A self-taught sailor, now an instructor and sailing schoool owner
Captain Mike Brown started sailing in 2005, when at the age of 50, he purchased a half-interest in a 1981 Catalina Capri sloop on Lake Nockamixon, Quakertown, PA.
Brown says, "I am a chemist by training and being a technical sort, I was attracted to the technical side of sailing. Lake Nockamixon, a six-and-a-half mile-long lake near my home, was easy to get to and by purchasing half of an old boat, it did not cost much to get started.”
Small beginnings led to offshore sailing and ownership of multiple sailing schools. Here the self-taught sailor shares his story in his own words.
Everything he hoped for and more
When I decided to take up sailing, I thought that the sport would open opportunities for fun and adventure and that I would make new friends along the way. This all turned out to be true and then some.
I don’t know why, but for some reason I have always been lucky in sailing. Doors opened for me more than in any of my other endeavors. As I gained knowledge of how to properly sail, it was not long before others wanted to know what I knew, and this soon allowed me to start teaching sailing on an informal basis as part of Nockamixon Sail Club (NSC).
Early sailing education
Although I am a highly credentialed sailor in terms of cruising and even though I operate sailing schools and a charter company, you might find it surprising that most of my early sailing education was self-taught. Even so, I always had specific goals in mind and was not afraid to try different approaches to learn what worked best.
In the beginning I was very cautious not to get myself in too much trouble. I can remember being very fearful when going out on my sailboat in the beginning. What would I do if the wind kicked up? This was a giant motivator for me to learn quickly and correctly.
Teaching reinforces learning
At the time, NSC was expanding its membership from mostly racers to add cruisers. They were so desperate at that time to find a cruising fleet captain that they were even willing to accept a newbie like me! I decided to give it a try, and this benefitted me tremendously.
As an analytical sort, when I would learn something about sailing, I would teach it to the NSC cruising sailors. Knot tying, rules of the road, sail trim, rigging, etc.—each subject was tackled one by one and taught to the club members. I was likely the biggest beneficiary of this training since at that time my knowledge was certainly not perfect, but each lesson was a picture in time of what I had learned thus far. The overall effect of doing this over a period of time helped to get me on the road to becoming a competent cruising sailor, and I made many friends along the way.
I am proud of my accomplishments, but I firmly believe that gaining skills can be sped up dramatically by taking classes.
Sailing school ownership
The NSC members seemed to like my teaching, and I enjoyed it. I had this crazy thought that maybe I should start a sailing school. I figured I would get maybe four to five students a year, and it would be a hobby business. I had underestimated the interest, however, and the new school, Nockamixon Sailing School (NSS), really took off. I had not understood that the years I spent teaching at NSC had built a reputation; hundreds of cruising sailors knew who I was!
A lot has happened since those early days. I have founded three American Sailing Association (ASA) affiliated sailing schools and became an ASA Instructor Evaluator. I hold a 50 Ton Ocean Master license, and I have written a book on celestial navigation. To give myself a winter gig, in 2013 I started Virgin Islands Sailing Academy, which ran until 2023, when I was looking to relax more.
I still own my Catalina Capri Superna on Lake Nockamixon (it is used by NSS), and I own a 39-foot Pearson on the upper Chesapeake that is used for sailing classes at Delmarva Sailing School. In addition, I manage another 39-foot Pearson and a 33-foot Hunter that we charter at our charter company, DelMarVa Charters.
Advice for someone who wants to learn to sail.
No matter how you begin, I recommend setting goals. Some sailors are too timid in terms of their goal setting, and others are too bold. If you are too timid, you may not progress very quickly. Such sailors remain at the same level year after year. Yet do not be too bold or you may find yourself in a situation beyond your abilities.
Goal setting somewhere in the middle is likely best, with some leaning toward being more or less aggressive based on what feels comfortable. Whatever your goals are, they should be measurable and time related, and you should celebrate the attainment of every level of improvement.
If you are serious about becoming a competent cruising sailor, taking sailing classes will speed up your learning and is much safer, especially as you get into more challenging situations on the water. By taking classes, you gain the cumulative experience of many competent sailors all combined into one package.
Who should try sailing?
Sailors are people who like being outdoors and seek not only adventure but also competence. If you like the outdoors and are adventurous and if you are the type who loves to learn, sailing will likely be a good fit for you.
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