It was my birthday in May, 2008 when an old friend saw me walking melancholy along the harbor. I’d just came from the airport hoping to get my pilot’s license current, only to find it was now near $150 per hour to fly the smallest of planes. “You should take up sailing – it’s cheaper and just as fun,” he suggested. He steered me into a sailing school, and soon I was a skipper looking for affordable ways to sail on a teacher’s pay.

Luckily I found SailTime Sailing at Channel Islands Harbor through an internet search, and was promptly sailing on an immaculate and well-appointed Hunter 326. Even better, knowledgeable members in the SailTime local sailing fleet generously helped to sharpen my skills on the particulars of in-mast furling, rules of the road, and the attractions in local waters. The regular membership frolics and dock picnics provided lots of opportunities to make new friends, set sail dates, and swap sailor stories.

Since SailTime offers a flat-rate program with plenty of open days for sailing at no extra charge, I often invite my international students. They are ecstatic to see the wetter side of American life that many of us overlook – warm blue seas teeming with dolphins, whales, sea lions, pelicans, cormorants and gulls … Even years later I still receive notes from them remembering a sail. I confidently take my passengers to sea knowing the boat is well-maintained, fueled, insured, and equipped with the necessaries for most possible problems. And with SailTime managers watching over the fleet, it’s nice to feel our back is covered should something go amiss.

Since SailTime allows me to grab most any open day, I sometimes I sail 12 or more times a month on my own assigned boat, as well as crew for other members. With all those sail times, I am now nearing the 360 sail-day mark to get my captain’s license from the US Coast Guard. I also developed my seamanship to the point where I passed the ASA tests and requirements to become a certified sailing instructor.

I look forward to many more years ahead sharing the joys of sailing — perhaps someday with someone walking melancholy along a harbor hoping for a wondrous ‘what’s next?’

Steven R. Van Hook, PhD

Channel Islands Harbor

ASA Certified Sailing Instructor

USCG Captain in 2012