City Yacht Association’s Tuesday night races in the Inner Harbor. I plan to continue to sail and race in Baltimore and hopefully in Annapolis. Someday, I hope to buy a 30-something-foot sailboat. I am also very active in is the DSC’s Friday night “Fun Racing” series. This is a fun, informal “pick-up” style race series open to all levels of crew at the DSC. We just gather on the docks on Friday nights, form instant teams, and take out our J/22 fleet. Since sailors of all skill levels show up, this is a great way to train novice sailors who may be interested in taking up racing. When I was a novice, I found this program immensely useful and enjoyable, so as an experienced skipper now, it is my turn to spread my knowledge to the up and-coming new sailors at the DSC.
Tell us about your family’s involvement in sailing.
My son, Nishad, 16, attended the DSC’s junior camps in summers past and got his U.S. Sailing Keelboat certification in 2014. Last summer he was a volunteer camp counselor and coach at the DSC. He also raced in the DSC’s Thursday night one-design J/22 racing series. My daughter, Laya, 14, attended the DSC’s junior camp in 2015. My goal this year is to hone and improve her sailing skills. Both my children have sailed with me many times in the Inner Harbor. Although my wife is not a sailor, we have taken her out on “family sails” a few times.
Please share a little about your role with the DSC Accessible Sailing program.
I have been very involved in the DSC’s acclaimed Accessible program for the last four or so years, and it has become one of my favorite activities there. It’s really gratifying to participate in an activity which brings so much joy to so many who may otherwise have physical or developmental limitations. My son has been a very active volunteer with me. He has served as a sailing coach and sailing buddy for disabled children and youth. My daughter is not as experienced as my son is, but she has also volunteered for the accessible program. As my son leaves home for college next year, I am hoping that my daughter will take his place in the program.
If someone were interested in learning to sail, what would you tell them?
I’d have two things to tell them: First, I absolutely and highly recommend it, and they should start it as soon as they can. Second, they should join the DSC, which is one of the best community sailing associations in the country, and which makes it easy to learn to sail, and more important, allows for plenty of practice. It’s a wonderful organization
