Had a fantastic experience learning how to sail while enjoying the beautiful view of the Potomac…read more Captain Jim is so patient, fun and down to earth. Highly encourage anyone to try out Eclipse, either as a tourist experience or honing in on your sailing skill!

From the owner: Discover the joy of sailing in the heart of Washington, DC. No experience needed. Eclipse offers…read moresmall-group sailing adventures led by USCG-licensed instructors on a 24-foot keelboat. Each 2.5-hour session departs from The Wharf Marina and includes safety equipment and personalized instruction.

Great group of people to learn to sail with. It is also a very effective way to get time on the…read morewater on a budget. Could not be happier

The Pentagon Sailing Club provides an amazing opportunity to gain sailing skills, for both novice…read moreand experienced sailors, in the DC area! Sails on the Potomac and on in the Chesapeake Bay, and classroom training will prepare you to handle a 20 to 40ft boat in any conditions. It's an amazing club of volunteers who will teach you the theory and build your hands on skills at a pace that works for you. It's a great club with amazing instructors!

Very rude and impersonal on the phone when I called to ask about my sailing class after I put a…read moredeposit down. I tried to give my availability and was cutoff---she said I will contact you if we have an instructor. Ok, well I can't just drop everything when you call to go sailing, please take my updated a availability? I hope other employees are better-suited to customer service and maybe kayaking and other options are still worth it, just wanted to let everyone know of my experience. I've never left a bad review, but I was excited to learn to sail, sad this had to be my experience. On to the next place!

Learning to sail had been on my bucket list forever so when I saw that the Mariner Sailing School…read moreoffered sailing lessons for adults every week of summer I decided to sign myself up for my own "summer camp". I have to tell you that learning to sail was an excellent decision because I actually learned to sail a 19 foot flying scot independently! My lessons consisted of four 2.5 hour morning sailing lessons out on the Potomac, Monday through Thursday. The sailing school also offers adult weeknight and weekend classes and different kids camps. The instructors split my class up into groups of two or three, went over some of the materials and then out onto the water we went to learn how to rig the boat and raise the sails. My instructor Ray was awesome, he taught us what we needed to know and even pushed us to run docking drills by ourselves on the last day of classes. Yes, at times the lessons were super challenging and nerve wracking, but once you get some practice time in, you'll get the hang of it. It's worth it to learn how to sail. I myself now find sailing enjoyable and ridiculously relaxing. Everyone I have encountered at the marina either teaching lessons, working in the office or out on the dock have been super friendly and helpful. They give you a free week of practice sails after your lesson so that you feel totally comfortable sailing independently and the people at the dock give plenty of tips to help you continue to hone your beginner skills.

Dan set us up with safety precautions to ensure that we had an excellent day on the water. He was…read morekind, thorough and helpful in lining our boat back up correctly. Demetri helped us us get set up for the "last mile" of boat operation so that it was easy to learn before we set out. Thank you both for an amazing day with Goboat. I'd highly recommend visiting this business for a fun activity and hope to be back soon! Sameer

One Star -- Safety and Customer Service Should Come Before Blame…read more I genuinely wish I could give zero stars. What was supposed to be an enjoyable birthday outing became one of the worst customer-service experiences I've encountered. Our reservation was 7-9 p.m. GoBoat emphasized arriving by 6:40 to avoid losing rental time, so we arrived at 6:15 p.m. After approximately five unanswered calls and watching groups who arrived after us get boarded first, we finally departed around 7:12 p.m. Our boat wasn't even fully prepared--the top covering we purchased had to be installed after we reminded staff. Jamal provided basic operating and route instructions, which we followed. However, no joint pre-rental inspection of the boat, electric motor, or propeller was conducted with us, so its condition was never established to us before departure. At approximately 8:12 p.m., while following the instructed route, another passenger and I heard/felt something underneath the boat. It was nighttime with low visibility, the water was not transparent, and debris was present. Immediately afterward, everyone noticed the motor/propeller making a noise it had not made previously. We immediately reported it rather than continuing the outing. Jocelyn placed the boat in neutral and steered toward the dock. Jamal and Miles were genuinely concerned and assisted us back safely, and I appreciate them. Unfortunately, management's response was entirely different. General Manager Steve immediately blamed us, stated we should be financially responsible under the waiver, and came across as rude, accusatory, and condescending. The owner, Roberto, also attributed the damage to us, discussing the expense of propeller repairs and stating they hadn't "even reached the surface" of what repairs could cost. Yet neither management response began with the most important questions: Is everyone okay? What happened? That bothered me more than anything. We followed GoBoat's instructions, promptly reported the problem, stopped operating the boat, and had never been shown the propeller's condition beforehand. Jamal also told us we weren't the first group this had happened to. I am not claiming the equipment was previously damaged--I simply disagree with immediately assigning fault without first investigating what happened. GoBoat ultimately decided not to charge us, but maintained that we caused the damage. By the time everything was discussed, it was approximately 8:43 p.m., making their offer to restart on another boat impractical due to our other obligations. We effectively received about one hour of a two-hour birthday outing. Roberto promised a gift card for our unused time, valid through October 31. As of this review, we still haven't received it. Frankly, the gift card is the least of my concerns because this experience has made me reluctant to operate another GoBoat. For a business putting customers on the water, SAFETY SHOULD BE PARAMOUNT. Management should first ensure everyone is safe, determine what happened, inspect the equipment, and then determine responsibility--not immediately blame customers and discuss how much they'll potentially owe. I appreciate Jamal and Miles for their assistance, but the delayed/unprepared departure, unanswered calls, lack of a joint pre-rental inspection, lost rental time, immediate presumption of fault, management's tone, and lack of initial concern for our safety made this an exceptionally disappointing experience. The mechanical issue could have simply been an unfortunate occurrence. Management's handling of it is what earned the one-star review. DON'T GOBOAT, GO ELSEWHERE!

Denny is amazing. We had so much fun. Learned historic facts but also current events. Highly…read morerecommend Denny and his food suggestions. -Nora and Doug

My wife and I took a private sunset cruise with Embark DC from 5:00-7:00 pm, starting in Georgetown…read moreand ending at The Wharf. It was absolutely amazing! Our captain, Denny, could not have been better -- he was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the entire experience so enjoyable. We saw beautiful sights along the Potomac, learned some interesting history, and had an unforgettable evening. Highly recommend Embark DC for anyone looking for a special way to experience Washington from the water!

Near Reagan Airport. So you get to see planes arrive & depart. Also visible is a view of D.C.,…read moreCapitol building and Washington Monument. Nice place to get a shot of nature and relax. Parking is free for non- boaters. Boat shop & bathrooms are open. Also it's near the catboat pizza bar you will really enjoy that place.

This a nice marina run by the park service. They accommodate both sail boats and motorboats. They…read morehave a small shop & a seasonal restaurant with a deck. It's a nice place to sit by the water and watch the planes land at DCA.

great experience! they were so accommodating and really friendly. the area was also nice and clean.read more

Terrible customer service. No instruction and the two people on the dock just kept looking at their…read morephones. Would not recommend.

Friendly service and guys in the staff who made sure we were taken care of. Great bar staff and…read morefun, but loud music. Beautiful views of the city!

This was such a fun experience! Two hours boating up and down the Potomac river with fun music and…read moreviews. It's open bar and they have a variety of cocktails and canned beverages including high noons. Plenty of seating upstairs with a dj downstairs/inside. We booked the 545-745 cruise which was perfect timing With the sunset!

This is definitely a unique fun way to visit the famous Mount Vernon. It's $50 per person and an…read moreoptional extra $10 for a breakfast buffet (eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pastries, croissants, OJ/coffee/tea.) I recommend the breakfast option if you have a good appetite and it's a good deal. Mount Vernon has a food court and restaurant in their visitor center, but nothing special. The $50 includes the round trip ferry cruise, admission and mansion tour of Mount Vernon. The cruise leaves at 8:30a and takes 1.5 hours to reach Mount Vernon as it passes through the Potomac River. Throughout the ride, there is some commentary about some sites we pass by. You arrive at Mount Vernon at 10a and have to meet back at the port by 1:15p, leave by 1:30p and return back to DC by 3:00p. I thought it was a good amount of time to tour the mansion and explore Mount Vernon grounds, along with the visitor center that has a George Washington exhibit. Highly recommend the Spirit cruise!

I don't know what some people's beef was with this cruise line. it was an awesome way to visit…read moremount Vernon from dc. Taking a tour bus cost roughly $100, and this was only $45 regular price- I was able to get a promo code online which made it about $40. You have to pick up your paper tickets at the dock before you board around 815. Then you set sail around 830 and arrive at mount Vernon at approx 1000 am It's about a half mile up to the house from the docks, but there's stuff to see along the way. You can also catch a shuttle that runs every so often. You get about 3.5 hours on the grounds to explore. I've heard some people say this isnt enough time - I can kind of see where they are coming from. Mount Vernon is huge! But for me personally, I felt it was enough time to hit the high lights. They served food (I had a breakfast sandwich) and drinks (including alcohol) on the boat for a fee. My coffee and sandwich was under $5 which seemed very fair. The bottom two decks are enclosed and the top is open - view from the open top deck is worth it. you pass lots of sights like national harbor, fort Washington, Alexandria, etc I went more towards the off season so in summer I can see it being packed. In fall it was not so busy that you felt crowded but not so empty that it felt weird. The boat leaves from 600 water st. I highly recommend!

An institution on Capitol Hill, my elementary school aged daughter has taken a few after school…read moreclasses here. A CHAW van picks her and others up and takes them to the art and theater classes. She loves each class and enjoys the instructors. There's easy street parking nearby making pick up seamless.

CHAW is a really positive contributor to the Capital Hill community, in art, music, drama for all…read moreages and experiences. In particular I have been participating in the open figure drawing sessions for several years and really enjoy the atmosphere and the creativity. The organizers of this group are knowledgeable and always helpful.