Being a coastal city, Boston has a thriving boat culture on the Charles River and Boston Harbor. Several sailing clubs service each location and offer sailors the opportunity to see Boston and Cambridge from unique vantage points. I have been a member at Community Boating on the Charles and at Piers Park Sailing Center on the harbor, and both experiences have been very positive.

I sailed on the Charles River at Community Boating for several years when I first moved into the city. I liked it because it was an easy T ride to the Esplanade, and I could go out for an hour after work before it got dark.  If there was enough light, I liked being able to sail then walk along the river of down to the waterfront before heading back home for the night. Sailing on the Charles allowed me to get a beautiful view of both Cambridge and Boston. I loved being able to sail toward the dome on the MIT campus then tack around to have the Hancock Tower and the Prudential Center take up the entire field of vision.  Sailing between the cities offered me a new perspective on the landmarks.

For the last several years I have been a member at Piers Park Sailing Center, which allowed me to sail Sonars on Boston Harbor. The organization allows boaters to cover a huge area of the harbor, usually from the Tobin Bridge area to the water near Castle Island. The best part about sailing on the harbor is the array of skyline I can see during one trip out. The major part of the harbor is downtown Boston, Long Wharf, and Rowe’s Wharf, but I like sailing in towards Charlestown to see the North End and Charlestown Waterfronts. Each neighborhood is distinct, and it’s nice to sail by and appreciate the architecture. Tacking around and sailing in toward the city offers a fantastic view of the entire Boston waterfront with all of its skyscrapers and historical red brick buildings. As the boat approaches the city, I love to turn off and sail by the elegant boats moored offshore before turning back toward the mouth of the outer harbor.