Come Sail Away with Sail Rockaway

By Theresa M Racine

Sail Rockaway offered a unique opportunity to sail during their opening day party held at Marina 59 on Saturday, May 3. They had free sailing tours all day on two of their boats. One of the boat’s names is “Christina.” Christina is 17 feet long and was built in the 1980s, but the design of the boat is hundreds of years old. The boat is a Norfolk Oyster, a traditional English work boat designed specifically for shallow water fishing and oystering in the marshes of the UK. The boat is perfect for exploring all the nooks and crannies of Jamaica Bay. The other boat is called “The Drascombe Lugger.” During the tour, Captain Sam Jackson shared some golden nuggets about sailing, explaining how the weather and the wind speeds have much to do with the boat going out to sea or not.

Captain John “Sean” Bolebruch is the founder and the owner of the company, Sail Rockaway, established in 2017. For Jackson, who joined in 2021, this marks his fourth season with Sail Rockaway. Jackson, who came from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, says that’s where he gained his extensive coastline experience. His grandfather and father cultivated a family appreciation for nature.

For the second year, Sail Rockaway also has a unique opportunity for kids in the summer. They have a summer camp for kids ages 6-14 years old, available five mornings a week in July and August for a weekly fee of $540. This program is designed to teach kids how to sail. They cover the basics such as boating safety, tacking, points of sail, knots, rigging, winds, tides, and so much more. You can find out more about the program on www.Sailrockaway.com

Sail Rockaway also has a partnership with the Virginia Maitland Sachs Foundation (VMS Foundation), which is a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the Maritime industry by providing opportunities for underprivileged youth. The foundation’s mission is to increase awareness about maritime careers and provide access to educational and career-development resources for young people in underserved communities.

Sail Rockaway offers public sailing tours daily, sunset tours on Tuesdays, sunrise birding tours, plus moonrise tours whenever the moon is full. Also, on Wednesday and Thursday, they offer lessons. Sails are not free, but they are at low and accessible price points. Additionally, they offer private tours and lessons at any time.

Jackson explained that his passion for sailing goes deeper, observing the community from the waterfront. Within 10 years, Jackson would like to see Sail Rockaway have a bigger program with a community boat house and a community dock accessible for all. Also, with more partnerships and more money, Jackson hopes to offer free sails for a day to everyone who is interested. After all, Jamaica Bay is a treasure waiting to be explored. “Jamaica Bay is one of the greatest natural resources we have, and yet it’s totally inaccessible for most of the people that live along its shores. Our main goal is for Sail Rockaway to change that. There is nothing we like more than getting folks who are born and raised in Rockaway out sailing for the first time, especially kids. We are working hard to develop partnerships across the peninsula to bring sailing on Jamaica Bay to all.”

Sail Rockaway is located at Marina 59 (360 Beach 59th Street). For more information and to book a tour or lesson, head to: www.sailrockaway.com