My son had an awesome time at sailing camp through the Downtown Sailing Center. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. My son didn't know anything about sailing but was able to quickly learn basic mechanics in about 2 days thanks to the wonderful instructors. The camp is located next to the Baltimore Museum of Industry and has plenty of free parking. I love that the sailing center allowed parents view the kids on the last day of camp. We were given life jackets and was able to stand on the pier to watch out kids sailing around the inner harbor. They all seemed to learn so quickly since the summer camp was only 5 days long. My only gripe with this $400, 5 day camp is that the kids wouldn't be able to sail on days with inclement weather (obviously not the camp's fault). I also would like to see more diversity at the camp. Hopefully, the center will get more donations and incentives that will help to generate a more diverse group setting. Otherwise, we loved DSC. read more

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The Downtown Sailing Center is a wonderful way to check out Inner Harbor! I came here when I volunteered for an accessible event, and the staff was able to accommodate people with disabilities and people who used wheelchairs. The instructors were very friendly and patient, and they helped us learn how to sail while we enjoyed the incredible view of Inner Harbor. All in all, I was impressed with DSC's inclusive mission and its focus on the community. This organization is fantastic. read more

The sailing center has lost its focus on offering membership value over the years. The rumor is that they have difficulty finding a director after the previous two quit in frustration with the board of directors, and the remaining staff is rudderless and clueless. There is also a resurgence of woke culture and vigilante women pushing a silly agenda that helps nobody. I remember it being very different not so long ago. The feeling of a welcoming community center is gone apparently. They still offer accessible sailing, in fact, one of the few places in Baltimore that do. But their fleet is in bad shape from what I hear and not being maintained properly. The so-called diversity is also lacking with very few local people of color among its ranks. It saddens me to see this decline in an organization that people used to regard as a good example of how a sailing center should be. read more

As a life long sailor, I was first attracted to the DSC because I came out on an evening when they were running an Accessible event that took people with disabilities out of their wheelchairs and into boats. I was really impressed that sailing could be used in such an awesome way. Beyond that, I've loved getting to know the DSC community of instructors and sailors and thinks it's a great organization that allows the people of Baltimore to get out for an INCREDIBLE view of the city and go sailing! And there's Thursday night racing which is a total blast. I highly recommend this place because it's affordable, has a community centered mentality, and, well, it helps satisfy my love for sailing! read more

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go sailing and find my favorite waters safe for flooding in the street tub or hot pj read more

I want to be careful about how I write this update. It's not my intention to air a bunch of DSC dirty laundry and I still believe that it's a wonderful organization that does great things for the people in its accessible sailing programs and its members who want an affordable place to sail. That being said the center has faced some challenges over the past few years that have taken a toll and I am hoping the new management learns from past mistakes. IMO the DSC has really suffered from its high staff turnover and the loss of institutional knowledge that comes with that. Running a non-profit community sailing center like the DSC requires more than just strong knowledge of boating. You need to know how to allocate very limited funding and resources and how to get support from both members and outside organizations. Sadly the DSC has fallen short in those areas recently. Just as an example a few years ago when they had work parties at the beginning of the year where they'd get boats ready for the season you could expect to see dozens of members showing up and putting several hours of work in on a Saturday morning. That's the sort of thing that made the DSC great. I went to a work party this spring and there were only a few people there and not enough work for us to do. Like I said, it's great to have management that knows a lot about boats but you absolutely must be able to effectively use your members if you want a community sailing center to succeed. read more

The downtown sailing Center is fun. You get to sail. It's fun. The counselors make sure you know how to do your best sail in any winds and in any weather. My favorite instructors are Jaz, Imani, and Mikala read more

If you love sailing, or want to learn, this is an awesome place to go. With a fleet of mostly J-22 (22 ft) and sonars (23 ft), this non-profit sailing center located in the Inner Harbour (near the Dominos Sugar factory) is a great diamond in the rough. Here, you can join as a beginner to take lessons, as an experienced sailor ready to join a racing team, or anything in between. The instructors are very knowledgeable and friendly ... if you love being on the water, this is a great way to check out the inner harbour ... read more

The Downtown Sailing Center used to be wonderful organization where one could learn to sail and hop on a boat without too much hassle. Under its current leadership, though, the organization has suffered. The autocratic director is chosen by the board, and the board is in no way accountable to anyone else in the organization. They have increased membership rates significantly and are no longer tune with the members. They place many hurdles to becoming a "skipper" and place many restrictions on the use of the boats. As a result, this organization has been on the decline. If you want some freedom to sail without all the hassles, it might be worth it to pay the extra money and go across the harbor to Getaway Sailing. read more

I've always wanted to learn how to sail, and the DSC's affordable prices and welcoming members made that possible. If you have any interest in learning how to sail this is the organization to join in Baltimore! read more