www.rainbowspinnakers.org/aboutus.htm

         
 

 About Us

        

Rainbow Spinnakers Sailing Club is a diverse group of sailing enthusiasts located in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Virginia, and the Chesapeake Bay area who sail on the Potomac River, the Chesapeake Bay, and beyond. Rainbow Spinnakers Sailing and Social Club provides the gay, lesbian, bisexual, straight, and transgender community opportunities to develop sailing skills and promote the community of sailing.  Rainbow Spinnakers is a nonprofit organization. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Getaway Sailing Office Entering the Marina  
   
       
 

Weekend Sails

      
         

Join us most weekends in season for 2-hour sails on the Potomac or for all afternoon sails in Baltimore Harbor.   Sails on the Potomac depart from Belle Haven Marina, just south of Alexandria.  Sails in Baltimore Harbor depart from Getaway Sailing.  Detailed directions can be found by following the link "Baltimore Directions."  Costs typically vary between $15-$30 per day depending on the event.  Beginners and experienced sailors are welcome.  We often meet afterwards at a local restaurant for dinner or drinks.  Joining Rainbow Spinnakers is a great way to gain sailing skills and to make new friends.  Use the link on our homepage to pay your nominal annual membership dues. Reservations are required for all events. Please Subscribe to our Google Group to receive our weekly invitations by clicking here .  Our weekly Emails will include detailed information about upcoming events and how to RSVP for these events.   Some weekends no events are scheduled because inclement weather or little wind is expected.  Hence, its generally not necessary to reserve a date in way in advance for sailing.  We, and you, have to wait for the forecast, before we make plans.

 

     Sign for Belle Haven  
 

 
   
   
   
  Belle Haven Marina Office
 

Belle Haven Meeting Tent

 
 

 
   
   
   
  Membership        
           
Anyone is free to sign up to our Google Group Email list by using the link found on our homepage.  Just enter your Email address in the box and submit it to us. However, to experience the full benefits of the club you need to pay your membership dues.   You can pay your membership dues online using PayPal by clicking here.  The annual membership dues are $20 per individual and $30 per couple, and it is easiest for us if you pay your dues online using PayPal following the link above.  You can keep print out a receipt of your PayPal transaction and use that as a temporary membership card and exchange it for a wallet size membership card the first time you participate in an RSSC sail.   Membership covers the remainder of the RSSC sailing season which ends on the following March 31.   However, if you join in December, January or February your membership will cover the remainder of the year and all of next season. The money we collect is used to cover our sailing and socializing expense, as well as web hosting and development.   The benefits you receive from membership include:
--   Save $5 on each RSSC sail
--   Invitations to special events that are limited to Paid-Up Members
--   The opportunity to serve on the RSSC Board and vote in any elections
Currently, there is no connection between our main mailing list and paying RSSC membership dues.  But if you plan to sail with us a few times or rent from Belle Haven a couple of times you can see that membership is a good investment.  If you only plan to sail once or twice a year with the club and don't want to be involved in running the club, its not necessary for you to pay the annual membership dues, but we'd certainly appreciate your financial support.  If you prefer to pay your annual membership dues by check you can follow  this link  for instructions.  

Many new members of RSSC have alot of questions about exactly how the club operates.  If you subscribe to our free mailing list, you will receive weekly Emails about upcoming events and how to participate.  If you have any questions about upcoming events you can call the weekly sailing coordinator to answer any additional questions you might have about RSSC in general or about the upcoming event.  You can also follow this link to contact either:  the webmaster for questions about our web site, the weekly sailing coordinator with questions about the next event, or our treasurer with general membership inquires.

Our homepage has many links which serve a variety of purposes.  Don't become overwhelmed with all the links.  When we send out an Email invitation for an upcoming event, all the relevant links are generally included in the broadcast Email.  So don't worry if you don't understand why there are so many links.  Some of the links are only for sailing coordinators and club officers, and with time you'll come to understand what some of the more important links are for.  One link I would like to mention is the link "More Pictures" which is included in the upper right quadrant of our homepage.  By clicking this link you can load different versions of our homepage which include different sets of pictures.   Other pictures from past events can be found in the Photo Albums section on the left frame.   Visit our homepage frequently as we try to update it with information about the coming weekend's events.