Washington Sailing Marina
With the Potomac River lapping at our city’s shores, Alexandrians have plenty of opportunities to enjoy summertime fun on the water, whether it’s sailing, kayaking, rowing, wind-surfing or canoeing.
One of the landmark water sports familiar to many Alexandria families is the Washington Sailing Marina Sailing School. Amy Zang purchased the school in Alexandria in 1994, when she was 27 years old. More than 30 years later, the business is still going strong.
The New York native and now-Alexandria resident moved to the area for a teaching job in Prince George’s County, Md., across the river from Alexandria.
She combined her love of teaching with sailing, which she picked up during sleepaway camp summers in Massachusetts.
“When I went away to sleepaway camp in Massachusetts, it became my thing,” she said. “I loved it.”
At the marina, which sits on National Park Service property, she owns 70 boats that are used for the sailing school and she hires all of the staff, which numbers about 40 during the summers.
“I offer a service, I don’t have an office,” she said, noting that her office is a picnic table under a tree at the park. “That’s my office. I come with the whole package. I have my own insurance, my own boats. I’ve had a really good relationship with the National Park Service.”
The school offers a variety of boats to choose from for rent and for lessons, including one and two-person dinghies (also known as a Sunfish); a Flying Scot that holds four people; catamarans and two-person dinghies that are racing boats, as well as keel boats and wind surfers.
Lessons are available for all age groups. “We teach adults ages 16 and older on weekends and evenings — we’re open to everybody,” Zang said, noting that many adults who take lessons are those who went to camp as a kid and now want to learn at a recreational level.
The school also offers team-building activities for companies and supervised sailing, after people take lessons, where instructors are out in safety boats helping those who are renting boats.
“We want to make sure they’re in good shape,” she said.
Amy Zang, Washington Sailing Marina
New this year at the school is a program that offers free sailing for underserved youth, thanks to the school being named one of six Sailing Centers around the country, with donations for the program made by the U.S. Sailing Association, the governing body for the sport.
“Sailing still has that ‘white rich man’s sport’ aura,” Zang said. “I was selected to do the program in the spring, summer and fall at no-cost to designated underserved youth between ages 10-14.” The school is working with the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority to identify students for the program.
“The Potomac River is in their backyard,” she said. “Sailing has so many benefits, so many life skills that you learn.”
The school will open the first weekend in May starting with weekend classes and then weeknight classes. Summer camp will begin in June and continue for 11 weeks of one-week sessions.
“We start with kids who have never sailed before all the way up through advanced sailing,“ she said.
Last year, the camp did not close down during the pandemic. “We were fortunate that we were able to operate,“ Zang said. “We had zero COVID cases.“
“I feel really, really lucky,“ she said. “Last year, we were putting modifications in place to be open; luckily the modifications didn’t change our program.“
The camp teaches more than 100 children each week during summer camp. “It’s amazing,“ Zang said. “We’re already three-quarters full.“ Some of the staffers who teach sailing are former campers she’s known since they were 9 years old. “They stay with us through college.“
What is the future of the sailing school? “My hope is that everything just continues on,“ Zang said. “We don’t have a whole lot of room for getting bigger, but we continue to build on programs in the spring and fall. I’m there until I can’t be there anymore. I really do love it, it’s been really good for me in so many ways."
Water Sports in Alexandria
- Alexandria Community Rowing, offers competitive and recreational rowing opportunities. 1 N. Madison St., rowalexandria.com
- Blue Octopus Scuba, offers introductory scuba diving lessons, certifications, equipment rental, dive trips and more. 4154 Duke St. 703-461-3483, blueoctopusscuba.com
- Mariner Sailing School offers sailing classes, camps and boat rentals including canoes, kayaks, paddleboards and sailboats. Located along George Washington Memorial Parkway at Belle Haven Marina, 703-768-0018, saildc.com
- Washington Marina Sailing School, offers sailing lessons and camps and boat rentals at 1 Marina Dr. 703-548-9027, boatingindc.com
